Best 0% and Low-Interest Credit Cards

Credit cards often come with different benefit emphasis including saving money, earn rewards, business use and more. One thing to remember is that low-interest rate usually refers to the purchase rate, while sometimes what you really need is a low-interest balance transfer card. If you are looking for a card to help you pay off the debt faster, then you need a low-interest balance transfer credit card. If you need a card to finance a purchase, then a card with long 0% purchase offer will be great. If you want to prepare for some emergencies, then you might need a card with a consistent low-interest rate. Do think clearly before choosing a card because a wrong card may cost you much money in interest.

To help you choose a suitable credit card for your spending habits and budget, here we've listed some top-rated cards in the low-interest card category with detailed descriptions.

Table of Contents

No.1 Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

citi-diamond-preferred-card
4.9
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR 0%* for 21 months*
Balance TRansfers Intro APR 0%* for 21 months*
Regular APR 13.49% - 23.49%* (Variable)
Annual Fee $0*
Credit Needed Good, Excellent
Benifits
  • 21-month 0% introductory period
  • No Late Fees Ever
  • No annual fee
Pros

The Citi Diamond Preferred card offers perhaps the longest 0% APR period - 21 months, which is 6-9 months longer than other cards. Cardholders have 21 months to pay off debts, and even if they cannot make it in 21 months, the card's "go-to rate" starts at a low 13.49 percent. Citi Diamond Preferred card allows users to transfer any debt to their cards on condition that the account number is five digits long at least and doesn’t contain any letters.

Cons

The Citi Diamond Preferred card charges $5 or 3% transfer fee and higher penalties than other cards for people who miss payments. The card also doesn’t give users any points, miles, or rewards.

Summary

For people carrying a large balance, or planning a big purchase, the card will save a lot of money in interest since it offers nearly two years' 0% APR period.

More about the card
Full Card review

No.2 Chase Freedom Unlimited℠

chase-freedom-unlimited
4.7
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR 0% for 15 months
Balance TRansfers Intro APR 0% for 15 months
Regular APR 15.74% - 24.49% Variable
Annual Fee $0
Credit Needed Good, Excellent
Benifits
  • 1.5% cash back on every purchase
  • Bonus cash back for the first 3 month
  • No annual fee
  • Long 0% intro APR
Pros

With Chase Freedom UnlimitedSM, users can earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase they make. You can also earn an additional $150 bonus cash back as long as you make $500 or more purchases in the first 3 months. There’s a 0% intro APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers and it charges no annual fee. Besides, the card has long-term value because if you pair the card with either the Chase Sapphire Reserve℠ or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card, then your points can be combined, which will significantly increase their value. The points you combined can be redeemed for cash back, airline miles or other things, and the 1.5% cash back rate can get increased.

Cons

The card charges 5% balance transfer fee ($5 minimum) and a 3% foreign transaction fee, which will cost cardholders much money in interest. Chase Freedom Unlimited card also has no bonus categories.

Summary

Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ card is suitable for people who use it mainly for making purchases instead of doing balance transfers.

More about the card
Full Card review

No.3 Barclaycard CashForward™ World Mastercard®

barclaycard-cashforward-world-mastercard
4.7
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR 0% for 15 months
Balance TRansfers Intro APR 0% for 15 months (on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening)
Regular APR 15.74%, 20.74% or 25.74% Variable
Annual Fee $0
Credit Needed Excellent
Benifits
  • 1.5% cash back on every purchase
  • Bonus cash back for the first 3 month
  • Cash rewards redemption bonus
  • No annual fee
  • Long 0% intro APR
Pros

For every purchase you make, you can get 1.5% cash back. You can also receive a $200 bonus as long as you make $1,000 or more purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. The cash rewards can be redeemed for a deposit, gift cards or other things. Every time you redeem a reward, the card will offer you a 5% cash rewards redemption bonus to use at your next redemption. Also, there's a 0% introductory APR for the first 15 months on purchases and 0% introductory APR for the first 15 months balance transfers made within the first 45 days. There is no annual fee, and the rewards will not expire as long as you don't close your account. As a Mastercard credit card, it gives you more widespread merchant acceptance of it than other cards from American Express or Discover.

Cons

It charges 3% of each balance transfer ($5 minimum) and 3% foreign transaction fee.

Summary

The Barclaycard CashForward is easy to use because its rewards structure is much easier than the rotating categories structure of other cards. It's a good card for purchase and balance transfer made for the first several days.

More about the card
Full Card review

No.4 BankAmericard® Credit Card

bankamericard-credit-card
4.9
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR See Terms for 15 billing cycles
Balance TRansfers Intro APR See Terms for 15 billing cycles
Regular APR See Terms
Annual Fee $0
Credit Needed Good, Excellent
Benifits
  • 15-month 0% introductory period
  • No balance transfer fee for the first 60 days
  • No annual fee
Pros

The BankAmericard Credit Card offers a long 15-month 0% introductory period and the lowest on-going rate at 12.99% - 22.99%.

Cons

The BankAmericard card offers no 0 percent APR on purchases, so cardholders mainly use this card to transfer balance. Moreover, you need to pay 3% of the amount transferred or $10 transfer fee after the first 60 days. The card also charges low-credit users with a high 21.74% APR.

Summary

The BankAmericard Credit Card will save you a lot of in interest and fees if you have a large debt to pay. It's not a good option for people with low credit score.

More about the card
Full Card review

No.5 Discover it® Cashback Match™

discover-it-cashback-match
4.6
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR 0% for 14 months
Balance TRansfers Intro APR 0% for 14 months
Regular APR 11.74% - 23.74% Variable
Annual Fee $0
Credit Needed Good, Excellent
Benifits
  • No annual fee
  • Free FICO score
  • Cash back bonus
  • Rotating bonus categories
  • New cardmember bonus
Pros

With broad rewards bonus categories, Discover it Cashback Match rewards credit card enables to get 5% bonus on online retailer, restaurants, gas stations and more others. Meanwhile, the bonus changes each quarter. This credit card gives people access to the Discover Deals online bonus mall, which makes people enjoy 5%-20% cash back on purchases at popular online stores in the condition of signing up the credit card. Furthermore, this card with no foreign transaction fee offers people a distinctive sign-up bonus, that is, the one dollar-for-dollar match all the cash back you’ve got at the end of your first year automatically.

Cons

Cardholders need to remember that what kind of spending will maximize the reward bonus each quarter. Aside from that, you won’t get the 5% cash back if you forget to opt into the bonus categories.

Summary

Discover credit card helps you save a lot to buy things from popular retailers at the Discover Deals online mall with the high cash back rates. You will be the last winner with multiple bonuses of Discover credit card including the 0 annual fee, rotating 5% bonus categories, a new cardmember bonus, and a solid intro APR.

More about the card
Full Card review

No.6 Barclaycard Ring™ Mastercard®

barclaycard-ring-mastercard
4.9
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR 0% for 15 months
Balance TRansfers Intro APR 0% for 15 months (on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening)
Regular APR 13.74% Variable
Annual Fee $0
Credit Needed Excellent
Benifits
  • 0% on Balance Transfers & Purchases for 15 months
  • No balance transfer fee
  • No penalty fees
  • No annual fee
Pros

The Barclaycard Ring Mastercard combines an introductory 0% APR period with no balance transfer fees forever. You won't be charged with penalty fees or annual fees.

Cons

You are not allowed to transfer balances from other Barclaycard products. To get approved for this card, you need to keep an excellent credit.

Summary

For people who have excellent credit, the Barclaycard Ring Mastercard proves to be cost-effective since you can pay your debt interest-free and fee-free.

More about the card
Full Card review

No.7 Citi Simplicity® Card

citi-simplicity-card
4.9
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR 0%* for 21 months*
Balance TRansfers Intro APR 0%* for 21 months*
Regular APR 14.49% - 24.49% (Variable)
Annual Fee $0*
Credit Needed Good, Excellent
Benifits
  • Long 0% APR period
  • No late fee
  • No penalty APR
  • No annual fee
Pros

Citi Simplicity® Card offers a 21-month 0% introductory APR on both balance transfer and purchases. Citi Simplicity card charges no annual fee, no late fee, and no penalty APR.

Cons

The interest rate is varied between 14.49% - 24.49%, and you won't know your rate until you apply.

Summary

By offering the longest 0% APR period, this card gives users more time to finance a purchase or offset balance-transfer fee. Also, users don't have to worry about late payments since there is no late fee and no penalty APR.

More about the card
Full Card review

No.8 PNC Core Visa Credit Card

pnc-core-visa-credit-card
4.8
on Capital One's secure website
Card Details
Purchases Intro APR 0% for 15 billing cycles
Balance TRansfers Intro APR 0% for 15 billing cycles
Regular APR 10.99% - 20.99%
Annual Fee $0
Credit Needed Good, Excellent
Benifits
  • Long 0% APR period
  • No annual fee
  • Low ongoing rate
Pros

PNC Core® Visa Credit Card offers a 15-month 0% Intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers made within 90 days. Its minimum APR (10.74 percent) is considerably lower than the APRs of other cards, and it's about 5 percentage points below the national average APR for credit cards. Also, you’ll receive 3% of the amount for each balance transferred for the first 3 months, and after that, you can receive 4% on balance transfers! There’s also no annual fee applied to this card.

Cons

The card offers no rewards or sign-up bonus.

Summary

For people who have a large balance to carry, the Core Visa card’s 15-month interest-free period and its low ongoing APR can be really helpful. This card is also an excellent choice for people who want to enjoy PNC’s balance transfer perks.

More about the card
Full Card review