Balance Transfer Calculator
A 0% offer only wins if you clear it before the offer ends. Whatever is left when it expires starts charging the go-to rate, which is usually worse than the card you left. This leads with the number that decides it: the payment you actually need.
To clear it in time you need
-
- Transfer fee
- $0
- You would start owing
- $0
- Left when the offer ends
- $0
- Interest after that
- $0
- Staying put would cost
- $0
What each route costs you
Each block is sized by its share, so you can see whether transfer fee or you would start owing is the bigger part without reading a single number.
Move it and watch
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at {v} for balance to move
And what you can change
Why your own figure may differ
What each payment gets you
The only question that matters is whether you finish before the rate jumps. This shows where each payment lands.
| Paying each month | Finished in time? | Left when it ends | Total cost |
|---|
Balance transfers: real examples
Three transfer offers worth checking before applying. Click any card to load it.
- It works
$10,000 moved to 0% for 18 months
A 3% fee, and you can manage the payment.
You need $572 a month to finish in time. Do that and the whole thing costs you only the $300 fee.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - It does not
The same offer, paying only $300
The payment you were already making.
You do not finish in time. What is left starts charging the go-to rate - often worse than the card you left.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - A short offer
$6,000 at 0% for only 12 months
A 5% fee and half the time.
You need $525 a month. Short offers demand much bigger payments - check you can manage before applying.
Load this scenario in the calculator →
Common questions about balance transfers
Is a balance transfer worth it?
Only if you clear it before the offer ends. A 0% card is genuinely powerful - every dollar goes on the balance instead of interest. But whatever is left when the offer expires starts charging the go-to rate, which is usually worse than the card you left. The whole decision rests on one question: can you keep up the payment that clears it in time?
What payment do I actually need?
Take what you owe, add the transfer fee, and divide by the number of months in the offer. That is the number this tool leads with, because it is the one that matters. Paying less than it means you will still owe money when the rate jumps.
How does the transfer fee work?
It is charged on the amount you move, usually 3% to 5%, and added to your new balance. Move $10,000 with a 3% fee and you start owing $10,300. It is worth paying if the interest you avoid is bigger - which it usually is on a card in the twenties - but it is a real cost, not a formality.
What happens when the offer ends?
Anything still owed starts charging the go-to rate immediately. That rate is often higher than the card you transferred from, because promotional cards make their money on people who do not finish. This tool shows what that leftover costs you.
Will it hurt my credit score?
Applying leaves a mark, and a new account lowers the average age of your accounts. But moving a balance onto a card with a big limit usually improves the share of your limit in use, which counts for more. Keep the old card open and empty rather than closing it.
Can I transfer again when the offer ends?
Sometimes, but do not plan on it. Approval is not guaranteed, each application marks your file, and each transfer costs another fee. Treating it as a repeatable trick is how people end up paying fees for years without the balance moving.