Use this balance transfer calculator to decide whether moving one credit-card balance still saves money after the transfer fee. Enter the balance, current APR, one fixed monthly payment, the fee rule, the promo APR and months, and the standard APR. It uses equal monthly periods, so a card that charges daily interest can differ.
A 0% headline alone does not answer the question. A transfer costs less only when the interest it avoids exceeds the fee plus any interest charged after the promotional rate ends.
Balance transfer calculator
This calculator runs in your browser. This calculator’s code does not send, save, or track your entries. All dollar amounts are USD.
Optional example: Inputs start blank. Load example fills hypothetical figures without calculating. Examples are not current rates, quotes, or recommendations.
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What do you need to enter?
The calculator compares keeping one balance with transferring it to a new account. Inputs start blank, and the Load example figures, which match the worked example below, are hypothetical, not available card offers. It finances the one-time transfer fee into the new balance, applies the promotional APR for the whole number of months entered, and then switches to the standard APR.
- Balance and current APR: use the balance you intend to move and the rate that applies to that balance. If you are unsure which balance figure to start from, see statement balance versus current balance.
- Fixed payment: enter the amount you intend to pay every month on either path. This is not a calculation of the issuer’s contractual minimum.
- Fee rule: select percentage only, fixed dollars only, or the greater of a percentage and a fixed minimum. For a $100 transfer with a 3% fee and a $5 minimum, the greater-of rule charges $5: the larger of $3 and $5, not their $8 sum.
- Promo APR and months: enter complete modeled monthly periods. A value of 12 applies the promo rate in months 1 through 12, and the standard rate starts in month 13. Zero months means there is no promotional period.
- Standard APR: enter an assumption for the rate after the promotion. The model holds this rate constant, even if the real card has a variable rate.
The CFPB explains that a transfer fee is usually a percentage of the amount transferred or a fixed amount, whichever is more, and that most promotional transfer rates last for a limited time. After that, the rate on the new card may rise.
Check the actual card agreement for its fee rule, transfer deadline, fee treatment, and eligible balances. This model assumes the fee receives the same rate schedule as the transferred balance. That is an assumption to verify, not a promise about every issuer.
Does a balance transfer save money in this example?
Inputs. In this hypothetical example, the current card charges 24% APR on $5,000, and you pay $300 at each month’s end. A new card offers 0% for 12 months followed by 24%. Its transfer fee is 3%, or $150, financed into the balance. There are no purchases or other fees.
Formula. The transfer path starts at $5,000 + $150 = $5,150. Each month, interest is the opening balance × APR ÷ 12, and the $300 payment is subtracted. The current-card path does the same with $5,000 at 24% from month 1.
| Measure | Keep current card | Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Opening balance including fee | $5,000.00 | $5,150.00 |
| Transfer fee | $0.00 | $150.00 |
| Interest until payoff | $1,143.34 | $103.12 |
| Total fee plus interest | $1,143.34 | $253.12 |
| Total payments | $6,143.34 | $5,253.12 |
| Payoff | 21 months | 18 months |
Result. After 12 payments, the transfer balance is $5,150 − 12 × $300 = $1,550. The next month’s interest is $1,550 × 24% ÷ 12 = $31, and the payment reduces the balance to $1,281. The final payment is smaller than $300.
Savings are $1,143.34 − $103.12 − $150 = $890.22 under these assumptions. The transfer is not entirely interest-free: $103.12 of interest arises after the promotional period.
What to check. The result depends on actually paying $300 every month on the new card, receiving the full 12 promotional months, and the standard APR matching your assumption. Change any of those inputs and rerun both paths.
How much would you need to pay to clear it during the promo?
A quick benchmark is the opening transfer balance divided by the promotional months. In the example above, $5,150 ÷ 12 = about $429.17 a month. At a true 0% APR, that payment would retire the balance within the promotional period, so no standard-rate interest would arise.
The $300 payment in the example falls short of that benchmark, which is why $1,550 remains when the promotion ends. If a higher payment is not realistic, the transfer can still save money, as the example shows, but part of the balance will be charged the standard APR.
This benchmark only covers the transfer path. If you change the payment in the calculator, the keep-current-card path changes too, so compare the new totals rather than reusing the $890.22 figure.
Is 0% APR the same as deferred interest?
No. A genuine 0% APR period has no interest for that modeled period. That differs from an offer such as “no interest if paid in full within 12 months.”
The CFPB explains that with a deferred-interest plan, if the balance is not paid in full by the end of the period, you could owe interest back to the original date of the charge. This calculator does not model deferred interest and should not be used to price such an offer.
How does the balance transfer calculator work?
Transfer fee is the selected percentage, dollar amount, or greater of those values. Opening transfer debt = original balance + fee. Each month, interest = opening balance × APR ÷ 1200 when APR is entered in percentage points. The model adds interest, subtracts the smaller of the fixed payment or the full amount owed, and repeats.
When both paths finish, savings = current-card interest − transfer interest − transfer fee. A negative result means transferring costs more. The fee appears separately from interest, but it is not charged a second time: payments retire the financed fee along with the original debt.
If a payment cannot pay down the balance, the tool says so instead of inventing a payoff date or a lifetime savings figure.
How the calculator handles inputs and rounding
Both fee fields remain required even when the selected rule uses only one of them; enter zero in an unused field. Balances are carried unrounded between months, and only displayed dollar amounts are rounded to cents.
If the payment is no greater than monthly interest once the ongoing rate applies, the result says the balance cannot amortize. Other slow repayment paths stop at 600 months and are marked not paid within the limit. Partial interest is labeled as such, and the tool does not report lifetime savings when either path remains unpaid.
During a temporary high promotional rate, a growing balance is flagged rather than assumed hopeless if a lower standard rate can follow.
When this calculator doesn’t fit
- The balance has several rates. Multiple balance categories with different APRs require separate analysis, and real cards may allocate payments differently among them.
- The offer is deferred interest. Retroactive interest is not modeled, so the savings figure would be wrong.
- You expect new purchases, fees, or late payments. New purchases can have different rates and grace-period consequences, and annual or penalty fees are excluded. The CFPB notes that if you are more than 60 days late on a payment, the issuer can raise the rate on all balances, including the transferred balance.
- Your payment will change from month to month. The model holds one fixed payment. For how a fixed payment compares with a declining minimum, see minimum versus fixed credit-card payments.
Real cards may also use daily periodic interest and irregular billing cycles. The CFPB’s key-terms page describes the daily method, which can differ from this monthly approximation. A calendar promotion ending partway through a statement cycle does not necessarily provide the whole modeled months entered here.
The result also does not establish approval, a sufficient credit limit, transfer eligibility, or an affordable monthly budget.
Quick decision checklist
- Confirm the fee rule, promotional months, and transfer deadline in the card agreement before entering them.
- Check that the offer is a true promotional APR, not a deferred-interest plan.
- Enter a monthly payment you can keep up on the new card for the whole payoff period.
- Compare the opening transfer balance ÷ promo months with your payment to see how much will reach the standard APR.
- Plan to avoid new purchases and late payments on the new card while the transferred balance remains.
Sources and calculation review
- CFPB: Credit cards key terms, for transfer-fee structures, limited-time promotional rates, the 60-days-late rate increase, card agreements, and daily periodic interest.
- CFPB: How deferred-interest purchase offers work, for retroactive-interest risks and payment conditions.
Sources checked September 28, 2026. The worked example was recalculated with an independent month-by-month check. Educational estimates, not individualized financial advice.
Prepared with AI-assisted research, drafting, and calculation checks. Not independently reviewed by a human financial professional.
