Best 0% APR Credit Cards for Worry-Free Spending (2024)

What's better than taking that dream vacation, or finally getting that big ticket wish list item? Not having to pay for it right away; enter the 0% intro APR credit card!

These types of credit cards offer zero interest, meaning you don't rack up interest during a set period of time. The best no interest credit cards can give you up to 21 months with no interest on purchases and/or balance transfers, before you start accruing interest on your credit card balance.

Simplify your search for the best 0% intro APR credit cards

With plenty of options on the market, here's a highlight of our expert picks making it easy to cut through the noise.

• Our pick for a one-card wallet: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees)
• Our pick to use for balance transfers or cash back: Discover it® Balance Transfer (see rates and fees)
• Our award winner for best low intro APR: Wells Fargo Reflect® Card (see rates and fees)

More details on the best 0% APR credit card offers

Let's take a deeper look at how to best leverage your 0% intro APR card for maximum benefit.

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Our rating: 5.00/5.00 stars. Cardholder Review Ratings for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card not provided on the Wells Fargo site.

This 0% intro APR credit card is best for:

• Financing purchases while earning big rewards
• Those who don't want a learning curve to make the most of this card

Apply for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Discover it® Balance Transfer

Our rating: 5.00/5.00 stars. Cardholder Review Ratings for Discover it® Balance Transfer not provided on the Discover site.

Many balance transfer cards are light on rewards, or don't offer them at all. That's not the case with this Discover card, which has one of the longest balance transfer offers as well as one of the best rewards programs.

This 0% APR credit card is best for:

• Those who want a balance transfer card that can also earn cash back, while paying off credit card debt.
• Users who want good customer service (Discover consistently ranks near the top of the J.D. Power studies).

Apply for the Discover it® Balance Transfer

Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

Our rating: 4.50/5.00 stars. Cardholder Review Ratings for Wells Fargo Reflect® Card not provided on the Wells Fargo site.

This is award winner is purely a 0% intro APR credit card. Other benefits are limited. Most notably, it doesn't have any sort of rewards program. That means no cash back or points, and no sign-up bonus for new cardholders.

This no interest credit card is best for:

• Cardholders who need as much time as possible to pay off purchases
• Those dealing with a large amount of credit card debt
• If you have a sizable purchase to make

Apply for the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

Chase Freedom Flex℠

Our rating: 5.00/5.00 stars. Cardholder Review Ratings for Chase Freedom Flex℠ not provided on the Chase site.

This card is The Ascent award winner for best no annual fee credit card. Cash back and a 0% intro APR are one of the best combinations you can get from a credit card. It's where this Chase credit card excels, as it's made for earning cash back bonuses and paying off purchases interest-free.

This no interest credit card is best for:

• Maximizing your savings on costly expenses with a cash back program
• A rewards card with no annual fee

Apply for the Chase Freedom Flex℠

Citi Custom Cash® Card

Our rating: 5.00/5.00 stars. Cardholder Review Ratings: 628 reviews give it 4.50/5 stars as of 3/12/24.

With 0% intro APR cards, the intro rate applies to any type of purchase you make. That's also the case with this Citi card, but it's unique in that it earns 5% back in your top eligible spend category (from a list of 10) every billing cycle, up to a spending cap of $500.

This no interest card is great for:

• Consumers with high spending in a single category
• Financing home improvement projects because home improvement stores are one of the eligible 5% back categories
• Paying off concerts and other event tickets over time, as live entertainment is one of the 5% back categories

Apply for the Citi Custom Cash® Card

U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card

Our rating: 4.50/5.00 stars. Cardholder Review Ratings: 9,533 reviews give it 4.20/5 stars as of 3/12/24.

Not only will you have plenty of time to pay off your card's balance, you'll also be able to do it on your schedule, as U.S. Bank lets you pick the due date that works best for you.

This 0% intro APR credit card is best for:

• Payment flexibility
• Financing options with the U.S. Bank ExtendPay® Plan, as it allows you to divide eligible purchases into equal monthly payments
• Credit monitoring

Apply for the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card

How to compare credit cards offering 0% APR

Most of the top 0% intro APR cards we've reviewed can be compared by these three features:

• Type of intro offer: The best cards we've seen offer 0% APR on both purchases and balance transfers, but some may offer better terms for one over the other.
• Length of the intro period: How long you can go without incurring interest will depend on the length of the introductory period. Most cards offer at least six months, but some extend it more than three times that long.
• Purchase rewards: Many of the best no interest credit cards have lucrative sign-up bonuses or offer purchase rewards, most commonly cash back.

How do credit cards with 0% APR work?

On intro 0% APR credit cards, the intro APR on purchases is set to 0% for a limited time.

That means you don't need to pay off your full credit card balance every month to avoid interest during the intro period, as you would with other credit cards.

As an example, imagine you get the best 0% APR credit card with an intro 0% APR on purchases for 15 months. You use it to buy a new computer for $1,500. All you need to do is make the minimum payment every month. If you make payments of at least $100 per month toward that purchase, then you'll pay it off interest free.

There are situations where you can be charged interest by your credit card company, even with a 0% credit card APR:

• You don't make your minimum monthly payment. You're still required to make minimum payments on time. If you don't, the card issuer could cancel the intro 0% APR offer.
• You use your credit card for other types of transactions. Most cards' 0% intro APR offers don't apply to cash advances.

Credit cards offering 0% APR on purchases

If you're looking to finance a future purchase, you'll want a card with a great zero interest card offer on new purchases. The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is built for this job, offering a long intro period that eclipses our other top picks.

While the best no interest credit cards on purchases all have fantastic intro APR offers -- that's about all you get. These cards don't come with rewards or other perks that will make you want to keep them for the long haul.

Credit cards with zero interest on balance transfers

Our top pick here is also the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card thanks to its long zero interest introductory period and a low introductory balance transfer fee. If you want to compare other options, those are the two main features to consider.

0% APR rewards credit cards

A good pick for most folks will be the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, which pairs a high flat rewards rate with a competitive introductory term. Many rewards credit cards also offer intro APR deals, so you can earn rewards and still save money on interest fees. Remember that you only earn rewards on new purchases. You won't earn cash back rewards on any transferred balances.

Business credit cards with 0% APR

Business credit cards with intro APR offers used to be fairly rare, but they've become increasingly common. You can now find 0% APR offers on business cards that are nearly as good as those on personal cards. Here a few examples:

• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
• Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
• U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
• Bank of America® Business Advantage Customized Cash Rewards Mastercard® credit card

Anyone with a business can apply for a small business credit card. This includes sole proprietors and independent contractors. There are no minimum revenue requirements in most cases.

Keep in mind that you must personally guarantee your small business credit cards. The issuer will run a personal credit check. As with personal cards, 0% APR business cards typically require good personal credit.

Is the best 0% APR credit card worth it?

Credit cards with a 0% intro APR are useful if you want to avoid interest charges, either on purchases or balance transfers.

Make sure to consider how long of a 0% APR period you need. Cards with the longest 0% introductory periods often offer just that -- long 0% APR periods -- but nothing else.

Ideally, we'd all pay our credit card balances in full each month. But sometimes you just need a little more time. You can get that time -- without the high interest fees with a top 0% APR credit card. But make note, once the intro period ends, you'll start accruing interest at the go-to rate.

If your specific needs are met with a somewhat shorter introductory APR period, you may be able to find a card that meets that need and provides rewards or cash back, for instance.

How to get approved for a 0% APR card

The key to getting approved is to choose the right credit card in the first place. Here's what I mean. There are two main reasons your card application will be denied:

• Issuer specific rules
• Your credit history

To the first point, many issuers have their own rules about applications. For instance, the Chase 5/24 Rule means you won't get approved for a Chase card if you've opened five or more credit cards (from any issuer) in the last 24 months. To avoid these types of rejections, do a quick search to see if the card issuer has any specific rules about who can be approved.

Finding out which card best fits your credit history can be a little harder. Here's why.

What credit score for a 0% APR card?

A FICO credit score of around 670 or higher.

The majority of cards with 0% intro APR offers require you to have good credit. However, that's not to say you won't be approved with a lower credit score (or rejected with a higher one). The issuer will consider your entire credit history, as well existing income and debt, when making its decision.

You may be able to check for pre-approved offers if you're unsure of your credit qualifications. Getting pre-approved won't mean you're guaranteed approval, but it's definitely a positive sign that your credit doesn't immediately disqualify you.

Can you get a 0% APR credit card with no credit?

Folks with a troubled credit history may not qualify for any 0% APR cards.

In that case, you may need to work on rebuilding your credit before you try to apply for a card with an intro APR offer.

If you have average credit, or even no credit, you'll have to look a little harder for a 0% APR card. Some starter cards may come with 0% APR offers, though they aren't usually as appealing as those from cards with higher credit requirements.

You may also need to look at issuers other than the big national banks. Smaller regional banks may have more flexible credit requirements. And local credit unions can have some great credit card offers for all sorts of credit backgrounds.

Credit card issuer application rules

A common reason people get rejected for credit cards is because of issuer-specific rules about how many new accounts you can have opened.

Arguably, the most well-known of these is the Chase 5/24 Rule. This unpublished rule says that you'll be rejected for a new Chase credit card if you've opened five or more new credit cards -- from any issuer -- in the last 24 months. And yes, this applies no matter how good your credit is or how much money you make.

Many issuers have similar rules, though few are quite as strict. Make sure you do a quick search for any known application rules before you apply for a new card.

Can you get 0% APR on an existing card?

The simple answer here is: sometimes.

It's not uncommon for issuers to offer you random APR deals on existing credit cards. Sometimes, those deals may even include a 0% APR for a limited time. (In my experience, it's more often a reduced APR, not a 0% APR.)

Anecdotally, I've read stories of people who have successfully called up their issuer and asked for a 0% APR offer. This is most likely to be successful if you have a long history with the issuer, use the card often, and always pay on time.

Per-purchase payment plans

These plans are different from APR offers in that your actual interest rate won't be impacted. However, they may still be a good option for repaying large purchases in some cases.

Some issuers may offer a payment plan option for large purchases. For example, both American Express (Pay Over Time) and Chase (My Chase Plan) offer payment plans where you can spread out payments for a purchase over a few months for a set monthly fee.

Alternatives to no interest credit cards

Depending on your financial needs, interest free credit cards with 0% intro APR may not be the right choice. Here are the top alternatives to credit cards with a 0% intro APR.

• Balance transfer credit cards: Refinance credit card debt by using 0% balance transfer credit cards. Make sure to weigh potential savings against any balance transfer fees. Our balance transfer calculator can help.
• Credit cards with low interest: Low interest credit cards can help if you need more time to pay off debt. These cards offer ongoing low APRs on purchases and potential cash rewards.
• Personal loans: Personal loans are also better for extended repayment periods with lower interest rates than credit cards.
• Debt consolidation loans: These loans can be more versatile than a balance transfer card, because some balance transfer cards (but not all) can only be used for credit card debt.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

Our highest-rated credit cards have:

• A rewards rate above 2% (or 2x points or miles) with average spending, or competitive 0% intro APR balance transfer and purchase offers
• Attainable welcome bonuses that make up for any annual fees
• Low annual fees or a balance transfer fee of 3%
• Top perks such as purchase and travel protections, no foreign transaction fees, travel credits, and status upgrades

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.