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Best 0% credit cards

Best 0% credit cards

Up to 24 months' interest-free spending

Martin Lewis
Martin Lewis
Updated 12 January 2022

Do it right and 0% spending credit cards are the cheapest way to borrow, yet get it wrong and you'll be stuck in debt for years. Our guide has full info on what to watch out for, plus our eligibility calculator will show the cards you've the best odds of getting before you apply.

Top-pick 0% spending cards

Who's this guide for? Anyone with a planned, budgeted-for purchase for a retailer that takes credit card.

Want to shift card debt to 0%? See our Balance transfers guide.
Want to borrow £3k+? A cheap loan often beats a credit card.

Other related guides... 0% money transfer cards | All-rounder cards | Debt help | How credit cards work | What is buy now, pay later?

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How do 0% spending cards work?

0% spending cards

Put simply, a 0% spending card offers a number of months where no interest is charged on new purchases. This can save you £1,000s compared to the same borrowing on a standard credit card (assuming you pay them off over the same period of time). 

So done right, there's no cheaper borrowing – though they're not an excuse to overspend. We'd only suggest using a credit card to borrow for a needed, planned, affordable, one-off purchase, eg, replacing a broken fridge. This means borrowing as little as possible and only an amount you can pay back during the 0% period.

The real danger is using them willy-nilly to supplement your income, as that can result in a vicious cycle. If this is a problem, see our Debt help guide rather than trying to borrow your way out.

The three golden rules

Before applying for a 0% spending card, ensure you read the three golden rules.

  • 1. Pay at least the set monthly minimum and stick within the credit limit, or you may lose the 0% rate

    Set up a direct debit for at least the minimum repayment as soon as you're accepted. Even though you pay 0% interest, you still need to make repayments each month.

    If you miss one you may lose your 0% deal and get a £12ish charge. It may also be added as a missed payment on your credit report.

    You'll also need to be careful not to spend more than your credit limit. If you do, the card provider may end the 0% offer, which means you'll start paying interest.

  • 2. Aim to clear the card during the 0% period – it's best to repay a chunk every month so it acts as a 0% loan

    There are no 0% loans, but there are 0% credit cards... so the trick is to turn a card into a loan. 

    Go even one month beyond the promotional 0% period and the interest rate rockets, so calculate the amount needed to clear the balance by then and remember that end date.

    Divide what you spent by the number of 0% months and set up a direct debit to clear it in that time, so it works like a loan where you pay it back in full over a set period.

    So £600 over a year is £50 a month to clear. If you've not cleared it in time, see our Best balance transfers guide for full information on shifting the amount you owe to another 0% card.

  • 3. Don't balance transfer or withdraw cash on these cards – it's usually at an expensive interest rate

    While purchases on these cards are interest-free for a number of months, you'll need to check if other uses such as balance transfers are as well.

    For example, from our best buys below, M&S Bank, Virgin Money and Sainsbury's Bank all let you transfer a balance over to the same 0% period you would receive for spending, after a one-off fee (these vary from 2.9% to 3% of the balance you're transferring). See our Best all-rounders guide for full info.

    Cash withdrawals are a different case, and you'll usually pay interest from the date of making the cash withdrawal until it's paid off.

    This means you'll most probably see an interest charge on the first statement after the cash withdrawal, which is the interest charged from the date you made the withdrawal until the date the statement was issued.

    But you may also see interest charged on the following statement. There'll be a delay between your statement being drawn up, and you paying it. It may be a couple of days, it may be a couple of weeks, but you'll be charged interest on the cash withdrawal until you pay it off.

 Credit Card Eligibility Calculator

Compare which 0% credit 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 applying.

Check your chance of acceptance

Top-pick 0% spending credit cards

Here are our top-pick cards with the next best below, all with a long 0% period.

Important. When comparing, be aware these include 'up to' cards, so poorer credit scorers may get a shorter deal 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. 

Top long-0% purchase cards for new cardholders 

 

Barclaycard 

 Longest 0% period plus £20 potential cashback, though some won't get the headline deal.  As it's an 'up to', some accepted will get a shorter 12 months at 0%, depending on Barclaycard's credit assessment. If you spend £250+ in the first three months, £20 will be credited to your accout within a week of hitting trigger – so clear the card before the 0% period ends and you'll repay less than you spend.  

- Up to 24mths 0%
- £20 cashback if spending £250+ in first 90 days

- 21.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*


M&S Bank (i) 

 The longest definite 0% period – here all accepted get the full 23 months, plus M&S points. The card gives one point (worth 1p) per £1 spent at M&S and one point per £5 spent elsewhere, worth up to a 1% return as M&S vouchers.

- 23mths 0%
- M&S points on spending

- 21.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*


Sainsbury's
Bank		 Up to £25 in bonus Nectar points plus the joint-longest 0%, though some won't get the headline deal. Unless you're showing as 'pre-approved' in our eligibility calculator, you could be accepted and offered just 15 months at 0%. It pays two Nectar points per £1 spent in Sainsbury's, plus 500 points (worth £2.50) per £35 spend in the first two months (max 5,000 points). You'll get one point per £5 spent elsewhere, so up to a 1% ongoing return in Nectar points.

- Up to 23mths 0%
- Nectar points on spending

- 21.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*

 

New. HSBC

 Another long, definite 0% period, plus £25 cashback if you spend £100+ within 60 days. The cashback is added to your account within two months of hitting the trigger. A good option if you've better acceptance odds than the cards above. 

- 22mths 0%

- £25 cashback if spending £100+ in first 60 days
- 22.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*
The next best 0% spending cards. Here are quick details of decent alternatives.
Tesco

- Up to 23mths 0%
- Clubcard points on spending

- 20.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*
NatWest (ii)
Existing customers only		 - 22mths 0%
- 21.9% rep APR		 Apply
The card above is also available for existing RBS (apply) and Ulster Bank (apply) customers. 
Lloyds Bank - Up to 21mths 0%
- 21.9% rep APR		 Check eligibility
Apply*
Virgin Money - 19mths 0%
- 21.9% rep APR		 Check eligibility
Apply*

(i) You can't have had a credit card from M&S Bank in the last 12 months. (ii) You'll need an existing savings, credit card, mortgage or current account to apply.｜See all official APR examples. 

Top 0% credit cards for poor credit scorers

If you have high levels of current debt, missed payments (recent or historic), bankruptcies, county court judgments (CCJs) or individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs), chances are your credit file might not be in the best shape.

Try our eligibility calculator first to check your chances of acceptance for the cards above, but if it shows no or low odds, then the cards below offer a short 0% period if your credit problems are over a year old. These cards can also help if you've existing, expensive debt...

  • How to use a 0% period to give a respite from existing debts

    First up, we would caution anyone with past credit problems against new borrowing. Yet the 0% spending period on these cards can be used to give you respite and save you money on costly debts, such as payday loans or overdrafts with high interest. Here's how...

    Step 1: Do normal spending on the 0% spending card up to the credit limit. As you're using it instead of cash from your bank account your income should build up there.

    Step 2: Use the money built up in your bank account to reduce your overdraft or repay lenders. In effect you've now got the debt on the card instead.

    Step 3: No interest is added during the 0% period (up to four months, based on the cards below) so you've got until this ends to reduce your overall debt – though you do need to still pay the minimum monthly repayments. Do ensure you do a budget to work out how to do it.

    Step 4: At the end of the 0% period the rate jumps to the expensive rep APR of the card (up to 34.9% based on those below) so ensure there's no debt on it by then – but in the worst case scenario it's still likely cheaper than payday loans. If the interest rate on the card's higher than the one you pay on your overdraft, use the overdraft to pay off any remaining debt on the card.

Top poor-credit 0% purchase cards for new cardholders 

igd-Capital-One-new-card-2020.png

Capital One

 A four-month break from paying interest while rebuilding your credit.

- 4mths 0%

- 34.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*


 

Marbles

 The same deal as Capital One above, so which to go for comes down to which will accept you – use our eligibility calculator to check. 

- 4mths 0%

- 34.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*



Amazon		 Three months at 0%, which gives a short time to spread the cost of purchases, plus a £20 Amazon voucher on acceptance.

- 3mths 0%

- 29.9% rep APR

 Apply
The next best poor-credit 0% spending cards. Here are quick details of decent alternatives.
Barclaycard - 3mths 0%
- 33.9% rep APR		 Check eligibility
Apply*
Post Office

- 3mths 0%

- 29.9% rep APR

 Check eligibility
Apply*

See all official APR examples.

If you can't get these cards, read our Credit cards for bad credit guide for more help to build or rebuild your credit history.

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 the cashback is never 100% guaranteed until it's in your account.

Full help to take advantage of this, plus pros and cons in our Top cashback sites guide.

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Coronavirus credit card help

If you're struggling to pay off debt on an existing credit card due to coronavirus, lenders should provide support. Yet the blanket payment holiday help that used to be available has ended.

So if you're struggling to pay your credit card debt, or you're coming off an agreed payment holiday, lenders are now supposed to provide 'tailored support'. Under this, you could be offered a (further) payment holiday or a period of reduced payments, reduced interest or a repayment plan – lenders should take into account how much you can afford and how your finances are likely to change in the near future.

Providers are expected to report any support they give you to credit reference agencies, which could affect your ability to get credit in future. But don't let that put you off from contacting your provider – missing payments or defaulting is likely to have a far worse impact.

For the latest updates and full information on the support available, see our Coronavirus Finance & Bills Help guide.

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