Compare which banks will let you transfer a balance at a low promotional rate of interest after you’ve applied for the card.
Many banks offer new cardholders 0% on balance transfers to help them pay off their debt with no interest for a promotional period. Usually you have to request the balance transfer at the time of application to take advantage of the interest-free offer.
Some financial institutions allow cardholders to request a balance transfer after they’ve already applied for and activated their card. However, there may be time limits or other restrictions involved. You can use this guide to compare which financial institutions let you do this and the terms and conditions you should watch out for.
Card issuers that offer promotional balance transfers after application
| Card issuer | Terms and conditions |
|---|---|
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You can request a balance transfer and take advantage of the 0% p.a. balance transfer as long as you do so before the end of offer date. The introductory period will begin from when you activate the card. So if the card offered 0% p.a. for 12 months but you activated it and requested the balance transfer a month later, you’d only get the interest-free offer for 11 months. |
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You can only take advantage of 0% balance transfer promotions if you request the transfer at the time of application. If you request a balance transfer after you’ve been approved, you’ll receive a different promotional offer such as 2.99% p.a. for 12 months. This reverts to the cash advance rate after this. Make sure to confirm the differences between the promotional offers with BoM before you apply. |
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Similar to BoM, you can also request a promotional low rate of 2.99% p.a. for 12 months if you’ve already applied for your card. Again, the cash advance rate will apply at the end of the introductory period. If you want to take advantage of a promotional 0% deal, you’ll need request the balance transfer during the application. |
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You can transfer a balance at the promotional rate of interest for a period of up to 90 days after you're approved for the card. The interest-free period will begin from when your balance transfer is approved. |
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You usually need to request the balance transfer at the time of application to take advantage of the 0% p.a. offer. However, NAB does sometimes offer other interest-free or low rate balance transfer deals to existing customers. If you’ve already applied for the card, contact NAB to see what interest-free balance transfer offers are currently available to existing cardholders. |
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You can take advantage of 0% p.a. promotional balance transfer offers as long as you request a balance transfer within 90 days of card approval. The interest-free period commences once the balance transfer is processed. |
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You can only apply for 0% balance transfer promotions if you request the transfer at the time of application. If you request a balance transfer after you’ve been approved, you’ll receive a different promotional offer such as 2.99% p.a. for 12 months. This reverts to the cash advance rate after this. |
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If you’ve already applied for a Westpac credit card, you can transfer a debt to your existing card with 2.99% p.a. on balance transfers for 12 months. You’ll need to use the promotional code ‘WABM4’ in your application to take advantage of this offer. |
While there are a handful of banks that offer 0% balance transfer requests after approval, usually you still need to do so within a certain time period. Otherwise, you may have to settle with a different low rate balance transfer offer instead.
If you want to get your debt under control and cut your interest costs, it’s wise to compare your options and request the transfer at the time of application to make the most of it. To compare your options and understand how they work, check out our guide to balance transfer credit cards.
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Can I transfer my debt to a new interest free card for 20 months with no interest and then after say after seventeen months transfer the remaining balance to another interest free card and so on until my debt is gone.
Hi Terry, thanks for your inquiry!
Balance transfer requests are eligible as long as you meet the application/ lending criteria for each bank.
Cheers,
Jonathan
I currently have a DJ’s AMEX card with $700 left on an interest free purchase, plus an additional debt of around $4k, which is incurring interest.
Am I able to transfer the total amount owed or just the $4k?
Thanks
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for your question.
The amount you can balance transfer depends on the credit limit of your new card.
You can find a list of them here.
Cheers,
Shirley