What’s the Best 0% APR Credit Card for Me?

There are two general kinds of 0% credit cards: “pure” zero-percent cards and rewards cards with a zero-percent promotion.

• Pure 0% cards generally offer a longer introductory APR period — 18 to 24 months — but they don’t give you much of a reason to keep them around after that 0% period runs out. They don’t have spending rewards, and their ongoing interest rates are high. 

• Rewards cards with an APR promotion tend to offer a shorter 0% period, usually 12-15 months. But because they earn rewards, they have long-term value after the intro period.

The natural instinct is to go for the card with the longest 0% period, but think about how much time you’ll actually need to pay off your purchase. If you won’t need more than a year, the best 0% card for you will likely be a rewards card. Because not only will you save on interest, but your purchase will also earn rewards — and could earn you a sizable sign-up bonus. If maximum breathing room is more important, go with a pure 0% card.

NerdWallet rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Interest rate: 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable APR.

Why the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card might be best for you: The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card offers maximum breathing room for paying off a big purchase, with an introductory APR period approaching two years. Most cards with an intro APR offer top out at 12-15 months, and some reach 18 months, but few go this far. There’s no bonus offer and no rewards, however, and the ongoing APR makes this a suboptimal card for purchases after the promotional period ends. The card’s star rating gets pulled down a bit by the 5% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum), which is on the high side. But that’s not a concern if you’re just looking to finance a large purchase over as long a period as possible.

NerdWallet rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Interest rate: 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.49%-27.99% Variable APR.

Why the Chase Freedom Unlimited® might be best for you: This card’s 5-star rating is based on its outstanding cash back, but it also packs a strong money-saving punch with a good introductory APR offer for new cardholders. For rewards, you get bonus cash back on travel booked through Chase and at restaurants and drugstores, as well as a higher-than-usual ongoing rate on spending outside those categories. You can even transfer your rewards to other Chase-branded credit cards for greater flexibility. Plus, there’s a cash sign-up bonus with a relatively modest spending requirement, meaning you may be able to claim it just with the purchase you’re financing. 

Bonus offer? Yes. Limited Time Offer: Earn a $300 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

NerdWallet rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Interest rate: 0% intro APR for 18 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 16.99%-27.99% Variable APR.

Why the U.S. Bank Shield™ Visa® Card might be best for you: With an 18-month intro APR period, this card offers a lengthier reprieve from interest than you’ll find on most cards. And unlike many cards in its class, it gives you some incentive to use it even after the promotional period ends. It doesn’t give you cash back or points for every purchase, but you can earn some decent cash back on purchases through the issuer’s travel portal. There’s also an incentive to keep the card in your rotation: an annual $20 statement credit if you make a purchase for 11 consecutive months. Even so, the primary draw is the long break from interest.

Rewards? Only on select purchases.

NerdWallet rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars.

Interest rate: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 17.49%-26.49% Variable APR.

Why the Discover it® Cash Back might be best for you: This card can earn rich cash back while providing plenty of breathing room to pay down a balance without interest. The rewards program takes a little work to manage, requiring you to activate the bonus rewards categories online every three months. But the effort is worth it, since it means earning 5% cash back in common spending categories like grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants. (The 5% applies to $1,500 in category spending per quarter after activating the categories; other spending earns 1%.) You also get Discover’s signature bonus offer for new cardholders.

Bonus offer? Yes. INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.

NerdWallet rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars.

Interest rate: 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 19.49%-28.49% Variable APR.

Why the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express might be best for you: If you’ve got a big purchase you need to finance, there’s a good chance you’ll be making it online (or have the option to do so), and this card is one of the best you’ll find for bonus rewards on online retail purchases. Especially noteworthy is that the cap on the amount of spending eligible for that higher rewards rate is assessed on an annual basis rather than quarterly, meaning that more of your big purchase will be able to qualify. This card also has outstanding bonus rewards at U.S. supermarkets and U.S gas stations. And of course there’s the good intro APR period.

Bonus offer? Yes. Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms Apply.

NerdWallet rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Interest rate: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 17.49%-27.49% will apply.

Why the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card might be best for you: Unlike many of the other rewards cards featured on this page, the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card has a cash-back structure that doesn’t require any effort to keep straight: 1.5% cash back on purchases (2% in the first year). No, that’s not the highest ongoing flat rate you can find — several cards are permanently 2% on everything. But those cards don’t have an intro APR period for purchases as long as this one’s. Also, if you are a member of the Bank of America® Preferred Rewards program, you earn higher rates.

Bonus offer? Yes. $200 online cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening.

Note: This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

NerdWallet rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars.

Interest rate: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 17.49%-27.49% will apply.

Why the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card might be best for you: If you’re looking to finance a big purchase, wouldn’t it be great if that purchase also earned up to 6% cash back and qualified you for a $200 bonus? It might be possible with this card, which lets you choose which purchases earn the highest cash-back rate. That top rate is usually 3%, but it’s 6% in the first year you have. the card. Options for the 3%/6% category include online shopping, travel and home improvement and furnishings. (See the pros and cons below for details on how much spending is eligible for the top rate.)

Bonus offer? Yes. $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Note: This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

For some people, the only thing that matters when choosing a 0% APR card will be the length of that introductory period. They want the longest possible runway, and all other features about the card they pick will be secondary, if not irrelevant. If that’s you, it makes your choice considerably simpler.

But give some thought to how much time you’ll realistically need to pay off whatever it is you’re financing. If you need to spend $2,000, for example, and you’ll have $250 a month free to pay it down, you should be able to wipe out the debt in eight months. You don’t need a 0% period longer than a year, which means you’ll have more options to choose from.

Consider also how a rewards credit card with a 0% APR period can effectively reduce the amount of debt you need to pay down. For example, say you’re putting that $2,000 purchase on a new card that will earn 3% cash back and that offers a $200 bonus for new cardholders. That’s a total of $260 coming back to you that you can turn around and apply to the purchase, which further accelerates your payoff timeline.

Another benefit of choosing a rewards card as a 0% card is that the card has long-term value. Even after the intro period ends, you can use it for purchases and earn cash back. By contrast, most cards with intro periods of 18 months or longer don’t really have much utility once that 0% period runs out. They offer no rewards and have no meaningful perks, and their ongoing interest rates aren’t usually any lower than other cards on the market.

If you do opt for a rewards card, think about how much patience you have for complexity. Does the idea of tracking rewards categories and spending caps bother you, or is it no big deal? Would you prefer a card that earns the same rate everywhere? Or would you want one that pays elevated rewards in certain categories and a lower rate everywhere else? Just on this page, for example, you have the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card, with simple, flat-rate rewards; the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, with higher rewards in specific categories; and the Discover it® Cash Back, which has a higher top rate than either of those cards but requires a certain amount of maintenance.

Finally, while this discussion has focused on using a 0% APR card to finance a large purchase, think about whether you might also want to move debt to the card via a balance transfer. If that’s a consideration, then take into account the length of the 0% period for transfers (it might be longer or shorter than the period for purchases, or there might not be one at all) as well as the balance transfer fee. See our best balance transfer cards for options and guidance on choosing the right card for you.