No Annual Fee, No Late Fees, 0% APR for 21 Months -- Yes, Really

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Years ago, a good friend of mine had $10,000 in credit card debt and felt totally hopeless. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit -- and something just clicked. She suddenly had the motivation to crush her debt for good.

She applied for a 0% intro APR balance transfer card, made a simple plan, and went nuts paying down the balance. About a year and a half later, she was debt-free -- and had saved about $3,600 in interest along the way.

If you're stuck in credit card debt, it's time to make a change. And this is the card that can help you.

Nearly two years of 0% intro APR

The Citi Simplicity® Card, from our partner, gives you 0% intro APR for 21 months on Balance Transfers. A 18.24% - 28.99% (Variable) APR applies at the end of the intro period.

That's one of the longest interest-free periods available right now.

It's nearly two years where every dollar you pay goes toward knocking out your balance -- not feeding the interest treadmill.

There's also no annual fee, no late fees, and no penalty APR.

So even if you miss a payment, you won't get hit with a rate hike or fee bomb. It's one of the most forgiving cards out there, which is a big deal when you're already trying to dig out of debt.

Ratings Methodology
Award Icon 2025 Award Winner
4.90/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
4.90/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: 0%, 12 months on Purchases

Balance Transfers: 0%, 21 months on Balance Transfers

Regular APR

18.24% - 28.99% (Variable)

Rewards

N/A

Annual Fee Circle with letter I in it. N/A

$0

Welcome Offer

N/A

  • This is one of our favorite cards for balance transfers. It has 0% intro APR for 21 months on balance transfers and a discounted intro balance transfer fee for the first four months. That combo makes it one of the most generous balance transfer offers we’ve seen. But it doesn't have much ongoing value after the intro 0% APR period ends.

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    • Great intro APR
    • No annual fee
    • No late fees
    • No penalty APR
    • Choose your own payment date
    • No rewards
    • Foreign transaction fee
    • No Late Fees, No Penalty Rate, and No Annual Fee... Ever
    • 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months and on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 18.24% - 28.99%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
    • There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
    • Stay protected with Citi® Quick Lock

How much can 0% interest actually save you?

Let's run some example numbers to see how much interest someone could save by using a balance transfer card to pay off debt.

Let's say you've got $8,000 in credit card debt, on a card charging 22% APR right now.

If you're paying $400/month, here's how the payoff plans stack up for keeping the current card vs. a balance transfer to the Citi Simplicity® Card:

Option Interest Paid Time to Pay Off
Current 22% APR card $2,056 26 months
Switch to Simplicity $0 21 months
Data source: Author's calculations.

There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5). But even with the intro balance transfer fee factored in ($240), you're still ahead by over $1,800! And you become debt-free five months faster, too.

Pretty powerful, right? This is why I recommend balance transfer cards to anyone with high-interest debt. It can help you become debt-free faster, and save thousands in interest.

Here's the payoff plan

If you've been on the fence about doing a balance transfer, here's a rough action plan:

  1. Apply and get approved for the Citi Simplicity® Card
  2. Transfer your balance within four months to qualify for the intro APR
  3. Divide your balance + fee by the length of the 0% intro APR period and make this your monthly minimum payment goal (for example, if your debt is $6,000 and fee is $180, your monthly payment should be about $295/month)
  4. Don't rack up new mindless charges. Stay focused on the debt payoff mission and don't get distracted buying new stuff!

You've probably seen 0% intro APR offers before. Maybe you've even clicked around a few times. This is the moment to act.

Top ranked for balance transfers

We review dozens of 0% intro APR credit cards every year. The Citi Simplicity® Card stood out and won our 2025 award for Best Balance Transfer Card.

Here are the main features that helped push it to the top:

  • 0% intro APR for 21 months on Balance Transfers. Many other balance transfer cards cap out at 12--18 months
  • No penalty fees if life happens and you're a little late
  • $0 annual fee -- keep your focus on paying down, not paying up
  • Flexible payment due dates -- you choose what works best

This truly is a simple card with one main purpose -- helping people pay down balances.

Stop waiting for the "right one" -- this is it

Ever since my friend crushed her debt, she's been fully in control of her finances. Now she's investing and building real wealth.

You can do the same.

Transfer your balance, skip the interest, and start fresh today.

Our Research Expert