While opening a 0% APR credit card is a straightforward approach to accessing 0% introductory annual percentage rate (APR) offers on purchases or balance transfers, it’s not the only way. Depending on the situation, you can access a 0% intro APR offer on a card you already have.
Yes, it’s possible. However, the most common way to get a 0% APR offer is to get approved for a new card with an offer.
Still, some credit card issuers offer 0% intro APR to existing cardholders. Depending on your situation, this could be more favorable than opening a new credit card. You’re never guaranteed to be approved for a new credit card, and opening a new account could negatively impact your credit score.
There are typically two ways to receive a 0% APR offer on an existing credit card.
You can receive a 0% APR offer from certain credit card issuers by being a responsible cardholder. You might see an offer when you log in to your online account, or your credit card company could send you an offer in your email.
Here’s an example of an email offer I recently received:
If you aren’t seeing any offers in your account or inbox, consider calling your credit card company or chatting with a customer service representative to ask about offers. In general, it doesn’t hurt to ask if you’re eligible for any offers.
If you aren’t eligible for a 0% APR offer, ask if there’s anything you can do to become eligible. Credit card companies don’t advertise how to become eligible for these offers, but a friendly customer service representative might be able to point you in the right direction.
Use your card responsibly: Lenders generally want to see their cardmembers actively using credit cards and paying them off before offering special promotions, such as a 0% APR offer.
Improve your credit score: Many 0% APR credit cards and balance transfer credit cards require a good or excellent credit score for approval. A good FICO score is at least 670, so aiming for that or higher is a reasonable goal.
Keep your account open: In our experience, we didn’t start receiving low-interest offers on existing accounts until we had been cardmembers for a while. In some cases, it took years of responsible card use.
Turn on notifications: You typically have to opt in to receive notifications about special offers from your credit card company. Check the notification settings in your account to see if the applicable option is available and turned on.
Check your account: When we log in to various credit card accounts, we frequently receive pop-up notifications about special offers. If you don’t often check your accounts, consider making it part of your routine. Note that pop-up notifications are only one way to see an offer in your account; you might also be able to browse available offers in a particular section of your dashboard.
If you aren’t eligible for a 0% APR offer on an existing credit card, consider these excellent credit card offers with 0% intro APR periods.
Read our full Capital One VentureOne Rewards review
Introductory Purchases APR
0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
Ongoing Purchases APR
18.99% – 28.49% Variable
Introductory Balance Transfer APR
0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months
Ongoing Balance Transfer APR
18.99% – 28.49% Variable
Read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited review
Introductory Purchases APR
0% on purchases for 15 months
Ongoing Purchases APR
18.24%-29.24% Variable
Introductory Balance Transfer APR
0% on balance transfers for 15 months
Ongoing Balance Transfer APR
18.24%-29.24% Variable
Read our full Amex Blue Cash Everyday review
Introductory Purchases APR
0% on purchases for 12 months
Ongoing Purchases APR
18.24%-29.24% Variable
Introductory Balance Transfer APR
0% on balance transfers for 12 months
Ongoing Balance Transfer APR
18.24%-29.24% Variable
Read our full Amex Blue Cash Preferred review
Yes, 0% APR credit cards exist. These cards offer 0% introductory APR on purchases or balance transfers to new cardholders for a limited promotional period, often between 12 to 18 months.
A 0% APR credit card provides a 0% introductory APR offer on purchases or balance transfers. Cardholders can avoid interest charges on purchases or balance transfers during the introductory period, typically between 12 to 18 months. This could be useful for instances where you just made a large purchase or want to pay down high-interest debt from another card.
A balance transfer credit card is a type of 0% APR card that doesn’t charge interest on balance transfers for a certain amount of time. You typically still have to pay a balance transfer fee of 3% to 5% of the amount being transferred. Balance transfer offers can be useful for paying down credit card debt while avoiding high interest rates.
You can request a 0% APR offer on an existing card by contacting your credit card issuer. Not all card issuers provide these offers to current cardholders, and your eligibility can vary depending on your card usage and account status. However, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Yes, all Discover credit cards allow eligible cardholders to make balance transfers. Many Discover cards, including the Discover it® Cash Back and Discover it® Miles card, offer 0% introductory APR offers on balance transfers for a certain period of time.
Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to the Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn’t include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
