Best 0% intro APR credit cards of October 2026

With a zero-interest credit card, you can get a 0% intro APR period on purchases, balance transfers or both. Offer lengths can vary, depending on the card, but they typically last anywhere from 12 to 21 months — sometimes longer. 

This type of card can be a good choice if you’re planning a big purchase or paying off debt. It allows you to save on interest, whether it's by transferring a balance from an existing credit card to your new card or by delaying interest accrual on new purchases during the intro period. 

Note that it’s possible to lose a 0% APR offer. For example, a card issuer can start charging you interest before the intro period ends if you skip a payment. And with a balance transfer card, you typically need to initiate the transfer within a certain timeframe (one to three months) to qualify for the zero interest offer.

The best 0% intro APR cards have well-rounded features to serve you during the intro period and beyond. While you're browsing introductory zero-interest cards, look for cards that have intro APR periods long enough to meet your needs, reasonable rates and fees and easily obtainable rewards.

While a 0% intro APR credit card can be an excellent tool in many situations, it also comes with certain drawbacks and risks. Here are some benefits and disadvantages you should consider.

Credit card interest is the cost of borrowing money if you don't pay your balance in full each month. At the end of each billing cycle, the credit card issuer calculates your interest charges using your average daily balance, current balance, annual percentage rate (APR) and the number of days in the billing cycle.

Let's say you open an 18-month 0% intro APR card for a $3,000 purchase. Bankrate’s credit card payoff calculator shows that an 18-month 0% intro APR offer on new purchases could save you nearly $500 in interest on a $3,000 purchase, compared to a card with no intro APR offer and 20% interest.

Zero-interest intro period cards are great for splitting large purchase payments over time. You can also use them for consolidating current card debt, but you might find better options for that among our best cards for balance transfers.

Here are some situations you might find yourself in that could make a 0% intro APR card a great choice:

Zero-interest intro period cards have several benefits, but there are pitfalls to keep in mind as you navigate your debt repayment:

• Not paying on time: Always pay at least the minimum balance due on your statement every month. You need to avoid late payments, otherwise your issuer may revoke your offer. Plus, a late payment is a huge hit to your credit that will stay on your credit reports for seven years. 
• Not understanding the terms: Your card will offer an intro APR on purchases, balance transfers or both. Don’t make new purchases on a card that only has an intro APR for balance transfers or vice versa, unless you plan to pay that balance off right away.
• Spending beyond your credit limit: Keep your balance as close to 30% or lower of your total available credit to avoid damaging your credit score.
• Carrying a balance at the end of the offer: If you want to avoid interest charges, you’ll need to pay off your balance by the time your introductory APR period ends. Credit card debt is an expensive kind of debt, and it’s extremely easy to get caught up in it once you start carrying a balance.
• Not redeeming cash back: Rewards and cash back present an opportunity to reduce your balance. Redeem cash back as a statement credit whenever possible.
• Missing the balance transfer window: If you're using a zero-interest intro APR card to pay down debt, make sure you transfer your balance to it within the specified time, or you'll miss out on your offer.
• Forgetting about balance transfer fees: Remain wary of any fees you’ll owe when you transfer a balance. This fee might still be lower than what you would pay in interest, but calculate what you’ll owe beforehand to avoid sticker shock.
• Spending after a balance transfer: If you keep adding debt to a credit card after transferring a balance from it, you’re not reducing debt — you’re adding to it. Balance transfer as a debt consolidation method only works if you don’t make new purchases while you’re paying off the existing balance.

We select cards for “Best” credit cards pages based primarily on how cards score in our proprietary card rating system, our editors’ subjective assessment of card quality, card approval odds and credit requirements and unique card features. 

Cards typically must score a minimum of 3.0 stars to be included on a “Best” list. However, we may include cards with scores below 3.0 if they have low credit requirements or unique features — despite their scores, these cards may still be among the “best” in certain categories. Card ratings are not influenced by advertisers or issuer relationships in any way. 

Card selection and ordering may vary based on business considerations, including Bankrate visitor interest, site interactions and card application volume. Affiliate commissions (see how we make money), limited-time offers and a card’s general popularity in the product landscape may also influence which cards we feature on our pages and the order in which they appear. Bankrate’s editorial and business teams also strive to feature a variety of card types from various issuers.

For balance transfer and low-interest cards, our scoring breaks down as follows:

For rewards cards, the breakdown looks quite different:

We analyzed over 100 of the most popular zero-interest cards and scored each based on its introductory APR, intro APR period length, ongoing APR, balance transfer fee, perks and more to determine whether it belonged in this month’s roundup.

Here are some of the key factors that we considered:

Have more questions for our credit cards editors? Feel free to send us an email, find us on Facebook, or Tweet us @Bankrate.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

*The information about the Citi Simplicity® Card and Citi Custom Cash® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.