Best 0% APR Credit Cards

A 0% APR credit card won’t hurt your credit score more than other types of credit cards would. Opening a new credit card – whether it’s a 0% APR card or a rewards card, for example – will cause a small credit-score drop, due to the hard inquiry required by most credit card companies when evaluating an application. A 0% APR card won’t hurt your credit simply by existing on your credit report, though, assuming the card is used responsibly.

If you use a 0% credit card to spend more than you can afford to repay before the card's regular interest rate takes effect, you may be charged a lot of money in interest. Even if you then transfer a high-interest balance to a 0% APR credit card, you will likely have to pay a balance transfer fee. You can learn more about the potential downsides of 0% APR credit cards below.

How a 0% APR Credit Card Could Hurt Your Credit

• Overspending. A 0% introductory period makes it easier to rack up a bigger bill than you’d planned on or can manage. No interest means there’s less pressure to pay off your balance in full every month, too.
• Missed payments. If your 0% APR period turns into a high regular APR when you’re carrying a large balance, it could quickly become unaffordable. And if you’re unable to make the minimum payments, your credit score will definitely take a hit.
• High credit utilization. Many people get a 0% APR credit card to pay off a large purchase over time without paying interest. That’s a good use of a 0% APR period. But if the purchase takes up most or all of the card’s credit limit, the cardholder’s credit utilization will go up. High credit utilization could damage your credit score.

It is worth noting that if you won’t need your credit score for anything important for a while, temporarily high credit utilization is better than paying a lot in interest. Also, don’t worry about negative remarks on your credit report just because you aren’t paying interest—there’s no truth to that claim.

Ultimately, if you’re considering getting a new credit card for its 0% APR period, the best things you can do to minimize the chances of hurting your credit are to always make payments on time and avoid maxing out your credit limit. Also, it’s not a bad idea to set spending boundaries beforehand to avoid paying the regular interest rate after the promotional period expires.

A 0% APR (also known as zero interest) means that you pay no interest on new purchases and/or balance transfers for a certain period of time. The best 0% APR credit cards give 15-18 months without interest. But the average 0% APR intro period is about 12 months for cards offering 0% purchases. And it’s around 13 months for the average card with 0% on transfers.

A 0% APR does not keep you away from monthly payments, nor does it completely remove interest out of the equation. You still have to make monthly minimum payments to keep your 0% APR. And if you don’t pay off your balance by the end of the 0% intro period, you’ll have to pay interest on whatever balance remains. The penalty is even worse with many retailers’ 0% financing offers. If you don’t pay off your full balance in time, interest will retroactively apply to your entire original balance – as if the 0% APR was never there.

There are a few other things you should keep in mind when thinking about 0% APRs, too.

0% APR Key Takeaways

• You pay no interest on your purchases and/or balance transfers for the duration of the introductory APR period, which depends on the card.
• 0% APRs make debt cheaper to pay off, which helps you get out of debt faster.
• A 0% APR does not free you from the responsibility of making monthly payments. You must pay at least your monthly minimum to avoid being classified as late. Late payments damage your credit score.
• 0% credit cards tend to have fairly high regular APRs. So, you should strive to bring your balance to zero by the end of the 0% APR period, when regular rates take effect.

It’s also important to note that you won’t only find 0% APRs on credit cards. You may see auto loans with them, for example. Just be sure to always read the terms in detail before signing. You don’t want to end up with deferred interest instead of a true 0% APR.

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 15.24% - 27.24% 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 16.74% - 26.74% (V).
• Chase Freedom Unlimited. It has an intro APR for purchases of 0% for 15 months and a regular APR of 16.49% - 25.24% (V) after that.
• Capital One Quicksilver. This credit card has an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months and then a regular APR of 16.49% - 26.49% (V).
• Citi Diamond Preferred. It has an intro APR for purchases of 0% for 12 months and a regular APR of 15.99% - 25.99% (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 15.24% - 27.24% 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 Store 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.”