Balance Transfer Calculator

Compare keeping a credit-card balance at its current APR versus moving it to a promotional balance-transfer card, including transfer fees and any go-to APR after the promo period.

Balance transfer comparison Compare keeping your current credit-card balance against moving it to a promo card with a transfer fee and a go-to APR after the promo window.

Assumptions

This comparison keeps the monthly payment constant in both scenarios. The transfer fee is treated as an upfront cost, the promo APR applies only during the promo window, and any remaining balance then carries the go-to APR.

Display currency

Switch the summary currency without changing balances, rates, or payoff maths.

Comparison

$795.81 lower

Estimated all-in difference if you move $6,000.00 to a promo card and keep the same $500.00 monthly payment.

Monthly payment change
Same payment
Payoff time change
2 months faster
Current card interest
$975.81
Transfer card interest
$0.00

Current card

$500.00

Same monthly payment, current APR, no transfer fee.

Total interest: $975.81

Total cost: $6,975.81

Payoff: 1 yr 2 mo

Transfer card

$500.00

Same monthly payment, promo APR first, then go-to APR if a balance remains.

Transfer fee: $180.00

Total cost incl. fee: $6,180.00

Payoff: 1 year

Promo period is enough At this payment level, the balance is cleared in 1 year before the promo APR expires, so the go-to APR never applies.

Transfer fee impact: $180.00 upfront

Total repayment change: $795.81 lower

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Debt & Credit

Balance transfer calculator guide: promo APR, transfer fees, and same-payment payoff comparison

A balance transfer calculator helps you compare keeping a credit-card balance where it is now versus moving it to a promotional transfer card. This version keeps the monthly payment the same in both scenarios, adds the transfer fee as an upfront cost, applies the promo APR for the promo window, and then switches any remaining balance to the go-to APR so you can compare total cost and payoff timing honestly.

What this comparison is testing

A balance transfer can reduce interest sharply during a promotional window, but the transfer fee and the go-to APR still matter. The useful question is not just whether the promo APR is lower, but whether the combination of fee, promo length, and later rate produces a better all-in payoff path than keeping the debt on the current card.

That is why this calculator fixes the monthly payment in both scenarios. Holding the payment constant makes the comparison cleaner: you can see whether the transfer itself creates a cheaper or faster path, rather than changing both the card and the payment at the same time.

Core balance-transfer maths

The current-card side uses the entered balance, current APR, and monthly payment to estimate payoff time and total interest. The transfer side applies the entered promo APR for the promo window, switches any remaining balance to the go-to APR after that, and then adds the transfer fee as an extra cost outside the interest stream.

Because the monthly payment is held constant, the monthly-payment change is usually zero in this model. The decision points instead become total interest saved, total repayment difference after the fee, and whether the balance can be cleared before the promo APR expires.

Transfer fee = Balance x transfer fee percentage

The calculator treats the balance-transfer fee as an upfront added cost rather than as financed principal.

Interest this month = Remaining balance x monthly rate

The monthly rate depends on whether the balance is still inside the promo window or has already switched to the go-to APR.

Total transfer cost = Card payments + transfer fee

The transfer scenario adds the fee to the repayment stream so you can compare the all-in cost against keeping the current card.

Worked example: 6,000 at 24.99% with a 0% promo for 15 months

Suppose the current balance is 6,000 at 24.99% APR and the monthly payment is 500. The transfer offer charges a 3% fee, gives 0% promo APR for 15 months, and then reverts to 24.99% if a balance remains.

In this calculator, the current card takes about 14 months and costs about 975.81 in interest. The transfer path clears in about 12 months, incurs essentially no interest during the payoff window, and costs 6,180 all in once the 180 transfer fee is included. Because the balance is cleared before month 15, the go-to APR never applies.

What this estimate excludes

This page is deliberately narrower than a full card-comparison engine. It does not model new purchases, missed payments, penalty APRs, different minimum-payment formulas, issuer-specific promo-allocation rules, or cases where the transfer fee is financed into the new balance.

Use it as a planning comparison for one existing balance and one transfer offer. If the real card terms include special purchase APRs, deferred-interest clauses, or promotional conditions tied to payment behavior, check the issuer disclosure before relying on the result.

Further reading

Frequently asked questions

Does a balance transfer always save money?

No. A transfer can still cost more if the fee is high, the promo window is too short, or the go-to APR is steep. The fee and the post-promo assumptions matter as much as the 0% headline.

 Why does this calculator keep the monthly payment the same in both scenarios?

Keeping the payment fixed isolates the effect of the card terms themselves. It shows whether the transfer offer improves the payoff path without changing the payment habit at the same time.

 What if the balance is not gone before the promo APR ends?

Any estimated remaining balance switches to the go-to APR after the promo period in this calculator. That is why a longer promo window can matter so much to the final result.

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