Credit Card Balance Transfer Calculator

Will transferring your credit card balance save money after the fee? Compare equal-payment repayment plans, promotional rates and the cost after the promotion ends.

Your balance, card rates, payment and transfer fee start empty. Gray examples are hints, not amounts used in calculations.

Compare your repayment options

A. Current credit card

Current card balance ($)

Enter the amount you would transfer.

Current APR (%)

Annual rate on the balance you would keep. 0–100%.

Current monthly payment ($)

Used for BOTH plans unless you enter a different planned payment below.

B. Balance transfer offer

Promotional APR (%)

Annual promotional rate. Zero is an operational default; use your offer’s rate.

Promotional duration (months)

Payments 1 through this month use the promotional APR. Enter 1–1,200 whole months.

Transfer fee type

Use the actual fee in your offer. Minimum-fee rules are not added automatically.

Transfer fee value

Enter a percentage or fixed dollar fee, according to the selected type. Enter 0 for no fee.

APR after the promotion (%)

Applied starting with the first payment AFTER the promotional period. 0–100%.

How will you pay the transfer fee?

Financed fees accrue interest with the transferred balance. Upfront fees count once in total economic cost.

C. Repayment plan

Planned monthly payment for BOTH plans ($)

Optional. Leave blank to use your current payment. Both comparisons always use the same payment.

Optional start date (MM/DD/YYYY)

First payment is one calendar month later. Month-end dates stay anchored to this day where possible.

No additional purchases or transfers are included. One equal monthly payment is used for both options.

Your repayment comparison

Net savings from transfer

Payoff time difference

Balance remaining when promotion ends

Payment needed to clear promotional balance

KEEP CURRENT CARD

Starting balance
Transfer fee
Monthly payment
Payoff duration
Payoff date
Total interest
Total fees
Interest plus fees
Total amount paid
Balance after final promotional payment

TRANSFER BALANCE

Starting balance
Transfer fee
Monthly payment
Payoff duration
Payoff date
Total interest
Total fees
Interest plus fees
Total amount paid
Balance after final promotional payment

Keep current card monthly schedule

Keep current card: full-precision monthly interest; money shown to cents
Payment	Date	APR	Beginning balance	Interest	Payment amount	Principal	Ending balance

Transfer balance monthly schedule

Transfer balance: full-precision monthly interest; money shown to cents
Payment	Date	APR	Beginning balance	Interest	Payment amount	Principal	Ending balance

How it works

Both plans use the same monthly payment. Each month, interest equals the beginning balance × APR ÷ 100 ÷ 12. Interest is added before payment, and the final payment is capped at the exact amount owed. Calculations retain full precision; displayed money rounds to cents.

If the promotion lasts 18 months, payments 1–18 use the promotional rate. Payment 19 uses the post-promotion APR if a balance remains. The promotion-end balance is measured immediately after payment 18, or zero if you paid off earlier.

A percentage transfer fee equals your transferred balance × fee percentage ÷ 100. A fixed fee uses the dollar amount entered. A financed fee increases the starting balance; an upfront fee stays outside principal but is included once in total amount paid. Net savings compares total interest plus fees over each completed payoff plan.

The promotional payoff payment uses the amortization formula for the promotional APR, rounded UP to cents and checked against the monthly simulation. At 0% APR, the underlying payment is financed balance ÷ promotional months. An upfront fee must be funded separately.

Assumptions and useful information

This is a monthly planning approximation, not your issuer’s daily-balance calculation or an offer of credit. Actual transfer eligibility, minimum payments, fee minimums, rates and promotional terms vary. This tool does not model changes to issuer minimum-payment formulas or credit-score effects, and does not guarantee balance-transfer eligibility or issuer approval. The estimate is not an issuer payoff quote. Verify the offer’s stated expiration and post-promotion rate. Transfers do not create new borrowing capacity in this model.

No new purchases, annual fees, late fees, missed payments or additional transfers are modeled. Promotional APR is applied to the entire financed balance, including a financed fee. The same fixed payment continues after the promotion. If a fee has a different APR, this simplified model does not describe that offer.

This models ordinary balance-transfer promotional APRs, not deferred-interest financing with retroactive interest charges. Making new purchases can affect interest charges and grace periods. This tool excludes those purchases.

Schedules stop after 1,200 months. An unpaid plan receives no invented payoff date, lifetime interest total or net-savings claim. If the continuing payment cannot cover monthly interest, the plan is marked as not paying down the balance. Displayed totals can differ by a cent from sums of individually rounded rows.

Dates use calendar months: the first payment is one month after your optional start date. A day that does not exist in a later month is clamped to that month’s final day; later months remain anchored to the original day. Dates are illustrative, not statement due dates.

Related Tools

Credit Card Payoff Calculator — explore repayment on one card.
Debt Consolidation Calculator — compare a consolidation loan with existing debts.
Debt Snowball vs Avalanche Calculator — compare payoff priorities across debts.

Estimates for planning only. This is not personalized financial advice, a card recommendation, or a guarantee of savings.