Best 0% APR Credit Cards

A 0% APR can be good for your credit because it makes it easier to pay back debt. While credit card APRs don't directly affect your credit scores, you can bring down a large balance faster if you don't have to pay interest, which will ultimately help your credit score. Using a 0% APR credit card irresponsibly, however, can have the opposite effect.

With a 0% APR credit card, you don't pay any interest on new purchases and/or balance transfers for a certain amount of time. The average length of 0% interest is 12 months on purchases and 12 months on balance transfers. A 0% APR credit card can have a positive effect on your credit, but it all comes down to how you use it.

Tips for Building Good Credit with a 0% APR Credit Card

• Avoid the urge to overspend. It goes without saying that you'll still have to repay everything you charge to your card. Rather than buying on impulse, come up with a reasonable spending plan that takes full advantage of the 0% APR on purchases.
• Bring your balance down to zero by the end of the 0% APR period. Cards with 0% intro APRs tend to have high regular interest rates. Regular APRs go into effect as soon as the promotional period expires, and they usually apply to any balance remaining at that time. Some retailers offer deferred-interest financing, which means you will retroactively owe interest on the entire original purchase amount.
• Remember to make monthly payments. Regardless of whether your balance is accruing interest, you still owe minimum monthly payments. Missing payments can considerably damage your credit score, and it also puts you at risk of losing the 0% APR period altogether.
• Keep your credit utilization rate low. It's generally a good idea to charge large purchases to a 0% APR credit card so you can pay back the debt over time while avoiding interest. However, a credit utilization rate over 30% will temporarily impact your credit score in a negative way.

How 0% Loans Affect Your Credit

Installment loans, such as car loans, also offer 0% deals, but they don't affect your credit score in the exact same way. Installment loans are not factored into your credit utilization score, as credit utilization only measures your use of credit cards and other revolving lines of credit. That said, a loan - and your payment record on a loan - will impact your credit score overall, so make timely monthly payments.

To keep track of your credit score while repaying a debt with a 0% interest deal, you can sign up for a free WalletHub account.

No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card does not have a 0% APR offer for either purchases or balance transfers. Chase Sapphire Preferred is more suited for frequent travelers. It has a $0 foreign transaction fee. And it offers 5 points / $1 on travel purchases (booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards).

If you’re planning on making a large upcoming purchase and you intend on carrying a balance, you should get a 0% APR credit card. Just keep in mind that most of these credit cards require at least good credit for approval. If you’d like to know where you stand, you can check your credit score for free, right here on WalletHub.

Yes, there are 0% APR credit cards for 21 months. The Wells Fargo Reflect credit card offers 0% for up to 21 months from account opening for purchases and qualifying balance transfers. The Wells Fargo Reflect’s regular APR is 13.74% - 25.74% Variable.

Here are other good 0% APR credit cards:

• U.S. Bank Platinum. This credit card has an intro APR on purchases of 0% for 20 billing cycles and then a regular APR of 15.24% - 25.24% (V).
• Chase Freedom Unlimited. It has an intro APR for purchases of 0% for 15 months and a regular APR of 15.24% - 23.99% (V) after that.
• Capital One Quicksilver. This credit card has an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months and then a regular APR of 15.24% - 25.24% (V).
• Citi Diamond Preferred. It has an intro APR for purchases of 0% for 12 months and a regular APR of 14.49% - 24.49% (V) after that. 

Ultimately, you can check out our editors’ latest picks for the best 0% APR credit cards and see which one suits your needs.

The longest 0% APR credit card is the Wells Fargo Reflect℠ Card as it offers an introductory purchase APR of 0% for up to 21 months from account opening. That rate is coupled with a balance transfer intro APR of 0% for up to 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers – subject to a balance transfer fee: 3% intro for 120 days, then up to 5% (min $5). Once the introductory periods are over, remaining balances are subject to a regular APR of 13.74% - 25.74% Variable. Given its $0 annual fee, the Wells Fargo Reflect card makes for a great option both for financing larger purchases and transferring pre-existing debt. There are several other options with long 0% intro APRs that are worth your consideration.

Here are the longest 0% APR credit cards:

These cards benefit from $0 annual fees and require good credit or better (a credit score of 700+) for good odds of approval. None of these cards offer rewards, but they’re meant for financing rather than regular spending. You can always adopt the island approach and use a different rewards card for purchases you’ll pay in full each month. All of these cards also require good or excellent credit.

It’s important to note that some store cards may offer 0% interest for longer than 21 months, but they use deferred interest. That is, you earn interest on your balance during the 0% period but don’t have to pay that interest if and only if you bring your balance to $0 before the 0% period ends. The JCPenney Credit Card is one example, offering 18 - 48 months of deferred interest. But those cards are best avoided, because not paying your balance in full by the end of the intro period allows for a high APR to retroactively apply to your entire original purchase amount – as if the low intro rate never existed.

The best way to use a 0% APR credit card is with a clear plan. Interest-free credit cards aren’t always available. So, you can’t just assume that you’ll be able to transfer whatever balance remains at the end of your new card’s 0% intro term to yet another 0% credit card. And exposing much of a balance to a card’s regular interest rate is a costly proposition. The average 0% credit card has a 18% regular APR, according to WalletHub’s latest Credit Card Landscape Report.

Here’s the best way to use a 0% APR credit card:

The first thing to keep in mind is that using a 0% card correctly starts with calculating how long it will take you to repay your debt (without interest). This will tell you how long of a 0% intro period you’ll need and how important each card’s regular APR will be.

The second step is to check your latest credit score, which you can do for free on WalletHub. This will tell you which, if any, zero-interest credit card you can qualify for.

Next, you’ll need to compare whatever eligible offers remain. In doing so, consider all of the various account terms that could affect your overall financing costs. That includes the length of the 0% period, the annual fee, the regular APR and if you’re trying to reduce the cost of existing debt, the balance-transfer fee. And WalletHub’s Credit Card Payoff and Balance Transfer calculators are perfect for the task.

After you find the best 0% APR card for your needs, submit an application and, hopefully, get approved, your focus should shift to making on-time monthly payments and reaching debt freedom as quickly as possible. And the best way to accomplish those goals is to set up automatic monthly payments for your budgeted amount.

Many people assume credit cards with 0% APRs are always around. But they’re actually just limited-time offers. They tend to be plentiful when the economy is strong and scarce when credit card companies believe the risk of nonpayment is too high.

That’s why it’s best to act as if another 0% card will not be available to bail you out. It’s also why you should consider a 0% card’s regular APR if there’s a chance you won’t be debt-free by the end of the intro period. You never really know when the economic tides or issuer policies will shift, after all. And a lot of 0% credit card users learned a costly lesson about not planning for the worst during the Great Recession.

It’s also worth noting that even when 0% APR credit cards are available, their terms still fluctuate over time. For example, the average 0% credit card offer had a 7.29-month intro period at the end of 2010. And that grew to 10.27 months in Q3 2013, before dipping to 9.85 months at the end of 2016. So getting the best 0% credit card deal is part good timing and part opportunism.

Credit card companies generally make money off of fees and interest. So it’s understandably confusing that they would sacrifice the interest part of the equation, if only for a limited time, especially since most 0% cards don’t charge annual fees. But there are three main reasons why banks and credit unions offer 0% APR credit cards:

1. To entice new customers. Zero percent intro rates are eye-catching, and banks can market their other products to new cardholders in order to make money.
2. To encourage more spending. Credit card companies make money from so-called interchange fees every time you make a purchase. And the more debt you rack up, the less likely you are to repay your full balance within the 0% term.
3. To make money from interest. This might seem a bit counterintuitive, but issuers know that many people will carry a balance for longer than their 0% intro rate is available. And that’s when they hit you with a high regular APR. The current average is 17.86%. In other words, credit cards with no interest whatsoever don’t actually exist.

These reasons also help to explain why credit cards don’t have permanent 0% rates. And the fact that issuers offer 0% APRs to make money, not just out of the goodness of their hearts, is why you should always be on the lookout for hidden costs and deals that seem too good to be true.

“If consumers actually routinely borrowed at 0% without paying any fees or interest, it would be difficult for credit card companies to earn a profit on these deals,” said Michael Simkovic, an associate professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law who studies the credit regulations. “Customers just really have to read the fine print, compare the total cost of borrowing the amount they need for the time they need it (including interest and fees) and be very, very careful.”

When a 0% APR period ends, the credit card’s regular APR will kick in. That rate will apply to any unpaid balance remaining on the credit card as well as any new purchases made from that point on. The regular APR that applies when a 0% APR period expires tends to be very high, so it’s best not to leave much of a balance for it to affect.

The only exception to this rule is a 0% interest period with a feature called deferred interest. General-purpose 0% credit cards don’t have it, but some store credit cards do. This isn’t a true 0% APR deal because the interest is still accruing while it’s “deferred,” and it will apply if you don’t pay your balance on schedule. So when the 0% APR ends on a deferred interest financing offer, you’ll be charged interest on the original purchase amount, as accrued from the purchase date, if you have even $1 of your original balance left to pay. Your deferred interest could also return prematurely if you make a late payment, and it’ll likely be a lot more expensive than a late fee. That’s why it’s very important to make on-time payments on deferred interest credit cards, and to pay off the balance before a deferred interest period is over.

Even though a credit card with a true 0% APR period won’t retroactively charge interest on purchases, be smart with these cards. Interest will apply to any balance remaining when the 0% period ends, so plan out your payments to ensure there’s little left at that point. Using a credit card payoff calculator can be a big help.

No, there aren’t any no interest credit cards for 24 months right now. The closest you’ll find is 0% interest for up to 21 months from account opening on both purchases and balance transfers from the Wells Fargo Reflect℠ Card. This card’s regular APR is 13.74% - 25.74% Variable and it charges a balance transfer fee of: 3% intro for 120 days, then up to 5% (min $5). There are several credit cards, though, with long no interest periods, either on purchases, balance transfers or both.

Some store cards may offer no interest for 24 months or longer. But that’s deferred interest, not true 0% interest. With deferred interest, if you don’t pay off your entire balance by the end of the promotional period, you owe all the interest you would have built up over those months at the card’s regular APR. If you do pay in full by the time the 0% period ends, you don’t owe the interest.

No Interest Credit Cards for 24 Months Alternatives

So, there are a number of good alternatives to no interest credit cards for 24 months. The only catch is that you’ll need to have at least good credit to get them, with the exception of Bank of America Cash Rewards for Students. This card requires at least fair credit but also accepts applicants with limited credit.

Yes, 0% APR is the same as no interest, though only up to a point. While 0% APR means no interest in the short term, the 0% APR on a credit card offer is only an introductory deal that will be replaced by a higher regular APR at the end of the 0% intro period.

With most credit cards, the interest rate that takes effect after a 0% APR ends will only apply to any balance remaining at that point, plus future balances carried from month to month. With some store credit cards, however, the regular rate will retroactively apply to the original purchase amount if you don’t repay what you owe by the end of the 0% promo period.

Finally, if you have a 0% APR offer, understand that it does not excuse you from making payments on your account each month. In fact, you could lose your 0% APR if you fail to pay the minimum amount by the due date.