20 top 0% balance transfer cards
Need a long 0% balance transfer credit card that's not issued by Barclays, Virgin or MBNA? Look no further...
Here at lovemoney.com we’re always banging on about how great 0% balance transfer cards are if you have expensive credit card debt that you need to pay off.
Barclaycard are the current market leaders with a whopping 17 month 0% APR card. MBNA and Virgin are close behind – both offering 0% for 16 months.
So if you do have a credit card burden that’s accumulating interest you really should be shifting it onto one of these cards. Read A new 17 months interest-free credit card to find out more.
But, as lovemoney.com reader Thirdman hit on in the comments section of a previous article, there is a problem with this balance shifting tactic.
If your current debt-laden credit card is issued by Barclaycard you won’t able to use their 17 month 0% card to zap your expensive debt. This is because most card issuers won’t allow you to transfer balances between cards that they own.
What makes this especially frustrating is that many credit cards providers are actually owned by one overall issuer.
For example MBNA and Virgin credit cards are both issued by the Bank of America (or MBNA Europe as it is more commonly known as over here). This means you won’t be able to transfer debt between Virgin and MBNA cards.
If you’re applying for a balance transfer credit card, make sure you follow these top tips.
For a full list of who issues what accounts head over to The secret truth about your credit card.
But fear not, there are still a good number of credit cards that are not provided by Barclays or Bank of America and still offer lengthy 0% balance transfer periods.
The cards
Below is a table detailing the 20 best balance transfer cards that are not issued by Barclays or Bank of America.
I’ve included details of who issues each card. If two or more credit cards are issued by the same company then you won’t be able to transfer debt between them.
In fact, many issuers won’t even let you apply for one of their cards if you’ve had an account active with them in the last six months.
So if you are thinking of applying for a card with an issuer that you have used in the past, it’s worth checking whether you are actually eligible before you fill out any forms as if you are declined then this will harm your credit record.
It’s also worth pointing out that whilst Lloyds Banking Group does own Halifax and Bank of Scotland you are still able to transfer debt between Lloyds TSB credit cards and Halifax/Bank of Scotland credit cards. But you are not able to transfer debt between Halifax cards and Bank of Scotland cards.
Bank of Scotland also owns 50% of Sainsbury’s Finance, but you are still able to transfer debt onto the Sainsbury’s card from Bank of Scotland cards as well as any other (non-Sainsbury’s) credit cards.
|
Card |
0% APR balance transfer period |
Typical APR |
0% APR purchases period |
Additional requirements |
Issuer |
|
16 months (2.9% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Must be an existing customer and earn £10K+ per year |
RBS |
|
|
16 months (2.9% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Must be an existing customer and earn £10K+ per year |
RBS |
|
|
16 months (3% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Online application only available to existing customers |
National Australia Bank Group |
|
|
16 months (3% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Online application only available to existing customers |
National Australia Bank Group |
|
|
15 months (3% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Must be 25 years+ and earn £25K+ per year |
Nationwide |
|
|
15 months (2.9% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
*(see below) |
HSBC |
|
|
15 months (3% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Must be 25 years+ and earn £20K+ per year |
LaSer UK |
|
|
15 months (2.9% fee min £5) |
16.9% |
0 months |
New FD credit card customers only |
HSBC |
|
|
14 months (3% fee) |
15.9% |
3 months |
|
Lloyds Banking Group |
|
|
13 months (3% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
|
HBOS (owned by Lloyds) |
|
|
13 months (3% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
|
HBOS (owned by Lloyds) |
|
|
0% until 1st March 2012 (3% fee) |
17.9% |
0% until 1st April 2011 |
|
CitiGroup |
|
|
13 months (3% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Must earn £7.5K+ per year |
Santander |
|
|
12 months (2.99% fee) |
16.8% |
3 months |
New Asda card customers only |
Santander |
|
|
12 months (3% fee) |
15.9% |
12 months |
Must hold a Nectar Card |
Sainsbury’s (50% owned by Lloyds) |
|
|
12 months (3% fee) |
15.9% |
3 months |
No online application facility |
Bank of Cyprus |
|
|
12 months (2.98% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Must earn £15K+ per year |
Bank of Ireland |
|
|
9 months (2.98% fee) |
16.9% |
3 months |
Must earn 15K+ per year |
Bank of Ireland |
|
|
9 months (2.9% fee) |
16.9% |
13 months |
|
Tesco |
|
|
9 months (3% fee) |
11.9% |
9 months |
Must be 50 years+ |
Allied Irish Banks |
*To qualify for this account you must have a salary of at least £8,500 per year and hold an HSBC current account which you pay at least £500 per month into (unless you are a student account holder in which case you don’t need to pay a minimum amount or salary into your account).
Source: lovemoney.com credit card comparison centre
As you can see, there are several lengthy 0% cards available, but to pick up the best deals you will need a high income and healthy credit history. Any recent CCJs or default payments will probably see your application being turned down for most of the cards listed above.
You can apply for all the cards in my table by heading over to our credit card comparison service.
And if you don’t fancy a 0% credit card, then maybe a permanent low APR card would be more suitable; read A sensible credit card in a world of tarts! to find out more.
More: The best credit cards for spending My favourite credit card
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