Balance transfer calculator

Transferring vs staying, at the same payment — this scenarioworked example

$1,319.93 less interest

Transfer fee (3%): $180.00Capitalized — added to the transferred balance
Transferred balance: $6,180.00
Monthly to clear inside 18 months: $343.34
Clears in promo at $350.00/month: Yes
Balance at promo end: $0.00
Break-even month: Month 2When staying has cost more than fee + transfer interest

Paying $350.00/month either way: staying at 24.99% costs $1,499.93 in interest over 1 yr 10 mo; transferring costs the $180.00 fee plus $0.00 in interest over 1 yr 6 mo — a difference of $1,319.93 in this scenario. The planned payment clears the transferred balance inside the 18-month window. The model assumes no new purchases on either card.

Balance ($)The balance you would move to the new card.Current APR (%)Fed average on interest-charged accounts: 22.15% (May 2026).Transfer fee (%)Typically 3–5%. Most cards also floor the fee at $5–$10.Promo length (months)The promo-rate window in the offer, e.g. 12, 15, or 18.Promo APR (%)Almost always 0. Leave blank for 0%.APR after promo (%)The regular APR that applies to whatever remains after the window.Planned monthly payment ($)The amount you can repeat every month, on either path.

Compare staying on your current card against transferring: the transfer fee, the payment that clears the balance inside the promo window, what remains when the promo ends, and the interest difference between both paths at the same monthly payment. The fee is capitalized into the transferred balance, as it is in real life.

How to use this calculator

1
Enter the balance you would actually move
Transfer offers usually cap what you can move by your new credit line, so enter the realistic amount rather than your full balance. Any remainder stays on the old card at the old rate — worth modelling separately if it is a meaningful chunk.
2
Get the fee percentage from the offer, not from memory
Fees are commonly 3% to 5%, and the CFPB notes a fee can be charged even on a 0% offer. The number is in the offer's terms. Most issuers add it to the transferred balance, which is what this tool models: you start the promo owing slightly more than you moved.
3
Read the required-monthly figure first
That is the payment which clears the transferred balance inside the promo window — the single number that decides whether this transfer does what the headline implied. If it is above what you can pay, the promo is decoration and the post-promo APR is your real rate.
4
Compare the two paths at the SAME payment
The interest difference shown is a like-for-like comparison: the same monthly dollars, transferred versus staying put. A transfer that only wins because you assumed a bigger payment has not won anything.
5
Check the break-even month against your timeline
Before break-even the fee is still ahead of the interest saved. If you would clear the balance before that month, staying put costs less in this scenario — which the calculator will say plainly rather than pushing the transfer.

Balance-transfer fee and promo math — fee = max(feeMin, feePct x balance); transferred balance = balance + fee; compare stay vs transfer at the same monthly payment. Verified 2026-07-31 against CFPB — What is a balance transfer fee? (the fee is usually capitalized into the transferred balance, which this tool models and states on-page)
Monthly interest accrualconvention — interest per month = balance x (APR / 12). Verified 2026-07-31 against CFPB — How does my credit card company calculate the amount of interest I owe? (issuers compound daily on the average daily balance, so a real statement can differ by a few dollars)

Everything you type here is computed in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored on a server, sent anywhere, or shared — there is no account, and your balances never leave your device.

Frequently asked questions

How is the balance transfer fee calculated?

As a percentage of the amount you move — commonly 3% to 5% — with a dollar floor, and the CFPB notes it can be charged even on a 0% offer. Most issuers add the fee to your transferred balance rather than billing it separately, so you start the promo owing slightly more than you moved. This calculator models exactly that.

What payment clears the balance inside the promo window?

The transferred balance (including the fee) divided by the number of promo months, rounded up to the next cent. That number is the single most useful output here: pay it and the transfer does what the headline implied. Pay less, and whatever remains starts accruing at the post-promo APR.

When is a transfer NOT worth it?

When the fee exceeds the interest you would have paid anyway — typically when the balance is small, your payoff is already fast, or the promo is short. The comparison output shows the interest difference between the two paths for your exact numbers; if it is negative, staying put costs less in this scenario.

What is the break-even month?

The first month where the stay-path's accumulated interest exceeds the fee plus the transfer-path's interest. Before it, the transfer is behind because of the fee; after it, ahead. If you would finish paying before break-even, the transfer never catches up.

Does this account for new purchases on the promo card?

No, deliberately. The CFPB notes new purchases on a transfer card often accrue interest at the regular rate immediately, and mixing purchases into a transfer muddies both the math and the payoff. The model assumes the transferred balance is left alone, and the page says so.

How precise are these totals?

Both paths use the same stated convention: interest accrues monthly at APR divided by 12, rounded to cents after every step. Issuers compound daily, so absolute totals can differ by a few dollars — but because both scenarios use the identical method, the comparison between them, which is what this tool is for, holds.

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