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Best 0% credit cards

Compare cards with up to 23 months' interest-free spending

Martin Lewis
Martin Lewis
Updated 21 March 2025

We prefer you don't borrow unless you NEED to, as it can lead to problems. Yet if you do need to, used right, 0% spending credit cards are the cheapest way to borrow. This guide has full info on what to watch out for, plus our eligibility calculator will show you the cards you've the best odds of getting before you apply.

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In this guide

First, a quick overview of 0% spending cards...

0% spending cards offer a number of months where no interest is charged on new purchases – there's no cheaper borrowing over the medium term. This can save you £1,000s compared with the same borrowing on a standard credit card and and you get the same credit card protection...

  • Don't just apply - go via an eligibility calc. Our 0% spending Eligibility Checker speedily shows acceptance odds for top cards (some are 'pre-approved'), without affecting your creditworthiness.

·       Go for the LONGEST 0% period. Choose a 0% period long enough to repay the planned, essential spending you need the card for.

Top-pick newbies' 0% purchase cards (longest first)

New. Barclaycard

Link goes via eligibility or read full Barclaycard review

- Up to 23mths 0%

- 24.9% rep APR after

MBNA

Link goes via eligibility or read full MBNA review

 - Up to 23mths 0%
- Only purchase in first 60 days are at 0%
- 24.9% rep APR after
Lloyds Bank
Link goes via eligibility or read full Lloyds Bank review		 - Up to 21mths 0%
- 24.9% rep APR after

M&S Bank

Link goes via eligibility or read full M&S Bank review

- Up to 20mths 0% + points on spending

- 24.9% rep APR after
Tesco Bank
Link goes via eligibility or read full Tesco Bank review		 - 14mths 0%
- 24.9% rep APR after
  • If you do get a card, ALWAYS follow the 0% Purchase Golden Rules: 
    a) Never miss the minimum monthly repayment, or you could lose the 0% deal.
    b) Clear the card before the 0% ends, or the rate rockets to the higher APR.
    c) To avoid hefty fees and interest, don't withdraw cash.

The full 0% purchase cards guide...

Now we've given you a brief overview and you understand the basics, let's take you through 0% purchase cards in more detail...

How do 0% purchase cards work?

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

So done right, there's no cheaper borrowing over the medium term – 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. This means borrowing as little as possible and only an amount you can pay back during the 0% period.

Credit card interest rates (APRs) have increased by a few percentage points in recent years – top spending cards currently charge around 25% interest compared to around 20% a few years ago. This means it's become more expensive to borrow, making it more important than ever to avoid borrowing to fill gaps in your income. But if you're doing it anyway, borrowing at 0% is better than paying interest. Do read our Debt help guide for more info.

  • What is a rep APR?

    APR stands for 'annual percentage rate' and is the rate a provider will charge you for borrowing, including the amount of interest plus any fees. Where credit cards use a 'representative APR', it means only 51% of successful applicants must be given the stated rate.

    If you get a 0% spending card, you won't be charged ANY interest on your spending during the introductory interest-free period. However, after that ends, you'll be charged interest on any outstanding debt. So, if you fully repay your debt before then, you won't pay a penny.

    You can continue to use the card after the 0% period ends, though to avoid paying interest you must repay your balance IN FULL each month. However, there are specialist reward cards which can net you cashback or points on your spending, which are better for day-to-day spending.

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.

    Your aim should be to pay more than the minimum – unless you've pricey debts elsewhere, in which case focus max repayments on them. Minimum payments are designed to make debts last as long as possible, which you should try to avoid – see tips to beat this in Danger: Minimum Repayments.

  • 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 (Annual Percentage 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 Balance transfers guide for full information on shifting the amount you owe to another 0% card. Also see How to cancel a credit card if you no longer need it for what you need to consider.

  • 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 (see What is a balance transfer credit card?).

    Some cards let you transfer a balance over to the same 0% period you would receive for spending, after a one-off fee around 3% of the balance you're transferring. See our Best all-rounders guide for full info.

    Cash withdrawals are a different case – interest is usually charged 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 find interest is 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.

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  • Get personalised acceptance odds for credit cards and loans.

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Longest interest-free credit cards

Here are our We've highlighted the standout cards here, yet our eligibility calculator has many more, so it's best to use that to get your personalised best-buy table. The calculator also shows if you're 'pre-approved' for any cards, and for a few can even show a guaranteed credit limit.

Top long-0% purchase cards for new cardholders 

MoneySavingExpert's 0% Spending Card Eligibility Calculator, with the up to 21-month Barclaycard selected

 

Barclaycard

24.9% rep APR after

 Joint-longest 0%, but short backup rate & it's an 'up to'. If you're pre-approved in our eligibility calc you'll definitely get the full 23mths, if not Barclaycard says about 1 in 5 people will get its much shorter 11mth backup rate, so try for one of the cards below instead.

Headline rate:
- 23mths 0%

Backup rate:
- 11mths 0%

 CHECK ELIGIBILITY



MBNA
 

24.9% rep APR after

 Joint-longest 0% & longer backup rates, but only purchases made in first 60 days are at 0%. This card is for those with an imminent high-spend period. Make all purchases within 60 days & you'll then have up to 23 interest-free months to repay. If eligible for this card, our eligibility calc will show if you're pre-approved for 23mths, 21mths or 14mths – if either of the latter, try for one of the cards below.

Headline rate:
- 23mths 0%

Backup rates:
- 21mths 0%
- 14mths 0%

 CHECK ELIGIBILITY

 

Lloyds Bank

24.9% rep APR after

 Long 0%. If eligible for this card, you’ll be pre-approved for 21mths, 19mths or 14mths at 0%. Again, if it's the latter, another card could be better.

Headline rate:
- 21mths 0%

Backup rate:
- 19mths 0%

- 14mths 0%

 CHECK ELIGIBILITY
MoneySavingExpert's 0% Spending Card Eligibility Calculator, with the 18-month M&S Bank card selected

M&S Bank

24.9% rep APR after		 Long 0% & points on spending, but another 'up to'. You'll get the full 20mths at 0% if you're pre-approved in our eligibility calc, if not it's 15mths – longer than most of the backups above, so you'd still be doing pretty well if you got it. You get one point per £1 spent in M&S and per £5 spent elsewhere. Points can be converted to M&S vouchers.

Headline rate:
- 20mths 0%

Backup rate:
- 15mths 0%

 CHECK ELIGIBILITY


Tesco Bank

24.9% rep APR after		 Longest definite 0%. It's much shorter than the cards above, but if you've decent acceptance odds, everyone accepted gets the full 14mths.

Headline rate (all get it):
- 14mths 0%

 CHECK ELIGIBILITY

All links go via our eligibility calculator (at providers' request). | See all official APR examples.

How do I apply for these credit cards?

Use our eligibility calculator to find which cards are most likely to accept you. It uses a 'soft search' (which lenders can't use) to calculate and show your percentage chance of getting the top credit cards. This is the best route as it reveals which cards you're most likely to be accepted for WITHOUT impacting on your credit report.

Once you've found one that's likely, click apply and you'll be taken to the lender's site. Then, you'll be able to apply online by filling in any extra details the lender needs and submit your application. For more, see our Applying for a credit card guide.

Top interest-free cards for bad credit

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 below credit cards...

  • 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 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 debt (for example, your overdraft). In effect, you've now got the debt on the card instead.

    Step 3: No interest is added during the 0% period (up to 12 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 a budget to work out how to do it.

    Step 4: When the interest-free period ends, the rate jumps to the expensive APR of the card, so ensure there's no debt on it. Then focus on repaying the highest APR debt first.

Top poor-credit 0% purchase cards for new cardholders 

MoneySavingExpert's 0% Spending Card Eligibility Calculator, with the 12-month Virgin Money card selected

Virgin Money		 Longest 0%, accepts some past credit issues. All accepted get the full 12 months at 0%. Even if you've had CCJs or defaults in the past, you may still be accepted if you have a recent history of managing credit, a UK bank account, and a yearly personal income of £7,000 or a household income of £15,000 (including non-salary income such as pensions).

- 12mths 0%

- 29.9% rep APR

 CHECK ELIGIBILITY

 

Capital One

 Shorter 0%, may help some if the above card doesn't work. You must have a recent history of managing credit, even if you've had past CCJs or defaults. It doesn't publish what the min income is.
- 6mths 0%
- 34.9% rep APR		 CHECK ELIGIBILITY

All links go via our eligibility calculator (at providers' request). | See all official APR examples.

If you can't get these cards, read Credit cards for bad credit for more help to build or rebuild your credit history, and Credit building credit cards if you have a limited 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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0% spending cards FAQs

  • What if my credit limit isn't big enough?

    If it's not high enough to buy what you want, just use as much of the limit of the card you've just got as you can. You could always try to get another 0% purchase card, or look for another way to get the cash.

    See How much credit limit should I have? and High credit limit cards for more. 

  • What happens at the end of the interest-free period?

    When your introductory 0% period ends, you'll start accruing interest on any unpaid balance and on any future spending at the card's APR. 

  • What does APR mean?

    APR stands for 'annual percentage rate' and is the interest rate credit card providers charge on any outstanding card debt after any introductory interest-free period ends. When APR is calculated, providers must include the cost of borrowing, plus any fees (eg if the card charges an annual fee for use). Read our full Interest rates guide for more info.

  • What are the alternatives to a 0% spending card?

    Due to long interest-free periods on offer, 0% spending cards are often one of the cheapest ways to borrow. If you can't or don't want to get one of these cards, however, other options include: 

    • A personal loan: here you borrow a lump sum, and pay it back in fixed, monthly instalments. See How to get a cheap personal loan for current best buys.

    • A money transfer credit card: with these cards, a lender transfers cash directly into your bank account for a small fee. They also tend to come with 0% periods, which give you a number of months to repay without incurring interest charges. See our Money transfer cards guide. 

    • An overdraft: Here you can borrow much smaller amounts. Some banks won't charge you for going into your overdraft up to a limit, depending on your credit score, but be aware that overdrafts can be a danger debt, in some cases with interest rates up to a shocking 40%. Find out more in our Cut overdraft charges guide.

  • Can you do balance transfers on a 0% spending card?

    While purchases on these cards come with interest-free introductory periods, you'll need to check if they have similar deals for balance transfers. 

    Some cards allow you to transfer a balance over with the same or similar 0% period you would receive for spending (typically including a one-off fee of around 3% of the balance you transfer). We list these dual-use cards in our Best all-rounders guide. 

    If your spending card does not come with a 0% balance transfer intro period, you still may be able to do a balance transfer, but you'll likely be charged an expensive interest rate on the transferred debt from the moment it reaches your account.

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Other MSE credit card guides...

Credit cards for bad credit | 0% money transfer cards | All-rounder cards | Balance transfer credit cards | Debt help | Getting your first credit card

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