Best interest free credit cards

Compare 15+ zero interest cards, scored for 5 popular features in December 2024.

1 - 10 of 16
Name Finder Score Purchase rate p.a. Balance transfer p.a. Annual fee Interest-free period
Virgin Money No Annual Fee Credit Card
Virgin Money No Annual Fee Credit Card image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0% for 6 months, then 19.99%
Annual fee
$0
Up to 55 days on purchases
More Info
Save with a $0 annual fee and 0% p.a. on purchases for 6 months.
NAB Low Rate Business Card
NAB Low Rate Business Card image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0% for 12 months, then 13.25%
Annual fee
$0 first year ($60 after)
Up to 55 days on purchases
More Info
ABN w/ $75,000 p.a. revenue. 0% p.a. interest for 12 months on purchases and receive complimentary unauthorised transaction insurance.
Citi Rewards Card - Purchase and Balance Transfer Offer
Citi Rewards Card - Purchase and Balance Transfer Offer image
Citi Rewards Program
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0% for 15 months, then 22.49%
0%
Annual fee
$199
Up to 44 days on purchases
More Info
Save with 0% p.a. on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months with a one-time 2% balance transfer fee.
Credit Union SA Education Community Credit Card
Credit Union SA Education Community Credit Card image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0% for 6 months, then 11.49%
0%
Annual fee
$0
Up to 55 days on purchases
More Info
Save with an ongoing $0 annual fee and 0% p.a. interest on purchases, balance transfers and cash advances for the first 6 months.
NAB StraightUp Card
NAB StraightUp Card image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0%
Annual fee
$0
More Info
Save with 0% p.a. interest charges and 0% foreign transaction fees. Plus, $0 monthly fees when you don't use the card or carry a balance.
Citi Rewards Card - Flybuys Offer
Citi Rewards Card - Flybuys Offer image
Citi Rewards Program
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0% for 6 months, then 22.49%
22.99%
Annual fee
$199
Up to 44 days on purchases
More Info
Get 100,000 bonus Flybuys points (worth $500 Flybuys dollars) when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, 0% p.a. interest rate on purchases for 6 months.
CommBank Neo Business interest-free card
CommBank Neo Business interest-free card image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0%
Annual fee
$0
More Info
Get up to $3,000 credit limit with 0% p.a. interest charges and no late payment fees.
Community First n0w Credit Card
Community First n0w Credit Card image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0%
Annual fee
$0
More Info
Pay 0% p.a. interest on purchases and cash advances, with a monthly fee based on your credit limit instead.
Westpac Flex Card
Westpac Flex Card image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0%
Annual fee
$0
More Info
Offers a $1,000 credit limit, 0% foreign transaction fees and $0 monthly fee when you pay the previous month's balance in full.
Wizitcard
Wizitcard image
Finder score
Purchase rate p.a.
0%
Annual fee
$0
More Info
Offers an instant, virtual credit card with 0% interest on purchases and a monthly fee instead.
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Showing 10 of 16 results

Finder's best interest-free credit card offers for December

Updated December 2024 by Finder's money editor, Richard Whitten.

Nicole-Pedersen-McKinnon
This article was fact-checked and reviewed by , an accredited and award-winning finance broker and industry mentor. Content has been updated for 2024.

The lowdown on the interest free Finder score

Every month we carefully analyse over 250 credit card products and assess five features and benefits of each card. We assign a Finder Score out of 10 for each feature, and adjust the scores depending on what category we're looking at.

To be included for the interest free score, credit cards must:

  • Be available to general consumers
  • Have 0% interest rate (ongoing or offers) on new purchases

Credit card scores are category-specific (e.g. cashback, frequent flyer), meaning the same card will receive a different score within each category.

The score process is run by our insights and editorial team, independent of any commercial partnerships. Products are reviewed objectively. Remember that Finder Score is just one factor to consider. Look at other aspects like fees, features, benefits and risks to make sure a product is suitable for you. Double-check details that matter to you before applying or buying.

Interest-free credit cards - score weightings

FeatureDefinitionAssessmentWeight
Interest Free DaysNumber of days for no interest or fees on new purchasesLonger periods earn more points, up to market maximum. 0% purchase rate cards are assigned a default 30 days10%
Purchase Rate Offer PeriodNumber of months for interest free purchase rateHigher the number of months, better the score50%
First-Year FeeAnnual fee charged in the first year of ownershipLower fees score higher. $0 fee receives the maximum points10%
Ongoing Annual FeeAnnual fee charged from the second year onwardsLower fees score higher. $0 fee receives the maximum points10%
Purchase RateInterest rate on new purchasesLower rates score higher20%

Breaking down the score tiers

  • 9+ Excellent - These cards offer the best interest free options - either through a high number of interest free days or no interest on purchases, coupled with low fees.
  • 7+ Great - Reasonable interest free options but may charge higher fees or have a lower number of interest free days.
  • 5+ Satisfactory - These cards may offer a lower number of interest free days or higher annual fees.
  • Less than 5 – Basic - While these cards may offer interest free days on new purchases, they may be more suited to other categories.

How can I get an interest free credit card?

There are several ways to get 0% interest on your credit card.

  • 0% interest credit cards. You can get a credit card that offers a 0% interest rate permanently. Examples include the NAB Straight Up Card and the Westpac Flex Card. These cards have low credit limits and either charge a monthly fee, or require you to pay off your balance in full each month.
  • Credit cards with 0% introductory offers. Quite a few credit cards offer 0% interest on purchases as a special introductory offer. Usually for about 6 months, but some cards go higher. After the intro period you'll start getting charged interest if you haven't paid off your balance.
  • Credit cards with interest-free days. Most credit cards offer a number of interest-free days for purchases. Basically, on the first day of your monthly credit card statement period you have up to 45 or even 55 days before interest is charged. You have to pay the balance off before the interest free days are up, or you get charged interest.

Example: How much you can save with an interest-free card

Say you want to book a holiday for $3,000 and plan to pay $250 off the balance each month.

If you paid for it on a credit card with a 20.16% p.a. interest rate, it would take you just over a year (13.51 months) to pay off the balance and cost you around $378 in interest charges.

In comparison, if you had a credit card that offered 0% p.a. on purchases for 12 months and made the same $250 monthly repayments, you could pay off the holiday in 12 months with no interest charges.

0% balance transfer offers

If you have an unpaid credit card balance that's costing you a lot in interest, you can grab yourself some breathing room by moving the debt to a 0% balance transfer credit card offer. This gives you up to 30 months with no interest charges on the balance. But any new spending will get charged interest.

Pros and cons of interest free credit cards

Pros

  • Save on interest costs. The obvious benefit of these cards is that you won't have to pay interest for the introductory period.
  • Pay off debt faster. By not paying interest on your balance, you'll be able to pay it off a lot faster because the amount won't be creeping up every month.
  • Complimentary extras. Some interest-free credit cards offer perks like travel insurance or rewards that could help you get more value out of the card.

Cons

  • Revert rate. If you don't pay off your balance in full during the introductory period, this is the interest rate you'll pay on the remaining balance.
  • Temptation to spend. Because you're putting off paying interest, it could be tempting to spend more than you can actually afford in the short term.
  • Credit score impact. If you already have a weak credit score, another enquiry could decrease it further and you may not be approved.

How can I get the best interest free credit card?

  1. Use the Finder Score. Use the table above and sort credit cards by Finder Score. We rank interest-free cards based on stacks of data. The higher the score, the better the card.
  2. Figure out what kind of interest-free card you need. For most people, the choice comes down to a card with a permanent 0% rate and a monthly fee, or a card with an introductory 0% offer (we'll give you more tips on how to choose in the next section).
  3. Look for a card with a long 0% interest offer. Unless you've got some short-term purchases in mind, the longer the introductory period, the better. This gives you more time to make interest free purchases and pay them back.
  4. Factor in the cost of fees. Check if the card charges a monthly or annual fee (or both). Factor those in when looking at no-interest cards. Some cards also charge a fee if you don't pay your balance at the end of the month.
  5. Keep an eye on the revert rate (if there is one). Cards with 0% interest rate offers revert to a higher rate once the intro period finishes. This can be above 20% in some cases. If you pay off your spending on time, you won't pay interest. But it's worth keeping an eye on.
  6. Look at all the card's perks, features and benefits. Some credit cards, even 0% ones, can sometimes let you earn frequent flyer points or other rewards.
Richard Whitten's headshot
Our expert says: How to avoid interest on any credit card

"I've never paid a cent in credit card interest. And it's not because I have a 0% interest card. My credit card has a very high interest rate. But I pay it off on time each month and I never miss a payment. If you do this, any card is interest free. Of course, if you can't pay off a card right away, a 0% card can really save you money. Just make a plan to pay it off. Don't forget and let the debt build up. "

How do I find the right interest-free card for my circumstances?

I'm looking to make a big purchase and pay it off later

A card with a 0% introductory offer could give you 6 months or more before you have to pay the card off.

I want to cover a small amount of monthly spending and I want to pay off my spending in full each month

You could consider a card like the NAB Straight Up, Westpac Flex or the Community First n0w Credit Card. Just keep an eye on any fees, and remember these cards have quite low credit limits (around $1,000).

I have a large credit card debt and the monthly interest charges are killing me

You might want to look at a balance transfer credit card.

Frequently asked questions

Richard Whitten's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Richard Whitten as part of our fact-checking process.
Sarah Megginson's headshot
Head of editorial

As an authority on all things personal finance, Sarah Megginson is passionate about helping you save money and make money. She is an editor and money expert with 20 years’ experience and an extensive background in property and finance journalism. Sarah holds ASIC RG146-compliant Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, and she's a regular media commentator, appearing weekly on TV (Sunrise, Channel 7 news, Nine news), radio (KIIS FM, Triple M, 3AW, 2GB, 6PR) and in digital and print media. See full bio

Sarah's expertise
Sarah has written 191 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Home loans
  • Personal finance
  • Budgeting and money-saving tips
  • Managing the cost of living

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16 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    FaisalMay 20, 2023

    i need a credit card for all ages

      AvatarFinder
      AmyMay 23, 2023Finder

      Hi Faisal,
      Credit cards can only be issued to people aged 18 and older if they meet the eligibility requirements. Some credit cards also allow people under 18 to be added as a secondary cardholder, but usually they need to be 16 or over. If you want a card for someone of a different age, you could consider debit cards for children or other prepaid cards that sometimes have lower age requirements. I hope that helps.

    Default Gravatar
    HayleyNovember 20, 2016

    Hi,

    I am needing an amount of $6800 and will be able to pay it back over a year. I will not be using the card for anything else but this one off overseas payment. What would be the best thing for me to do?

      AvatarFinder
      DeeNovember 21, 2016Finder

      Hi Hayley,

      Thanks for reaching out.

      If you are looking for a credit card for overseas payment, you may want to consider reading our overseas transaction fees guide and find credit cards that may not charge foreign currency conversion fees.

      You may also want to consider cards with 0% purchase interest rate. These cards allow you to save on interest payments during the promotional period in case you don’t intend to pay your balance in full at the end of the billing period.

      Cheers,
      Anndy

    Default Gravatar
    davidFebruary 15, 2016

    if i pay out the balance in the interest free period can i then cancel the card with no fees.

      AvatarFinder
      JonathanFebruary 15, 2016Finder

      Hi David, thanks for your inquiry!

      Yes this is generally accepted across balance transfer credit cards. Once you have repaid your outstanding balance you can cancel the credit card anytime.

      Cheers,

      Jonathan

    Default Gravatar
    sharonSeptember 8, 2015

    Good morning, I read with interest the balance transfer credit cards with no interest for a period of time. I, like many people have that problem of having not paid my CC on the due date and now have a big balance. I currently have an ANZ Platinum CC, can I apply for a balance transfer with no interest?

    Thank you

      AvatarFinder
      JonathanSeptember 8, 2015Finder

      Hi Sharon,

      Thanks for your inquiry.

      Balance transfers can be a great way to repay an outstanding credit balance interest-free. You may like to compare balance transfer offers and cards.Select ‘Go to Site’ to head over to their website to apply. Please ensure to read through the relevant product disclosure statement and terms and conditions to ensure that you got everything covered before you apply to the card.

      Cheers,
      Jonathan

    Default Gravatar
    BillyJune 12, 2015

    Hi, I’m looking for a credit card to allow me to pay bills between payments from work. Would use it very little only when my funds are a bit tight. Any recommendations? Suggestions

      AvatarFinder
      sally.mcmullen@hiveempire.comJune 12, 2015Finder

      Hi Billy,

      Thanks for your question.

      If you are only planning on using your credit card sporadically, you may wish to consider low interest rate credit cards or no annual fee or a low income credit card.

      Credit cards with high annual fees and rates usually come with extra features such as concierge services, complimentary insurance, and rewards programs. If you are after a credit card to use as a backup for your finances, some of these no frills options may be of interest.

      You can select the “Go to Site” button of your preferred credit card to proceed with your application. You can also contact the provider if you have specific questions. A gentle reminder, please ensure to read through the relevant product disclosure statement and terms and conditions to ensure that you got everything covered before you apply.

      I hope this has helped.

      Thanks,
      Sally

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