The 3 Worst Mistakes People Make With 0% Intro APR Credit Cards

Credit card debt is brutally expensive. The national average interest rate sits north of 21%, which means every $1,000 of debt ends up costing roughly $210 a year in interest alone.

That's why 0% intro APR cards can give massive relief. You get a promotional period where the interest rate is literally zero. Every dollar you put toward your balance goes straight to principal -- which is a beautiful thing when you're trying to get ahead.

But here's the catch: A 0% intro APR card only helps if you use it correctly. A couple of common mistakes can wipe out all your savings and leave you feeling stuck. Let's break down the three big pitfalls I see all the time and how to avoid them.

1. Picking the wrong type of 0% intro APR offer

There are two flavors of 0% intro APR offers, and they serve totally different jobs:

• Balance transfers: Lets you move existing credit card debt to a new card so you can pay it down faster during the 0% interest window.
• New purchases: Lets you spread out new spending without paying interest. Helpful for things like home projects, medical bills, or car repairs.

Some cards offer both. Others heavily favor one over the other -- and that's where people get tripped up.

You might see a card with 18 months of 0% intro APR on balance transfers, but only 6 months on new purchases. If your goal is to finance a new laptop interest-free over a year, that card's not going to cut it.

Same deal in reverse: A card might offer a year of 0% intro APR on purchases, but charge full interest on balance transfers from day one. Not great if you're trying to knock out existing debt.

Matching the right offer to your actual plan is the whole game here. Right now, a few standout cards even offer up to 21 months of 0% intro APR on balance transfers and new purchases, which is about as much breathing room as you can get. Browse all the top-rated 0% intro APR cards here and see which one gives you the runway you need.

2. Treating the 0% APR window like "free money"

This one's a psychological trip-up. A 0% intro APR can make your brain tell little lies, like "I've got time… I can always pay this off down the road"

And suddenly that new gadget, vacation, or shopping cart feels cheaper than it really is.

But the truth is: zero-interest debt is still debt. The balance doesn't magically disappear.

If you tack on an extra $2,000 or $3,000 during your 0% intro APR window, that's money Future You has to deal with -- and once that promotional APR ends, interest kicks back in at full speed.

The best move is to decide ahead of time what the card is for. Maybe you're covering a big unexpected expense and want breathing room to pay it off calmly. That's great -- use the intro period intentionally, not impulsively.

I've seen so many people open a 0% intro APR card for one purpose… and then stack extra spending on top because "there's no interest anyway." That's how an opportunity turns into a setback. Keep the goal tight, keep purchases intentional, and keep your future cash flow happy.

3. Making only the minimum payments

This is the biggest trap of all.

When there's no interest piling up, the urgency to pay the balance down evaporates. But eventually the 0% intro APR period ends. And when it does, your interest rate can jump to 20% or more overnight.

If you still owe a big balance at that point, those interest charges hit hard.

Let's put numbers to it:

If you charged $4,000 and have a 15-month 0% APR window, you'd need to pay about $267 a month to clear the balance before interest returns.

But if you only pay the minimum, (eg. 2% of the balance, or ~$80 per month) you'll still be carrying almost $3,000 after the intro period ends. Then you start getting hit with big interest again.

A 0% intro APR card is basically a countdown timer. Smart users make a plan from day one: divide the debt balance by the number of months in the 0% intro APR period. Then, set that payment on autopay, and treat it like a fixed bill until it hits zero.

Make 2026 the year you finally crush your debt

A 0% intro APR card can give you the breathing room you need to reset your finances in 2026.

Some top cards right now offer no-interest windows up to 21 months on both balance transfers and new purchases.

To get started, check out our top 0% intro APR and balance transfer cards here and find the offer that helps wipe out your debt.