It’s tax season and that probably means you have your finances front and center in your mind. The deadline for filing your taxes just passed and you won’t have to worry about them for another year. However, since you’ve been thinking about your finances, now is a good time to take a look at your credit card situation.  Do you have credit card debt? Zero interest credit cards may be  the answer! Â
If you’re carrying a significant amount of credit card debt on a high interest credit card, it may benefit you to consider some 0% APR on balance transfers credit cards in order to consolidate that balance onto a credit card that will not charge you interest for a long enough while that you can pay that balance down. Deciphering all the credit card offers out there can be confusing, however, so I’ve broken my favorite balance transfer credit cards down for you in this post.
Here are the best balance transfer credit cards currently available:
1)   Discover it Card – The new Discover it Card from Discover is my favorite balance transfer credit card currently on the market. With the Discover it Card, cardholders receive a 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months in addition to a 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 months. The Discover it Card also features no annual fee, no overlimit fee, no foreign transaction fee, and no pay-by-phone fee. And if you’re late for the first time, Discover will not charge you a late fee or increase your APR. My favorite part of the new Discover it Card, however, is the 5% cash back cardholders receive on purchases in rotating categories throughout the year, as well as 1% cash back on all other purchases. The Discover it Card also features a Cashback Concierge to help them cardholders get the most out of their rewards.
2)   Slate from Chase – The Slate from Chase card is another one of my favorite balance transfer credit cards currently available. With the Slate from Chase card, cardholders receive a 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months. Although the card does not feature a rewards program like the Discover it Card, it more than makes up for it by requiring no balance transfer fee. The Slate from Chase card is one of the few balance transfer credit cards on the market that does not require the typical 3% balance transfer fee. In addition, the 15 month 0% APR Intro period also extends to purchases as well, and requires no annual fee.
3)   Citi Simplicity Card – The Citi Simplicity Card rounds out my list of the best balance transfer credit cards of Q2 2013. With the Citi Simplicity Card, cardholders receive a 0% Intro APR on both balance transfers and purchases for a full 18 months. In addition, the card requires no annual fee, no penalty rate, and no late fees.
So what are you waiting for? There’s no reason you should be paying interest on your credit card balance when you can consolidate that balance onto another card that will buy you over a year of time so that you can pay that balance off completely. Tax season is a good time to motivate you to do something about credit card debt!
This article was written by Logan Abbott. Logan is a credit card and personal finance expert with over a decade of experience. He is also the editor of MyRatePlan.com, a premier credit card comparison website.
Photo  by:  Philip Taylor PT
I’d say slate is better than discover it, because the 3% balance transfer fee doesn’t exist on the slate card.
No transfer fee is always better than a transfer fee, but it depends what you are trying to do.
Just an opinion, but if you have enough credit card debt that it will take you 15-18 months to pay it off, then the rewards or interest rates charged on new purchases shouldn’t even be on your radar screen because there really shouldn’t be any new credit card purchases until your debt is gone and the rest of your finances are well in order.
Relying on balance transfers to pay off credit debt can certainly save you money if done responsibly, but can become a dangerous habit if it’s simply used to extend your ability to take on debt. By far the biggest focus needs to be on paying it off quickly, not on rewards or short-term promotions.
I see it as a step to pay down debt. It is more important to cure the reason for the debt whether it is overspending or some other reason.