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Balance Transfer Credit Cards
Shift existing card debt to 0% interest for up to 29mths
Paying credit card interest? STOP. A balance transfer credit card can save you £1,000s by slashing the interest you pay. Our guide has full info and top picks, plus our Balance Transfer Eligibility Calculator will show the cards you've the best odds of getting – crucial as lenders have tightened acceptance criteria due to coronavirus financial worries.

Other MSE credit card guides...
0% Money Transfer Cards | 0% Credit Cards for Spending | All-Rounder 0% Cards | Debt Help | How credit cards work
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How do balance transfers work?
With a 0% balance transfer you get a new card to pay off debt on old credit and store cards, so you owe it instead, but at 0% interest. A card will have a 0% period, during which you pay no interest – for example, 28 months – and sometimes you'll pay a small fee. It means you become debt-free quicker, as more of your repayments reduce the debt, rather than pay interest.
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Which balance transfer card is best?
First up, you can't transfer a balance between cards from the same bank/group. So where you're transferring debt from will narrow down the choice. Of those left, which to go for will largely be determined by which cards you're eligible for, as you'll need to pass a credit check as part of any application.
Our eligibility calculator will show your chances of acceptance for most of the top cards in this guide, with no impact on your credit score. If it shows you're eligible for many cards but you're unsure which to pick, follow this rule...
Go for the card with the lowest fee in the 0% period you're sure you can repay it in. If unsure, play safe and go long.
See which balance transfer cards you've the best chance of getting, in your own personal best-buy table.
Usually, applying is the only way to know if you'll be accepted for a credit card. Yet that marks your credit file, affecting your ability to get future credit. To help, our tool uses a 'soft search' to find your chances of acceptance before you apply.
Check your chances of acceptance
Top-pick 0% balance transfer cards
Here are our top-pick cards, all with a long 0% period – go for the lowest fee in the time you're sure you can repay. The longest charge a one-off fee, as a percentage of the amount of debt you transfer (eg, 2.75% is £27.50 per £1,000). But there are shorter options with no fee, so no cost if you can clear your debts within 18 months or less. If unsure, play safe and go for a long 0% period.
Important: These include 'up to' cards, where poorer credit scorers may get a shorter 0% period than advertised – unless you're showing as pre-approved in our eligibility calculator. This is the best route as it shows which cards you're most likely to be accepted for. Where a card isn't in our eligibility calculator, we just include a link allowing you to apply direct.
LENDER | 0% PERIOD + FEE (i) | APPLY |
![]() M&S Bank |
The top-pick card if you need a long 0% period – all accepted get the full 29mths. After the 0%, it's 21.9% rep APR. Full card spec |
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- 29mths 0% - 2.75% fee (min £5) |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
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Another card that gives a definite 29mths at 0% to all accepted, but the fee's slightly higher. After the 0%, it's 21.9% rep APR. Full card spec | |
- 29mths 0% - 3% fee |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
|
Long 0% card but has a much lower fee than the cards above - plus, all accepted get the full 26mths at 0%. After the 0%, it's 21.9% rep APR. Full card spec | |
- 26mths 0% - 1.25% fee |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
![]() Barclaycard |
Longish low fee card, and here all accepted get the full 24mths at 0%. After the 0%, it's 21.9% rep APR. Full card spec | |
- 24mths 0% - 1% fee |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
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Easy winner if you can clear debt within 18 months – no fee + claim a £20 voucher. Apply by Mon 19 April and all accepted get a definite 18mths at 0% and a £20 Amazon voucher. You're sent an email between 30 Jun and 12 Jul with details on how to claim, which you need to do within 90 days, so don't forget. After the 0%, it's 20.9% rep APR. Full card spec | |
- 18mths 0% - NO FEE |
Check eligibility | |
Apply* | ||
The next-best 0% balance transfer cards. Here are quick details of decent alternatives. | ||
Sainsbury's Bank | - Up to 29mths 0% - 3% or 4% fee (min £3) (ii) - 21.9% rep APR |
Check eligibility |
Apply* | ||
Halifax | - Up to 28mths 0% - 2.69% or 3.49% fee - 19.9% rep APR |
Check eligibility |
Apply* | ||
MBNA | - Up to 25mths 0% - 1% or 3.49% fee - 20.9% rep APR |
Check eligibility |
Apply* | ||
NatWest (iii) Existing customers only |
- 18mths 0% - NO FEE - 21.9% rep APR |
Check eligibility |
The card above is also available for existing RBS (check eligibility) and Ulster Bank (apply) customers. |
Important: (i) Fee as a percentage of debt shifted. To get the 0% and fee, you must usually do the balance transfer within 60/90 days of opening. You can't balance-transfer between cards from the same bank/group. (ii) Request the balance transfer as you apply to pay the 3% or 4% fee – it could be more if you wait. (iii) You'll need an existing savings, credit card, mortgage or current account to apply. NatWest and RBS have asked we send people to our eligibility calc, to reduce demand on them during the pandemic.|Representative APR (variable) after the 0% period is stated above – your balance transfer interest may be different.|See all official APR examples.
Top-pick balance transfer cards for poorer credit scorers

Warning – after the 0% rate these are VERY expensive, so plan how much to shift. All cards below have a horrid rep APR after the 0% (up to 34.9%), so compare against your current card's interest rate. If that's more, shift as much debt as possible, which'll depend on the credit limit you get. If less, only shift what you're sure you can clear within five to nine months, depending on the card you choose.
LENDER | 0% LENGTH + FEE (i) | APPLY |
![]() Fluid (ii) |
All accepted get 9mths at 0%, but the fee is high. It accepts those with county court judgments (1yr+ old) and past bankruptcies (18mths+ old), though starting credit limits are low, from £250 to £2,500. After the 0%, it's 34.9% rep APR. Full card spec | |
- 9mths 0% - 4% fee |
Check eligibility | |
![]() Aqua (ii) |
A lower fee, so could win if you can pay off your balance in seven months. Like Fluid above, CCJs must be 1yr+ old and bankruptcies 18mths+, though starting credit limits are lower, from £250 to £1,200. After the 0%, it's 34.9% rep APR. Full card spec | |
- 7mths 0% - 3% fee (min £3) |
Check eligibility | |
![]() Chrome by Vanquis Bank (iii) |
A lower fee, so could win if you can pay off your balance in six months. All accepted get a credit limit of £1,000 (max transfer of £900, min £100). After the 0%, it's 29.3% rep APR. Full card spec | |
- 6mths 0% - 2.9% fee |
Check eligibility | |
The next-best poor-credit balance transfer cards. Here are quick details of decent alternatives. | ||
Aqua (ii) | - 6mths 0% - 3% fee (min £3) - 34.9% rep APR |
Check eligibility |
Capital One | - 6mths 0% - 3% fee - 34.9% rep APR |
Check eligibility |
Apply* | ||
Marbles (ii) | - 5mths 0% - 3% fee - 34.9% rep APR |
Check eligibility |
Important: (i) Fee as a percentage of debt shifted. To get the 0% and fee, you must usually do the balance transfer within 60/90 days of opening. You can't balance-transfer between cards from the same bank/group. (ii) Aqua, Fluid and Marbles have asked we send people to our eligibility calc, to reduce demand on them during the pandemic. (iii) We've only included a link to our eligibility calc as this card isn't available on Chrome's site.|See all official APR examples.
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Balance Transfer Calculator: Which card is cheapest for you?
Cashback sites may pay you for signing up
As an extra boon, members of specialist cashback websites can be paid when they sign up to some financial products. Do check that it's exactly the same deal though, as terms can be different. And remember that the cashback is never 100% guaranteed until it's in your account.
There is full help to take advantage of this and pros and cons in our Top Cashback Sites guide.
If you can't get a new 0% card, try the credit card shuffle to cut interest

If you're unable to get any of the cards above (use our eligibility calculator to check), you may still be able to slash the interest by asking for a low-rate or 0% deal on the card you already have.
If you've more than one credit card, you can then shift debt to the card which offers the lowest rate, though you'll need to factor in any one-off transfer fees.
Here's how to do it step by step:
- List all your debts. Take stock of your current situation and note down all your existing debts, including an overdraft if you have one. Our credit card shuffle worksheet may help.
- Check your account(s) for existing-customer offers. Lenders sometimes offer special deals (either a lower rate or 0% for a set period) for transferring new debt to your existing cards, though usually for a one-off fee. You can usually find these on your online account or by calling your card provider.
- Shift debts to the cheapest card. Do a balance transfer to shift your debt from the card(s) charging the most interest to the one charging the least (or the cheapest ones, if your credit limit isn't big enough to allow you to move it to just one card). You could even consider shifting debt away from any card that will offer you a 0% deal for transferred balances. You can then transfer it back along with debt from other cards to get the 0%. Though be aware of balance transfer fees that could wipe out the gain.
- Repay the most expensive debts first – the most crucial part. If you can't shift all your debt to one card, focus as much cash as possible on the most expensive one first and just pay the minimum repayments on any less expensive card. Once that's repaid, shift focus to the next highest-rate card and continue this until you're debt-free.
If you're paying debts at 18.9% APR on one credit card, and you can get a low-rate deal for 6.9% APR on another card you have, you could save about £120 interest in a year on a £1,000 debt.
Balance transfer FAQs

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