Compare Credit Cards with a Low Balance Transfer

Switching to a Low Balance Credit Card

Balance transfer cards offer the customer the option to transfer their credit card debt to the new card and pay a lower rate of interest. This can be a tempting offer but the customer has to establish if there is a particular term or limited amount of time to which the lower rate applies.

Customers considering the credit card switch to a low balance card should ask:

• What is the minimum payment each month?
• Will there be a new interest rate after the term/time limit is over?
• Does the interest rate change once the initial debt is paid?
• Is there a fee charged for the balance transfer?
• Are there additional fees (such as an annual fee) being charged when the initial credit card debt is paid?

If there is a reasonably large debt to transfer and you expect it will take a fair amount of time to clear the debt and the interest rate provided is substantially lower, you might consider using the low balance credit card.

However, if you are not likely to pay off the debt in the introductory period offered by the low balance credit card provider, you may want to look at other options to clearing your debt, such as a line of credit. Constantly applying for new credit cards that have an introductory low balance transfer rate may be ill advised. It could have the potential of negatively impacting your credit score given that there is an enquiry on your credit file every time you apply for a new card. Furthermore, it can become increasingly difficult to manage many different cards.