Method
The calculator compares two amortized monthly-payment scenarios: keeping the balance at the current APR, or transferring the balance, adding the transfer fee, applying the promotional APR for the promo months and then applying the post-promo APR to any remaining balance.
Example
Transferring a $6,000 balance with a 3% fee adds $180 immediately. If the promo APR is 0% for 15 months and the payment is $400, the offer is most useful when the balance is paid down before the post-promo APR begins.
Common mistakes
Do not ignore the transfer fee or post-promo APR. New purchases may also be treated differently from the transferred balance.
What changes the result most
The main drivers are the transfer fee, monthly payment and whether the balance is fully paid before the promotional period ends. A 0% promo can still cost more if the transfer fee is high and the current balance would have been repaid quickly anyway.
Limitations
This is an educational estimate, not a credit offer or recommendation. It does not model credit limits, application approval, penalty APRs, balance-transfer deadlines, new purchases, grace-period rules or credit-score changes.
References
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: credit cards, accessed 2026-05-16.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-16