Fee
Raises principal
Balance Transfer Calculator
Compare keeping a card balance with transferring it, including the fee, promotional rate, deadline and post-promotion rate.
Transfer deadline and cost comparison
Put the transfer fee, clearing payment and post-promotion balance in the same decision view.
Enter your figures, then press “Test the balance transfer” to calculate your result.
No result yetComplete the fields and use the calculation button.
What makes a balance transfer worthwhile
The calculator compares the existing balance with a transferred balance that includes the fee. It uses the promotional rate for the entered months and the post-promotion rate afterward while holding the monthly payment constant.
- The fee is added to the transferred balance.
- The same monthly payment is used for both paths.
- New spending, missed-payment penalties and offer-specific rules are excluded.
Put the fee into the starting balance
A transfer fee is a real financing cost even when the promotional rate is zero. Adding it to the balance prevents a no-interest headline from being mistaken for a free transaction.
Check whether the fee is paid separately or added to the account, whether the offer applies to the full balance and whether a maximum transfer amount limits the move.
The offer is a fee plus a deadline
A promotional rate helps only when the payment fits and new spending stays controlled.
Promotion
Limited months
Afterward
Rate risk returns
Treat the promotion as a hard deadline
Divide the fee-adjusted balance by the promotional months to estimate the payment needed before expiry. Compare it with the amount the household can repeat, not a one-month stretch payment.
If a balance remains, the calculator applies the entered post-promotion rate. Actual offers may calculate interest or remove promotional terms differently after late payments, so read the current agreement.
Protect the plan from new purchases
A transfer does not solve the spending pattern that created the balance. Keep current expenses within cash flow and understand how purchases are treated on both the old and new accounts.
Compare total modeled interest, fee, payoff time and required deadline payment. A transfer that saves little but adds complexity may not justify the operational risk.
- Transfer fee
- Deadline payment
- Balance at promotion end
- Modeled total cost
Common questions about this calculator
Does a zero percent transfer have no cost?
Not necessarily. A transfer fee increases the starting balance, and a remaining amount can face the post-promotion rate after the offer ends.
What payment clears the transfer during the promotion?
The result shows a deadline payment based on the fee-adjusted balance and promotional months. Confirm that amount against the offer's exact terms and dates.