A credit card balance transfer fee is a charge you incur when you move a pre-existing debt to a credit card — usually to make it easier to pay down that debt. This fee might feel like a penalty, but it could be your ticket to getting debt-free more quickly and at less cost.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is a balance transfer fee?
A balance transfer fee is the cost you pay to transfer a debt to a credit card. The credit card issuer assesses this fee in exchange for taking on your debt.
A balance transfer fee typically costs 3% to 5% of the amount transferred. So transferring a debt of $5,000 with a 5% fee would cost $250. The balance transfer fee is added to the overall balance on the card receiving the transfer. So, using the prior example, you’d owe $5,250 after the transfer was completed.
Many credit cards have low introductory balance transfer fees, incentivizing you to make a transfer within the first few months of opening the credit card. A card might charge 3% for transfers in the first 60 days, for example, then jump to 5% afterward.
Do all credit cards charge a balance transfer fee?
Not all cards charge balance transfer fees, but those that don't are relatively rare. You’ll have better luck finding one through a small community bank or credit union rather than a major card issuer. However, to be eligible for a credit card from a credit union, you need to be a member of that credit union. Membership may be contingent upon employment status or proximity to one of the credit union’s branches, so not everyone will have access to the credit union and its financial products.
18 Months of 0% to Whittle Down Debt
👀 Start saving money ASAP. This card offers an extra long pause on interest on balance transfers.
Some Capital One cards don’t charge a balance transfer fee — but only if you transfer a balance at the regular interest rate, or APR. If you take advantage of a promotional balance transfer APR — say, 0% APR on balance transfers for 15 months — Capital One would charge a balance transfer fee. Most people will benefit far more from a lengthy interest-free period rather than a waived one-time fee.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Each major credit card issuer has its own rules about the types of debts that may be transferred to a credit card. For example, Chase only allows balance transfers of credit card debt whereas Barclays accepts transfers of any loan, including personal loans and student loans. Read about each issuer's balance transfer policies. When is a balance transfer fee worth it?
Moving a debt to a credit card to obtain a lower interest rate can save hundreds or thousands of dollars in interest. So you can easily make up the cost of the balance transfer fee, and then some, from the interest savings.
Consider the previous example of transferring $5,000 for a 5% fee, or $250. Let’s say you moved the $5,000 to a card with a 0% APR on balance transfers for 18 months, and you pay the entire debt off before the promotional 0% period ends. Total debt paid off: $5,250.
That same $5,000 debt on a card with a 20% APR would rack up $82.85 in interest in just one month. (This number assumes that no payments and no additional purchases are made on that credit card.) As long as any part of that $5,000 isn’t paid off, the issuer will continue to charge interest on the remaining balance.
Use our calculator to determine how much interest your debts are costing you to decide if a balance transfer to a credit card can save you money.
