Balance Transfer Card or Personal Loan: Which Is Right for You?

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
- Two popular ways to consolidate debt include a balance transfer credit card or a personal loan.
- Balance transfer credit cards are best for borrowers with good to excellent credit who can pay off their credit card debt during the 0% promotional period.
- Personal loans are best for borrowers who have higher debt amounts or a mix of unsecured debts, and are available even if you have bad credit.
Balance transfer vs. personal loan
Balance transfer card | Personal loan | |
---|---|---|
Type of debt |
|
|
Amount of debt |
|
|
How to qualify |
|
|
Costs |
|
|
How to choose between a balance transfer or personal loan
1. What type of debt do you have?
2. How long will it take to pay off your debt?
3. Which product can you qualify for?
4. What are the costs?
Personal loans from our partners
on SoFi
8.99-35.49%
$5K- $100K

on LightStream

6.49-25.29%
$5K- $100K
on Best Egg
6.99-35.99%
$2K- $50K
Tips to consolidate your debt successfully
Article sources
- 1. National Bureau of Economic Research. Prodigals and Projecture: An Economic History of Usury Laws in the United States from Colonial Times to 1900. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 2. Federal Register. Federal Interest Rate Authority: A Rule by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on 07/22/2020. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 3. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Finance Rate on Personal Loans at Commercial Banks, 24 Month Loan. Accessed May 23, 2025.
- 4. National Credit Union Administration. Credit Union and Bank Rates 2024 Q4. Accessed May 23, 2025.
- 5. Federal Reserve. Military Lending Act. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 6. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Consumer Use of Buy Now, Pay Later and Other Unsecured Debt. Accessed Jan 24, 2025.
- 7. Center for Responsible Lending. Unsafe Harbor: The Persistent Harms of High-Cost Installment Loans. Accessed May 2, 2025.
- 8. Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics - Plan Loans. Accessed Apr 8, 2025.
- 9. Internal Revenue Service. Retirement topics: Exceptions to tax on early distributions. Accessed Apr 8, 2025.
- 10. Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Bankruptcy Basics. Accessed Apr 8, 2025.
Methodology
How we chose the best personal loans
Our team of consumer lending experts follow an objective and robust methodology to rate lenders and pick the best.
35+
Lenders reviewed
We review over 35 lenders, including major banks, top credit unions, leading digital platforms, and high interest installment lenders operating across multiple states.
25+
Categories assessed
Each lender is evaluated across five weighted categories and 27 subcategories, covering affordability, eligibility, consumer experience, flexibility, and application process.
70+
Data points analyzed
Our team tracks and reassesses hundreds of data points annually, including APR ranges, fees, credit requirements, and borrower tools, ensuring up to date, accurate comparisons.
Star rating categories
We evaluate more categories than competitors and carefully weigh how each factor impacts your experience.
NerdWallet’s review process evaluates and rates personal loan products from more than 35 financial technology companies and financial institutions. We collect over 70 data points and cross-check company websites, earnings reports and other public documents to confirm product details. We may also go through a lender’s pre-qualification flow and follow up with company representatives. NerdWallet writers and editors conduct a full fact check and update annually, but also make updates throughout the year as necessary.
Our star ratings award points to lenders that offer consumer-friendly features, including: soft credit checks to pre-qualify, competitive interest rates and no fees, transparency of rates and terms, flexible payment options, fast funding times, accessible customer service, reporting of payments to credit bureaus and financial education. Our ratings award fewer points to lenders with practices that may make a loan difficult to repay on time, such as charging high annual percentage rates (above 36%), underwriting that does not adequately assess consumers’ ability to repay and lack of credit-building help. We also consider regulatory actions filed by agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We weigh these factors based on our assessment of which are the most important to consumers and how meaningfully they impact consumers’ experiences.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings. Read more about our ratings methodologies for personal loans and our editorial guidelines.
More like this