acalculator

Does a balance transfer pay off?

Type your card balance, its APR and your monthly payment, then the new card's transfer fee, intro APR, intro months and the APR after. The balance transfer calculator pays the balance off both ways at the same payment and shows the fee, the interest, the months to pay off and how much you save.

Your numbers

You save
$1,333.24

A balance transfer saves $1,333.24.

Transfer fee
$180.00
Interest if you stay
$1,542.87
Interest after the transfer
$29.62
Months to pay off if you stay
26
Months to pay off after the transfer
21
Left when the intro ends
$780.00
Payment to clear it in the intro
$343.33
Verdict
The transfer saves money
Answer
A balance transfer saves $1,333.24
Months
26

You save: $1,333.24. A balance transfer saves $1,333.24.

Stay or transfer: the balance month by month

The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use

How to calculate

Compares paying off a credit card balance where it is with a balance transfer: the transfer fee, the interest at the intro and regular APR, the months to pay off, and the money saved at the same monthly payment.

Example with the default inputs (Balance to transfer $6,000.00, Current card APR 22%, Monthly payment $300.00, Transfer fee 3%, Minimum fee $5.00, Intro APR 0%, Intro months 18, APR after the intro 24%): A balance transfer saves $1,333.24.

Method: Fee = max(balance × fee %, minimum fee). Each month: balance × (1 + APR ÷ 1200), then the payment. Saving = current card interest − new card interest − fee.

  • The same monthly payment on either card, and no new purchases.
  • Interest is the APR ÷ 12 on the balance each month; card issuers that use a daily rate charge a little more.
  • The fee is added to the new card’s balance on the day of the transfer.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Balance to transfer $6,000.00, Current card APR 22%, Monthly payment $300.00, Transfer fee $3.00, Minimum fee $5.00, Intro APR 0%, Intro months 18, APR after the intro 24% gives Transfer fee $180.00, Interest if you stay $1,542.87, Interest after the transfer $29.62, Months to pay off if you stay 26, Months to pay off after the transfer 21, Left when the intro ends $780.00, You save $1,333.24, Payment to clear it in the intro $343.33.Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Credit cards key terms (a balance transfer moves a balance from one card to another, sometimes for a fee; the fee is usually a percentage of the amount transferred or a fixed amount, whichever is more; promotional rates last a limited time), https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/credit-cards/answers/key-terms/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
  2. Balance to transfer $5,000.00, Current card APR 20%, Monthly payment $250.00, Transfer fee $5.00, Intro APR 0%, Intro months 12, APR after the intro 22% gives Transfer fee $250.00, Months to pay off if you stay 25, Months to pay off after the transfer 22, You save $651.45, Left when the intro ends $2,250.00.Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Credit cards key terms (a balance transfer moves a balance from one card to another, sometimes for a fee; the fee is usually a percentage of the amount transferred or a fixed amount, whichever is more; promotional rates last a limited time), https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/credit-cards/answers/key-terms/ (retrieved 2026-10-02); Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, How long can I keep a low rate on a balance transfer or other introductory rate? (the introductory rate lasts at least six months unless a payment is more than 60 days late; the issuer must say what rate applies after), https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-long-can-i-keep-a-low-rate-on-a-balance-transfer-or-other-introductory-rate-en-15/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
  3. Balance to transfer $1,000.00, Current card APR 18%, Monthly payment $100.00, Transfer fee $3.00, Minimum fee $5.00, Intro APR 0%, Intro months 21, APR after the intro 25% gives Transfer fee $30.00, Interest after the transfer $0.00, Months to pay off after the transfer 11, Left when the intro ends $0.00, You save $61.62.Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Credit cards key terms (a balance transfer moves a balance from one card to another, sometimes for a fee; the fee is usually a percentage of the amount transferred or a fixed amount, whichever is more; promotional rates last a limited time), https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/credit-cards/answers/key-terms/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)

How it works

The fee. Fee = the larger of balance × fee % ÷ 100 and the minimum fee (0 when left empty).

Each month, on either card: interest = balance × APR ÷ 1200; the balance becomes balance + interest − payment, and the last payment is only what is owed, so the balance ends at exactly 0.

  • If you stay: start at the balance; the APR is the current card's every month.
  • After the transfer: start at balance + fee; months 1 to N (the intro months) use the intro APR, later months the APR after the intro.

Outputs.

  • Interest if you stay, and after the transfer: the sum of each month's interest until that card is paid off.
  • You save = interest if you stay − (interest after the transfer + fee). A negative number means the transfer costs more.
  • Months to pay off: the number of payments on each card.
  • Left when the intro ends: the new card's balance after month N (0 when it is paid off by then).
  • Payment to clear it in the intro: the level payment P × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)^−N) on P = balance + fee at r = intro APR ÷ 1200 (P ÷ N at 0%); left out when there are no intro months.
  • Verdict: "The transfer saves money" when the saving is above $0, "The transfer costs more than it saves" below $0, "The transfer breaks even" at exactly $0.

Rules

  • Balance and payment above $0 and up to $1 billion; APRs and the fee 0% to 100%; minimum fee $0 to $1 million; intro months 0 to 60.
  • If either card would take more than 600 months (50 years) at this payment, for example because the payment does not cover the interest, there is no answer and the page says which.
  • No new purchases, no late fees, and the same payment on both cards.

Output format. Money in dollars and cents; months as whole numbers. The answer reads "A balance transfer saves $1,333.24" (a saving of $0 or more) or "A balance transfer costs $4.87 more than staying", in dollars and cents rounded half up.

Worked examples by hand

$6,000 at 22%, $300 a month; 3% fee, 0% for 18 months, then 24%. Fee = 6,000 × 3% = $180 (more than the $5 minimum). New balance 6,180; after 18 payments of $300 at 0%, $780 is left. Month 19: 780 × 2% = 15.60 interest, 795.60 − 300 = 495.60; month 20: 9.91 interest, 205.51; month 21: 4.11 interest, last payment 209.62. Interest after the transfer = $29.62 over 21 months. Staying at 22% takes 26 months and $1,542.87 of interest (checked month by month in Python). You save 1,542.87 − 29.62 − 180 = $1,333.24. To clear it in the intro: 6,180 ÷ 18 = $343.33 a month.

$5,000 at 20%, $250 a month; 5% fee, 0% for 12 months, then 22%. Fee $250; 5,250 − 12 × 250 = $2,250 left after the intro; paid off in 22 months against 25 if you stay. You save $651.45.

$1,000 at 18%, $100 a month; 3% fee ($30), 0% for 21 months. 1,030 ÷ 100 = 10.3, so 11 payments, all at 0%: no interest. Staying costs $91.62 of interest over 11 months. You save 91.62 − 30 = $61.62.

Other questions people ask

Is a balance transfer worth it?

It is when the interest you avoid is more than the fee. $6,000 at 22% paid at $300 a month costs $1,542.87 in interest over 26 months. Moved to a card at 0% for 18 months with a 3% fee ($180), the same payments cost $29.62 of interest and finish in 21 months: you save $1,333.24.

How is the balance transfer fee worked out?

The CFPB says the fee is usually a percent of the amount you transfer or a fixed amount, whichever is more; most are 3% to 5%. A 3% fee with a $5 minimum on $1,000 is $30. The fee is added to the new card's balance.

What happens when the intro period ends?

Any balance left starts to charge the card's regular APR. In the first example, $780 is left after 18 months, so months 19 to 21 charge 24% on it. The calculator shows what is left and the payment that would clear the balance within the intro months.

How long does an intro rate last?

At least six months, by law, unless you are more than 60 days late with a payment. The card issuer must tell you how long the rate lasts and what rate applies after it. Many offers run 12 to 21 months.

How do I pay off the balance before the intro rate ends?

Divide the balance plus the fee by the intro months (at 0%). $6,000 plus a $180 fee over 18 months is $343.33 a month; round up to $343.34 so the last cents are covered, and you pay no interest at all.

Why might my card charge a little more interest?

This page charges APR ÷ 12 each month. Many issuers use a daily rate, APR ÷ 365, on each day's balance, which compounds daily and comes out slightly higher. New purchases on the card can also cost interest; this page assumes none.