The 9 best 0% APR credit cards for up to 21 months of no interest

Paying your credit card bill in full every month is a worthy goal, but some situations can make it more challenging. Whether you’re planning for a large expense, such as a move or a wedding, or you’ve been hit with medical bills or other emergency expenses, a 0% APR credit card can help you avoid costly credit card debt. 

To help you narrow down the best options, the Fortune Recommends^TM team evaluated more than 30 0% APR credit cards available today and ranked them based on factors such as introductory period, annual percentage rate (APR), rewards structure, consumer benefits, and more. See our full methodology here.

Best 0% APR credit cards of July 2024

• Best 0% APR card overall (tie): Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
• Best 0% APR card overall (tie): U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
• Best for post-intro APR: BankAmericard® Credit Card
• Best for cash back: Chase Freedom Flex℠
• Best for flat-rate cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Best for first-year earnings: Discover it® Cash Back
• Best for flexible rewards: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
• Best for travel rewards: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
• Best for frequent purchases: Amex EveryDay® Credit Card

Best overall (tie): Wells Fargo Reflect Card

The Wells Fargo Reflect has one purpose—taking the stress out of financing a large purchase—and executes is beautifully.

Why we like this card : The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card offers an incredibly long 21 month 0% APR promotion for both purchases and balance transfers made within the first 120 days from account opening. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a card with a longer interest rate promotion.

The card also offers some other valuable benefits, including up to $600 in cell phone insurance, which protects you against damage and theft when you use your card to pay your phone bill. While the card doesn’t offer rewards on your everyday purchases, you can earn cash back with select merchants through the My Wells Fargo Deals program.

For more info, check out our Wells Fargo Reflect review.

Learn more

• A 0% APR card is a powerful tool that needs to be handled with care
• What is a good APR for a credit card?

Best overall 0% APR card (tie): U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card

The Wells Fargo Relect and the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum are very similar so if one doesn’t work for you, the other one might.

Why we like this card: The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card provides an equally long 0% APR promotion as the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card. Once you’re approved, you can enjoy no interest on purchases and balance transfers for 21 billing cycles.

In exchange for a long introductory APR promotion, the card doesn’t offer rewards, but it does offer some value after the promotional period ends. Most notably, you’ll get up to a $600 reimbursement if your cell phone is stolen or damaged when you pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card.

For more info check out our U.S. Bank Visa Platinum review.

Best for post-intro APR: BankAmericard credit card

If there’s a chance you might need longer than the 0% APR term to pay off your large purchase, the BankAmericard will give you the softest landing of the cards surveyed.

Why we like this card : If you have great credit and anticipate carrying a balance after the initial 0% APR period, you may be able to get both an 18 month introductory 0% APR and a relatively low ongoing interest rate after the promotional period ends with the BankAmericard® credit card.

There aren’t many other notable features, but the card does offer access to your FICO credit score for free. Also, if you have a Bank of America checking account, you can link your card and use it for optional overdraft protection.

For more info, check out our BankAmericard review.

Learn more

• What’s a good credit score?
• Credit card debt is on the rise. Here’s what to do about it

Best for cash back: Chase Freedom Flex

The Freedom Flex is the first card on our list that offers rewards, so the 0% APR term is more icing on an already tasty cake.

Why we like this card: The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is an excellent choice for people who want to combine the value of a 0% introductory APR promotion and a great rewards program. In particular, it’s worth considering if you like the idea of maximizing your cash back on a variety of spending categories.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers a solid introductory 0% APR for the first 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers. After that, a variable APR is 20.49%–29.24% Variable.

For more info check out our Chase Freedom Flex review.

Best for flat-rate cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited

The Freedom Unlimited is very similar to the Freedom Flex, but is more set-it-and-forget-it in terms of rewards.

Why we like this card: If you want to earn cash back and prefer a simple rewards structure, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® should be on your radar. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers a generous introductory 0% APR on both purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months. After that, an APR of 20.49%–29.24% Variable applies. 

Other card perks include consumer and travel protections, such as purchase protection, trip cancellation and interruption insurance and rental car coverage. You’ll also enjoy a complimentary three-month membership to both DoorDash DashPass and Instacart+.

For more info check out our Chase Freedom Unlimited review.

Learn more

• Better together: Combine Freedom and Sapphire cards for max travel rewards
• Chase Freedom vs. Sapphire: Which is better for you?

Best for first-year earnings: Discover it Cash Back

If you want the absolute largest welcome bonus you can get on a large purchase, consider the Discover it Cash Back.

Why we like this card: The Discover it® Cash Back offers a competitive 0% introductory APR promotion, with no interest for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. The card offers a value proposition similar to the Chase Freedom Flex®, giving cardholders a chance to maximize rewards on several spending categories throughout the year.

What makes the card stand out, however, is its unique welcome offer. Instead of giving you a set cash bonus after you meet a certain spending requirement, Discover will match all the cash back you earn during the first year—and there’s no limit to how much extra cash back you can earn.

As a cardholder, you’ll also get free access to your FICO score, and Discover will help you protect your identity by removing your information from select people-search websites that could sell your data and alerting you when your Social Security number is found on any of thousands of dark web sites.

For more info check out our Discover it Cash Back review.

Learn more

• How do 0% APR cards work?
• 4 reasons to get a 0% APR card—and 4 reasons not to

Best for flexible rewards: Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Card

The Customized Cash is an interesting choice if you can predict what in what categories your spending will lie as you can choose exactly where you want to earn extra rewards.

Why we like this card:  The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card can be a great choice for people who are looking for more control over how they earn their cash-back rewards. The card allows you to pick your top bonus rewards category from a list of eligible options. You’ll enjoy an introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 billing cycles, after which the variable APR ranges from 18.24% to 28.24%.

If you’re a Preferred Rewards member, though, you can earn 25% to 75% more cash back on every purchase.

For more info, check out our Customized Cash card review.

Learn more

• VentureOne vs. Venture vs. Venture X: What’s the difference?
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Best for travel rewards: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card 

The VentureOne earns points that you can transfer to travel partners and has no annual fee so is an easy choice.

Why we like this card: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card may be worth considering if you want to focus your efforts on earning travel rewards and you don’t want a complicated rewards structure.

When it’s time to redeem your travel rewards, you’ll get maximum flexibility. Options include booking through Capital One Travel and paying with miles, covering travel purchases using your miles or transferring your miles to one of several airline and hotel rewards programs. 

The card also offers some other perks, including travel accident insurance, rental car coverage and exclusive access to live events and dining experiences.

For more info, check out our VentureOne review.

Best for frequent purchases: Amex EveryDay

Like the VentureOne, the Amex EveryDay earns points you can transfer to travel partners. It’s a decent card if you only want one card in your wallet as you get a bonus when you make more than 20 purchases a month on the card.

Why we like this card: The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card can be a solid option for people who tend to use their one credit card for all of their everyday spending. The card’s unique feature is that you get a 20% bonus on your rewards if you use the card more than 20 times a month.

Like the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, this one allows you to transfer the Membership Rewards points you earn to various airline and hotel rewards programs, among other redemption options. You’ll also get car rental loss and damage insurance.

For more info, check out our Amex EveryDay review.

What is a 0% APR promotion?

Normally, credit cards won’t charge interest on your balance as long as you pay it in full every month. If you carry a balance to the next month, you’ll not only be charged interest on the amount you still owe but you’ll also lose your grace period on new purchases until you pay it in full. 

For situations where you anticipate carrying a balance on a single large purchase or several smaller ones, a credit card with an introductory 0% APR promotion can help. These promotions typically give a new cardholder between 12 and 21 months after account opening to avoid interest charges on their purchases.

Once the promotional period ends, the card’s regular APR will kick in. If you still have a balance at that point, the standard APR will only apply to the remainder of that unpaid balance. You can contrast this feature to deferred interest offers—common with retail promotional financing offers—which may charge you interest retroactively if you don’t pay off your original purchase in full by the end of the promotional period. 

Additionally, many 0% APR credit cards offer no-interest promotions on balance transfers. 

How do I qualify for a 0% APR credit card?

For the most part, 0% APR credit cards require good or excellent credit to get approved. According to FICO, that means having a credit score of 670 or above, but each card issuer has its own criteria for determining what qualifies, so meeting that threshold doesn’t guarantee approval.

If you’re thinking about applying for a 0% APR credit card, check your credit score first to get an idea of where you stand and whether you need to make some improvements before you proceed. 

Is it possible to lose a 0% APR promotion?

Yes. Zero percent APR offers are typically contingent on your responsible card use. If you miss a payment, for instance, the card issuer may decide to revoke your promotional offer. If this happens, the card’s regular or even penalty APR may apply to your balance until you pay it in full.

When should I use a 0% APR credit card? 

A 0% APR credit card can be a great choice if you have an upcoming expense that you can’t avoid and you’re unable to cover the expense with cash or pay off the balance quickly. Some of the most common uses for a 0% APR credit card include:

• Emergency expenses
• Medical bills
• Wedding expenses
• Funeral expenses
• Home renovations
• Holiday purchases

If your card also offers a 0% APR balance transfer promotion, you can use it to consolidate high-interest credit card debt. 

That said, it’s important to be mindful of your situation and goals when considering a 0% APR credit card. While it’s not necessary to pay your balance in full by the end of the promotional period—you’ll still get the savings from the interest-free period—it’s best to try to pay off the debt before the regular APR kicks in.

So, try to estimate what your expenses will be, then divide that figure by the number of months in your 0% APR promotion to determine how much to pay each month. For example, if you’re planning on spending $3,000 and you have an 18-month 0% APR promotion, you’d have to pay roughly $167 per month to avoid interest charges. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Does a 0% APR promotion hurt your credit?

On its own, using a 0% APR promotion won’t impact your credit score. However, if you rack up a large balance relative to your account’s credit limit, the resulting high credit utilization rate could negatively affect your credit score until you pay it down.

Additionally, applying for and opening a new credit card will also impact the average length of credit history and new credit aspects of your credit score, which can have a temporary negative impact on your score.

What credit card has the longest 0% interest rate?

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card and the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card both offer no interest for 21 months, giving you plenty of time to pay off even larger balances.

How many 0% interest cards can I get at once?

You can have as many 0% APR credit cards at the same time as you’d like, as long as you can get approved for them. That said, it’s generally not a good idea to open multiple credit cards within a short period of time.

Applying for and opening multiple credit accounts in quick succession can negatively impact your credit score, and it can also be a red flag for lenders who may wonder if you’re having trouble managing your finances without debt. 

Additionally, using multiple 0% APR credit cards at once can make it more difficult to keep track of your balances and monthly payments, and possibly also make it more challenging to pay off all of your debt before your promotional periods expire. To make things simpler, consider using just one at a time. 

Our methodology 

To bring you our top picks for the 0% APR credit cards, the Fortune Recommends team compared more than 30 balance transfer cards available from major issuers. To learn more about how we rate credit cards, see our credit cards methodology.

We ranked each account in these six core categories: 

• Introductory 0% APR for purchases term (45%): The most heavily weighted factor in our rankings was the length of time that the introductory 0% APR on purchases lasts.
• Introductory 0% APR balance transfer term (15%): Since a 0% APR rate on both purchases and balance transfers could help with debt consolidation we also ranked any balance transfer promotional rates. 
• Post-promotional APR on purchases and balance transfers (10%): To ensure cardholders with an existing balance once the intro period is over aren’t burdened by excessive interest rates, we considered the APR each card charges for balance transfers and purchases after the promo rates end.
• Rewards (20%): Cards that also provide rewards (such as cash back or points) on spending were given a boost in our rankings.
• Consumer benefits (10%): Cards were awarded 0–5 points based on which consumer benefits/protections were included: purchase protection, extended warranty, cell phone insurance, car rental coverage, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Keep in mind that the interest rates, balance transfer terms, and fee structures for the cards mentioned are available for limited periods and subject to change. 

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Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

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