The main penalty for transferring a credit card balance is a balance transfer fee, which costs 3.12% of the amount transferred on average. This type of fee is present on nearly all credit cards offering a 0% introductory balance transfer APR.
Balance transfers can also be done with an existing card, especially if the issuer is running a special promotion. This can be tricky, however, if the existing card already has a balance that the transfer will only increase.
Make sure your balance transfer is large enough to cover at least the minimum payment - if it does't you will have to make an additional payment to bring the total up to the required amount. A balance transfer that is received in time will always count as a payment towards your credit card account.
Credit bureaus suggest that five or more accounts - which can be a mix of cards and loans - is a reasonable number to build toward over time. Having very few accounts can make it hard for scoring models to render a score for you.
Take an inventory of all your existing credit card debt.
Transfer the debt with the highest APR first so you can maximize your savings. Then transfer as much of the remaining balances as you think you can pay off during the offer period, starting with the accounts that have the highest APRs and working down from there.信用卡結餘轉戶
It's also important to know that balance transfer limits also consider any new purchases charged to your card as well as any balance transfer fees. So, if you have a $10,000 credit limit and charge $3,000 in new purchases, you'll only be able to transfer up to $7,000.tu i 借 錢
The good news is that many different types of debts can be transferred to your credit card. A personal loan balance transfer can be done, along with auto loans, student loans and even other credit cards.遲還卡數 信貸評級
Once the transfer completes, your balance drops to zero, or whatever is left in that you didn't transfer. For example, if you were unable to transfer the entire amount due to your new card's balance transfer limit, you'll need to keep making payments on your old card and won't have the option to close it just yet.
Key takeaways
Applying for a new balance transfer credit card usually requires a hard credit inquiry, which may lower your credit score temporarily.
Your credit score might also drop due to your new average length of credit history or if your per-card credit utilization ratio is too high.
The credit card's annual fee, if it has one, is another opportunity for the card issuer to make money when a balance is transferred to a new card. Luckily, a majority of balance transfer cards do not charge annual fees.