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Best 0% APR credit cards

There aren’t many true zero-interest credit cards, but we’ve wrangled up the best options for ya.

Bethany Hickey's headshot

By

Bethany Hickey

Edited by

Holly Jennings

Updated

Fact checked

The biggest downside of most credit cards is the high interest rates — often around 30% APR. Coupled with high balances and hefty late fees, credit cards can quickly become a hindrance rather than a helpful financial tool. But there are a few credit cards with zero interest, and many more with long 0% APR intro periods for purchases and 0% APR balance transfer offers to help get debt under control.

Best overall zero-interest card

Step Black Card

4.3
★★★★★

Finder score

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Welcome Offern/a
RewardsUp to 8% cash back
Annual feeSee terms
Minimum credit scoreNew / limited credit

Chime® Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card

4.8
★★★★★

Finder score

See terms and conditions
Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.
To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime Checking Account. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.
Money added to Credit Builder will be held in a secured account as collateral for your Credit Builder Visa card, which means you can spend up to this amount on your card. This is money you can use to pay off your charges at the end of every month.
*Out-of-network ATM withdrawal and OTC advance fees may apply. View the Bancorp agreement or Stride agreement for details; see back of card for issuer.
Welcome Offern/a
RewardsNone
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score300

Partner terms and conditions
Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. The secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Please see the back of your card for its issuing bank.
To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime Checking Account. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.
Money added to Credit Builder will be held in a secured account as collateral for your Credit Builder Visa card, which means you can spend up to this amount on your card. This is money you can use to pay off your charges at the end of every month.
*Out-of-network ATM withdrawal and OTC advance fees may apply. View the Bancorp agreement or Stride agreement for details; see back of card for issuer.

Fizz debit card

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Welcome Offern/a
RewardsUp to 100% cash back
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score580

Varo Believe Secured Credit Card

4.8
★★★★★

Finder score

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Welcome Offern/a
RewardsNone
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit scoreNew / limited credit

Cleo Credit Builder card

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Welcome Offern/a
RewardsUp to 7% cash back
Annual fee$179.88
Minimum credit score300

Current Credit Building Card

4.6
★★★★★

Finder score

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Welcome Offern/a
RewardsUp to 7% cash back
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit scoreNew / limited credit

Best overall for longest 0% intro APR

U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card

4.8
★★★★★

Finder score

Terms apply, see rates & fees.
Welcome Offern/a
RewardsNone
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score670

Wells Fargo Reflect Card

Welcome Offern/a
RewardsNone
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score800

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

4.6
★★★★★

Finder score

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Terms apply, see rates & fees.
Read review
Welcome Offer$200
RewardsUp to 3% cash back
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score670

Partner terms and conditions
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers.
Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

4.7
★★★★★

Finder score

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Welcome Offer$200
RewardsUp to 5% cash back
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score670

Partner terms and conditions
The information about Chase Freedom Unlimited® has been collected independently by Finder and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

Chase Freedom Flex℠

4.7
★★★★★

Finder score

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Welcome Offer$200
RewardsUp to 5% cash back
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score670

Partner terms and conditions
The information about Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Finder and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

4.6
★★★★★

Finder score

Read review
Welcome Offern/a
RewardsNone
Annual fee$0
Minimum credit score670

Methodology

Finder’s experts compared hundreds of secured and unsecured credit cards to find zero-interest options. For secured card options, we only looked at cards with 0% APR. For unsecured cards, we compared the length of the 0% APR period if offered. We also favor cards with rewards programs or unique credit-building opportunities such as credit-monitoring tools, and we only consider cards that report payments to all three major credit bureaus.

Unsecured cards must meet this criteria to be considered:

  • 0% APR introductory period of at least 15 months on purchases or balance transfers
  • Reports payments to all three major credit bureaus

Secured cards must meet this criteria to be considered:

  • Zero interest charges
  • Minimum security deposit below $200
  • Reports payments to all three major credit bureaus

How to choose a zero-interest credit card

When choosing a 0% APR credit card, first determine whether you need an intro APR on balance transfers or purchases or never want to be charged interest. From there, consider a few financial factors to pick the best card for you.

  • Secured or unsecured? Unsecured credit cards, or traditional cards, don’t require a security deposit but tend to be harder to qualify for than secured credit cards. Secured credit cards can either be backed by an account or a cash deposit, but they typically have lower credit limits than traditional credit cards.
  • 0% intro period length. The longer you can go without worrying about interest charges, the better. You’ll find intro lengths ranging from 6 to 20 months.
  • Purchase or balance transfer. You have two primary choices for a 0% APR card — a balance transfer offer or an intro APR on purchases, and some credit cards feature both offers. What you need ultimately determines what cards are available for you.
  • Review the card’s revert APR. If you plan on carrying a balance, pay attention to the card’s revert APR after the intro period. This is also important if you can’t pay off your balance transfer before the intro period ends, as your remaining debt builds interest based on this revert rate.
  • Long-term goals. If you want to use your card well past the intro APR period, look for a card with rewards or benefits that can bring you value after the intro period ends.
  • Credit score requirements. The best credit cards usually require the best credit scores. If your credit score isn’t great, consider secured cards with lenient credit score requirements or skip the hard credit check completely.

Bottom line

Between purchase and balance transfer intro offers, you can choose from dozens of 0% intro APR credit cards. If none of our top picks suit your needs, compare other credit cards for more options.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need to make payments during my 0% intro APR period?

Yes. One of the biggest misconceptions about a 0% intro APR period is that you don’t have to make payments. You must make at least the minimum monthly payment to avoid late fees, and missing a payment can also mean losing your promotional interest rate.

What is the downside of a balance transfer?

Even if a credit card offers a 0% APR period for balance transfers, most credit card issuers charge a balance transfer fee, typically around 3% to 5% of the amount you’re transferring. And if you’re going with a credit card for its 0% balance transfer intro period, be sure you can pay down the balance within the intro period or you’ll start being charged interest on the outstanding balance.

Are 0% APR credit cards always available?

No. Cards with 0% APR offers tend to be limited-time offers.

How we rate our cards

★★★★★ — Excellent

★★★★★ — Good

★★★★★ — Average

★★★★★ — Subpar

★★★★★ — Poor

Our team evaluates credit cards to determine their value against similar cards on the market.

We rank card types — travel, cash back, business — on a set of factors that are most relevant to that type of card. We create these rankings to help you narrow down a credit card that best suits your spending and budget.

Learn the details of our methodology and scoring.

Holly Jennings's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.
Bethany Hickey's headshot
Written by

Editor, Banking

Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio

Bethany's expertise
Bethany has written 438 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Personal finance
  • Banking
  • Auto loans
  • Insurance
  • Cryptocurrency and NFTs
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