Chase Slate Review: An Extra-Long Time to Pay Down Debt
The Bottom Line
4.6
Thanks to an exceptionally long 0% intro APR period, the card is a solid option if your main goal is to pay down debt while taking a breather from interest, But once that promotion ends, there’s little reason to keep it in your wallet.
Rates, fees and offers
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
N/A
Bonus offer
N/A
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 21 months
Ongoing APR
APR: 18.24%-28.24% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 28.49%, Variable
Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
More details from Chase
More details from Chase
- 0% Intro Offer- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 21 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 18.24% - 28.24% thereafter
- No Annual Fee- You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Slate Card
- Zero Liability Protection & Fraud Protection - You won’t be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card. We help safeguard your credit card purchases using sophisticated fraud monitoring. We monitor for fraud 24/7 and can text, email or call you if there are unusual purchases on your credit card.
- Chase Pay Over Time- Access more options to pay over time for eligible purchases made with your participating Chase credit card. With Pay Over Time, you can break up eligible purchases you've already made
- Get more purchasing power: Chase Slate® cardmembers may be eligible for a credit limit increase in as few as six months.
- Stay protected with purchase & travel benefits - Enjoy peace of mind with purchase protection, which safeguards your eligible new items against damage or theft for 120 days from the date of purchase, up to $500 per item. Plus, extended warranty protection adds an extra year to U.S. manufacturer warranties of three years or less, giving you up to four full years of coverage from the date of purchase
- Credit Journey: Access your credit score, receive customized score improvement plans from Experian™, and benefit from identity monitoring—all for free with Chase Credit Journey®
- Member FDIC
Pros and Cons
Pros
No annual fee
Intro APR period
Cons
No rewards
Requires good/excellent credit
Detailed Review
The Chase Slate® stands toe-to-toe with the best 0% APR credit cards on the market. Its nearly two-years-long interest-free period makes the $0-annual-fee card an ideal option for those looking to pay down debt or pay off a large purchase.
However, once that promotional period ends, the card lacks rewards or other benefits that would make it worth holding on to.
A bit of history — The Chase Slate® relaunched in January 2026, replacing the similarly named Chase Slate Edge℠ in the issuer's lineup. The "Edge" card itself was a replacement for the original version of the Slate card, which was removed from the market in 2020. That original Slate was famous for its $0 introductory balance transfer fee, an industry trend that has all but died out. The new version of the Slate card has a transfer fee (although its intro APR period is longer than what the original version offered).
Chase Slate®: Basics
Card type: Balance transfer and 0% APR.
Annual fee: $0.
Welcome bonus: N/A.
Ongoing rewards: None.
APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 21 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-28.24% Variable APR.
Foreign transaction fee: 3%.
Balance transfer fee: 5% of the amount of each transfer, or $5, whichever is greater.
Other benefits: Travel and purchase protection, including zero liability protection, 24/7 fraud monitoring, extended warranties and more.
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Competitive 0% intro APR period
The Chase Slate® offers an extended interest-free term for both balance transfers and purchases — among the lengthiest such offers on the market. A long interest-free period is useful because it gives you more time to pay off your balance without incurring any interest.
Cardholders get a 0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 21 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-28.24% Variable APR.
No annual fee
The Chase Slate® has a $0 annual fee, which means it won’t cost you anything to keep the card in your wallet, even after its interest-free offer ends.
However, keep in mind that while you won't incur an annual fee, the card charges its ongoing APR after its interest-free term ends. Plus, it doesn't come with key benefits like ongoing rewards, which would make the card more valuable to hold on to. (More on this below.)
Drawbacks and Considerations
No rewards
If your goal is to pay down debt, earning rewards isn't really a main priority when choosing a card. But unlike the Chase Slate®, there are 0% APR options that also come with long-term benefits that make the cards worth holding on to.
The $0-annual-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited®, another card from the Chase family, is one such option. It features a 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR . And while that's not as lengthy as what the Chase Slate® offers, this card also comes with rewards. Cardholders earn 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase, 3% back at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% back on other purchases. There’s also a welcome offer for new applicants: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
Relatively high balance transfer fee
For balance transfers, the Chase Slate® charges 5% of the amount of each transfer — or $5 — whichever is greater.
These days, it's rare to find a card from a major credit card issuer that doesn't charge a balance transfer fee, so the fact that the Chase Slate® does is not surprising. However, there are card options that charge a lower 3% fee for a limited time or as an introductory offer.
For instance, the U.S. Bank Shield™ Visa® Card charges an introductory fee of either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater, for balances within 60 days of account opening — after that, either 5% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater. It offers a slightly less lengthy interest-free period than the Chase Slate®. Cardholders get a 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR. The card also comes with rewards and charges an annual fee of $0.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
The Chase Slate® is one of the best options for those whose main focus is financing a major purchase or paying down existing credit card debt. However, the card won’t be very valuable once its promotional interest-free period ends.
Bonus rewards and an intro APR promotion
This card earns the following rewards: 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase, 3% at restaurants and drugstores, and 1.5% on other purchases. Plus, it comes with a 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.24%-27.74% Variable APR. The annual fee is $0.
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Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
About the author
Funto Omojola
Lead Writer & Content Strategist
