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Balance Transfer Calculator: Fee vs Interest Saved

Compare keeping your card with transferring to an intro APR offer, including the transfer fee and the rate after the intro period ends.

Balance transfer calculator

Example defaults: $6,000 at 22.36% APR paid at $300 a month, versus a transfer with an example 3% fee, 0% for 15 months, then 24.99%. Use the fee and rates from your actual offer.

Keep the current card
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Balance transfer
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Estimates only, based on the numbers you enter. Example defaults are illustrations, not offers. A lender's written Truth in Lending disclosure shows your actual APR, finance charge and payment schedule. Nothing you type here is saved or sent.

Quick answer

Enter your balance, current APR and payment, then the transfer fee, intro APR, intro length and the APR afterward. See the total cost of each option and the payment needed to clear the balance during the intro period.

A balance transfer can stop interest for a while, but it is not free. This calculator weighs the fee and the post-intro rate against what you pay now.

How the comparison works

  • Keep your card: your balance accrues interest at the current APR while you pay the same amount each month.
  • Transfer: the fee is added to the balance, the intro APR applies for the intro months, then the regular APR applies to what is left.

Worked example

$6,000 at 22.36% APR, paying $300 a month, versus a transfer with an example 3% fee, 0% for 15 months, then 24.99%:

Time to pay offFee + interest
Keep current card26 monthsabout $1,577
Balance transfer22 monthsabout $305 ($180 fee + $125 interest)

About $1,680 would be left when the intro period ends. To clear it all during the intro period, you would need about $412 a month. Worked examples are arithmetic illustrations, not offers. Use the fee and rates in your actual offer.

Rules to know

  • The CFPB says a balance transfer fee can be charged even on a 0% offer.
  • Intro rates generally last at least six months, unless you are more than 60 days late.

Transfer or loan?

A fixed-rate personal loan has a set end date. Read balance transfer vs personal loan and compare with the debt consolidation calculator.

Ready to see real numbers? Use the form on this page to check whether partner lenders may have an offer, with the APR and full payment schedule shown before you commit, or call (800) 236-7761.

Examples are illustrations, not offers. Approval, APR and terms depend on the lender, your state and your credit profile.

Questions about balance transfer calculator: fee vs interest saved

Is a balance transfer worth the fee?

Often, if you can pay off most of the balance during the intro period. Compare the fee with the interest you would pay on your current card.

Can a 0% balance transfer still have a fee?

Yes. The CFPB says a card company is permitted to charge a balance transfer fee on a zero percent offer.

How long do intro rates last?

The CFPB says introductory rates generally must last at least six months, unless you are more than 60 days late.

What happens when the intro rate ends?

Any remaining balance starts accruing interest at the card's regular APR.

Sources

  1. CFPB: What is a balance transfer fee? (accessed 2026-10-09)
  2. CFPB: How long can I keep a low rate on a balance transfer or other introductory rate? (accessed 2026-10-09)
  3. CFPB: How does my credit card company calculate the amount of interest I owe? (accessed 2026-10-09)

Last updated 2026-10-09. How we research and update pages.

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