Balance Transfer Credit Cards

What is a balance transfer, and how can I go about doing one? A balance transfer, at its core, is a means of lowering the cost of your debt. In theory, you can transfer the remaining balance on any loan or line of credit to a balance transfer credit card and thereby pay it down while incurring interest at a lower rate. While you can transfer balances to most credit cards, certain cards are branded as being “balance transfer credit cards” because of their low balance transfer rates or lack of balance transfer fees.

There are essentially two ways in which you can approach a credit card balance transfer. First, you can transfer your debt to a credit card you already have but do not revolve a monthly balance on. Alternatively, you can open a new credit card with the express intent of transferring a balance to it. There are advantages and disadvantages to both courses of action. By transferring your debt to a currently held credit card, the process will be quicker, but you probably won’t get the best balance transfer deal. If you open a new card you’ll be able to compare balance transfer credit card offers from a lot of different issuers but will have to wait for your application to be processed.

While you’re nailing down the logistics of your credit card balance transfer, it’s worth it to call the credit card company to which you are indebted and say that you plan on doing a balance transfer, unless you are given a significant interest rate reduction. Your rate won’t be reduced to 0%, but even a slight APR reduction will help you save during the time it takes for your 0% transfer to be approved and processed.

What kind of balances can I transfer to a credit card? Issuers used to be pretty liberal about this, allowing consumers to transfer balances from credit cards, store cards and even certain types of loans. Over the years, however, more and more credit card companies have started only approving balances transferred from Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards. This makes things simpler from an operational standpoint and allows issuers to limit risk, since they have a good sense of the source of the balance being transferred.

Does it matter which credit card company issues my balance transfer card or which card network it’s on? In short, not really. The credit card company you get your balance transfer credit card from only matters if there is a particular issuer that allows you to earn rewards on the amount you transfer or transfer debt other than that which originates from a credit card. Some people might also bring up differences in customer service at this point, but besides submitting your application and making monthly payments, you’re not going to have much to do with your credit card company. Better terms would therefore trump better customer service in most cases. When it comes to your balance transfer card’s network (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express), there’s absolutely no difference from one to the next. Your card’s network simply dictates the number of merchants locations at which you can make purchases, and you should never make purchases with a balance transfer credit card, given that your revolving transferred balance removes your grace period for payments, and interest begins accruing on your charges as soon as you make them.

How long does a balance transfer take? While each issuer has its own policy, balance transfers usually take around 15-25 days from the time you submit a balance transfer credit card application. In the meantime, it is very important that you continue to make payments toward the balance being transferred and that you send these payments to your original creditor. Once the credit card transfer is finalized, you will see a credit listed on your original account (as if a payment was made) and a debit indicated on your balance transfer credit card account. Remember that as soon as your balance gets transferred, interest will begin accumulating, unless you have a 0% transfer card.

What are the most important balance transfer credit card features to consider? How worthwhile a particular balance transfer card will be depends on four factors: the balance transfer fee, the introductory transfer APR, the length of the introductory period, and the regular interest rate that will apply once the intro terms expire. Before comparing balance transfer credit card offers, we recommend using a credit card payoff calculator to determine approximately how long it will take you to pay off your balance. If you determine that you will be able to become debt free within the zero percent balance transfer introductory periods commonly being offered, then all you have to focus on is the balance transfer fee. The regular interest rate will be inconsequential.

If, on the other hand, that isn’t possible, the regular rate comes into play and the card with the longest introductory period isn’t necessarily the best balance transfer credit card for you. Instead, you should use a credit card debt calculator to figure out which offer allows you to minimize the combined cost of the balance transfer fee, interest incurred during both the intro period (if it isn’t a 0 percent transfer card) and after the regular rate kick in. It’s important that you not disregard a balance transfer credit card’s regular APR, thinking that even if a balance remains at the conclusion of the intro period, you can simply transfer it to another balance transfer card. Many consumers made this mistake in the lead-up to the Great Recession and incurred costly interest charges when the balance transfer credit card market dried up. Low interest balance transfer credit cards aren’t always available, after all, and while you could be lucky, you shouldn’t count on it.

Is there such thing as a free balance transfer? Not anymore. Free balance transfer credit cards (i.e. cards with 0% balance transfer APRs and no balance transfer fees) were once offered because credit card companies were allowed to revoke the 0% APR and institute an interest rate above 20% after a customer missed a payment by even a single day or went over limit by a few dollars. Banks could therefore afford to offer free balance transfers because the revenues gained from the many consumers who slipped up far outweighed the losses incurred as a result of those people who somehow managed flawless use. Now, with the passage of laws preventing "gotcha" practices, banks tend to offer either no balance transfer fee credit cards or 0% balance transfers, but not both. And if you somehow do manage to find a 0 APR no balance transfer fee offer, the 0% intro term isn’t likely to be competitive.

When are 0% balance transfer offers available? The existence of zero interest balance transfer cards depends both on the economy and the timing of your request. In times of fiscal well-being, 0 balance transfer credit cards are typically prevalent because credit card companies can afford to offer such attractive terms in order to lure new customers. On the other hand, during tough times, such offers may be few and far between. For example, during the worst of the Great Recession, it was nearly impossible to find 0% balance transfer credit cards, as most issuers did not want to add indebted customers to their portfolios.

Additionally, in order to get the advertised introductory rates, credit card companies require that you apply for a balance transfer either at the same time you submit a credit card application or within 30-60 days of doing so. We therefore recommend that you have the amount you want transferred as well as the respective account number handy when you fill out an application for a new balance transfer credit card.

Should I use a balance transfer credit card to make purchases? The answer to this question is simple: You can make purchases with a balance transfer credit card for as long as it has a 0% interest rate on purchases. If your card does not offer 0% on purchases or this introductory rate has ended, making purchases with it could end up being very expensive. You see, whenever you carry debt on a credit card, there is no grace period for new charges, which means finance charges start getting assessed as soon as you swipe your card. Obviously, a 0% purchase interest rate would protect you from this, but remember that any purchases made with your balance transfer card that are not paid off in full by the time the 0% intro rate ends will begin accruing interest at that time.