Synopsis: High interest rates can make managing credit card debt tough. This article lists five best credit cards that offer zero interest rates when doing balance transfers.
The top credit cards with 0% interest fees on balance transfers help the cardholders to save money from a high interest trap with an additional feature of paying zero interest rate for a limited period.
What is balance transfer?
A balance transfer is the transfer of the outstanding amount from one credit card to another card that offers lower interest rates or a zero interest rate during a promotional period.
Normal credit cards charge high annual interest of 36-48%. With the low balance transfer credit cards, the cardholder can have better room for breathing with minimal interest rates and zero dues.
Here is a list of the credit cards with zero interest fee on balance transfers:
1. SBI Credit Cards
- The SBI Credit Card offers two plans:
- Plan A: the card offers a sixty-days tenure with zero interest charges and a processing fee of 2%.
- Plan B: the card charges the cardholder with 1.7% monthly interest after a six-month tenure.
- Cards eligible for zero or low balance transfers are SBI Elite, SBI Octane, SBI Club Vistara and more.
2. Kotak Mahindra Credit Cards
- The cardholder holder can enjoy 90-days interest free on balance transfers from any other credit card.
- No interest will be charged on fresh purchases if the payment of balance transfer is completed within a 90-day period successfully.
- Balance transfer can be successful with a Rs 2,500 minimum transaction.
- Processing fee of Rs 349 per Rs 10,000 + GST.
3. RBL Bank Credit Cards
- RBL Bank has a facility called “Transfer N Pay” where the cardholders can transfer their outstanding balance from one credit card to another.
- A tenure period for repayments options of 3, 6 and 12 months.
- 0% interest rate also available.
- After the zero-interest rate period, an effective interest rate will be charged at 11.73% per annum.
- A minimum transfer amount of Rs 5,000 and a maximum amount of 80%.
4. ICICI Bank Credit Cards
- Move outstanding amounts worth Rs 3 lakhs from other credit cards to ICICI Bank credit cards.
- Easy repayment options are available for 3 and 6 months.
- A seamless balance transfer without any documentation process and extra formalities.
- Monthly interest fee is determined by the bank and a processing fee of 1% or Rs 199.
5. HDFC Bank Credit Cards
- The interest rate on balance transfer for HDFC credit cards is calculated by the Average Daily Balance (ADB) method.
- EMI as low as Rs 27 per Rs 10,000 spent.
- Repay loans in easy installments of tenures from 9-48 months.
- EMI amount and service tax will be billed in the monthly statements from the billing cycle date.
Also Read: Axis Bank Launches Google Pay Flex Credit Card: Check Benefits, Rewards and Eligibility
How Balance Transfers Can Lower Your EMIs and Interest Burden?
The balance transfer feature was introduced for one of the biggest reasons being to reduce their monthly EMIs and interest costs. The cardholder can benefit from lesser interest rates and total repayment amount upon switching to a low or zero balance transfer credit card.
For example, a cardholder has a personal loan of an interest rate at 18% and they find another bank offering it at 11%. The cardholder can transfer their loan to another bank that will reduce their EMIs, interest rates and overall payment costs to be paid over the tenure.
Low balance transfers often come with exclusive offers of zero interest fees over a specified period and zero processing fees giving the cardholder a complete financial relief. According to a report on debt restructuring trends, borrowers who used balance transfers effectively saved 15% to 22% on total loan costs over the full term.
Conclusion
We hope this blog has provided the user with the required information of the list of zero or low balance transfer credit cards and how this can relieve the user from any kind of financial stress or emergencies. With zero or lower interest rates, they ease the burden and give room to plan better.
Written by Atin Kevin
