Balance Transfer Calculator — Promo Savings vs Transfer Fee
Compare keeping your balance on the current card vs transferring to a 0% promo — including the transfer fee.
Current card
Transfer offer
Keep current card
52 months
$2,686.15 interest
Transfer
Fee $150.00 · 38 months
$475.33 interest
Transfer saves $2,210.82 in interest and 14 months.
Balance transfer offers vary. This compares interest paths only — not broker recommendations or approval odds. Read the offer terms and fee schedule before transferring.
When a transfer pays off — and when it doesn't
Worth pricing out
- You can commit to a payment that clears the fee-inclusive balance inside the 0% window — divide the balance plus fee by the promo months to find that number.
- Your card sits near the Fed-average 21.52% APR and the offer runs 15–21 months at a 3% fee. At those terms the fee usually pays for itself within the first few months of avoided interest.
- You can park the old card unused afterward, instead of running the freed-up limit back into a second balance.
Usually not worth it
- The payment you can actually afford leaves most of the balance standing when the promo ends — you're back at full APR with a fee already sunk.
- The offer charges a 5% fee on a short window while your balance is small; the fee can exceed the interest you'd save.
- You'd keep spending on the new card. Purchases typically accrue at the regular APR while the transferred balance sits at 0%.
Worked examples
Both runs come straight from the calculator above — enter the same numbers and you'll get the same results.
Cleared inside the window
$6,000 at 21.52% paying $350 a month → 18-month 0% offer with a 3% fee ($180)
Keeping the card costs $1,234.12 in interest over 21 months. Transferring clears the debt inside the 18-month window with $0 interest — $1,234.12 saved against the $180 fee.
The break-even payment here is $6,180 ÷ 18 ≈ $344 a month. $350 clears the window with a little room to spare.
The promo-end leftover
The same $6,000 and the same offer, but paying $130 a month
About $3,840 is still owed when the 0% window closes, and that tail accrues $1,678.11 at the full rate across 61 total months.
Still cheaper than staying put ($6,861.29 over 99 months) — but a long way from the free ride the promo suggests. The payment decides which story you get.
How this is calculated
We compare paying down your current card at its APR against moving the balance to a 0% promo card with a transfer fee and post-promo rate.
Balance transfer comparison
Revolving payoff with fee added to transferred balanceAlso try the 0% APR payoff calculator for promo-window targets.
Federal Reserve G.19 · Our methodology →
Common traps
The fee lands before the savings do.
Three percent of $6,000 adds $180 to the balance on day one. The savings only show up as months of avoided interest, so a transfer you abandon early can end up a net loss.
Divide before you transfer.
The balance plus fee, divided by the promo months, is the payment that actually clears the window. If that number is out of reach, plan for the leftover at full APR instead of being surprised by it.
New purchases usually aren't at 0%.
Most offers apply the promo rate to the transferred balance only. Spending on the new card accrues at the regular APR while your payments chip at the 0% portion first — keep the card for the transfer alone.
A missed payment can end the promo early.
Many issuers reserve the right to cancel the promotional rate after a late payment, reposting the remaining balance at the full APR. Autopay for at least the minimum protects the window.
Related calculators
If a transfer isn't on the table, the credit card minimum payment calculator shows what a fixed payment does against the minimum on the card you already have.
Common questions
Yes — we add your fee percent to the transferred balance in the comparison.