A maintained record of what the major issuers actually charge for a balance transfer, how long they give you to make one, and how much they will let you move. Every figure here is taken from the issuer’s own rate and fee disclosure, and every issuer carries the date we last checked it.
Comparison sites go stale. Cards get renamed, fees change, and promotional windows shift without announcement. This page exists so there is one place where the terms are dated and the changes are logged.
Verification status
| Issuer | Cards tracked | Last verified against issuer disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| American Express | 2 | September 25, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | 2 | September 25, 2026 |
| U.S. Bank | 1 | September 25, 2026 |
| Chase | 3 | September 23, 2026 |
| Citi | 2 | August 2, 2026, re-verification due |
Citi is the oldest entry on this page and is flagged for re-checking. We would rather say that plainly than present every row as equally fresh.
Every tracked card
Sorted by the length of the 0% period. The fee column shows the introductory rate first where one exists, then what it becomes.
| Card | Issuer | 0% on transfers | Transfer fee | Request deadline | APR after | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Diamond Preferred | Citi | 21 months | 3%, then 5% | 4 months | 16.49% to 27.24% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo Reflect | Wells Fargo | 21 months | 5% | 120 days | 17.74%, 24.24% or 28.49% | $0 |
| U.S. Bank Shield | U.S. Bank | 21 billing cycles | 5% | 60 days | 17.24% to 28.24% | $0 |
| Chase Slate | Chase | 21 months | 5% | None stated | From 18.24% | $0 |
| Citi Simplicity | Citi | 18 months | 3%, then 5% | 4 months | 17.49% to 28.24% | $0 |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | Chase | 15 months | 3%, then 5% | 60 days | From 18.24% | $0 |
| Chase Freedom Flex | Chase | 15 months | 3%, then 5% | 60 days | From 18.24% | $0 |
| Amex Blue Cash Everyday | American Express | 15 months | 3% | 60 days, or no offer | 19.74% to 28.74% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash | Wells Fargo | 12 months | 3%, then up to 5% | 120 days | 18.74%, 24.74% or 28.74% | $0 |
| Amex Blue Cash Preferred | American Express | 12 months | 3% | 60 days, or no offer | 19.74% to 28.74% | $0, then $95 |
How long each issuer gives you to request the transfer
This is the term people miss most often, and it is not the same thing as the 0% period. It is a deadline on the request itself, counted from account opening, and the consequence of missing it differs by bank.
| Issuer | Deadline | What happens if you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo | 120 days | Transfer does not receive the introductory APR |
| Citi | 4 months | Fee rises from 3% to 5% |
| Chase, Freedom cards | 60 days | Fee rises from 3% to 5% |
| U.S. Bank | 60 days | Transfer does not receive the introductory APR |
| American Express | 60 days | Transfer is not approved for the offer at all |
| Chase Slate | None stated | Fee is 5% regardless |
Two things follow from this table. Wells Fargo gives you twice the window of Chase, American Express and U.S. Bank. And at three of the five issuers, missing the deadline does not cost you a few percent, it costs you the entire reason you opened the account.
The 0% period is also counted from account opening, not from the date the transfer posts. Using the full window shortens your interest-free time by however long you waited.
How much each issuer will let you move
| Issuer | Cap | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Chase | $15,000 | Within any 30-day period, across requests, and never more than your available credit |
| American Express | $7,500 | Up to two requests covering four accounts each, drawing on the same eligible amount. $100 minimum |
| Wells Fargo | No published figure | Requests including fees cannot exceed available credit. Excess requests may be sent short or not at all |
| Citi | Not published | Limited by approved credit line |
| U.S. Bank | Not published | Limited by approved credit line |
The American Express cap is the one worth knowing before you apply. At $7,500 it is the lowest published ceiling of the five, and it rules Amex out for larger consolidations regardless of the credit line you are approved for.
In every case the fee counts against your available credit. A $6,000 transfer at 5% consumes $6,300 of your line, not $6,000.
What none of them allow
All five issuers refuse balance transfers from their own accounts and their affiliates. A Chase balance cannot move to a Chase card, a Citi balance cannot move to a Citi card, and the same holds at Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank and American Express.
Check which bank issued your current card before applying anywhere. This is the most common reason an approved application turns out to be useless.
Other restrictions worth knowing
- No grace period on transferred balances. Wells Fargo states it directly: balance transfers have no grace period, and carrying one can cost you the grace period on new purchases as well.
- Transfers earn no rewards. Wells Fargo confirms this explicitly. Transferred amounts do not generate cash back or points at any issuer we track.
- Processing takes weeks, not days. American Express says up to six weeks and will not begin until at least ten days after providing your Card Member Agreement. Wells Fargo says about two weeks. Your old account stays due throughout.
- Approval and the 0% offer are separate decisions at American Express. Amex names your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as a Card Member, and the number of cards you have opened and closed as factors in whether the introductory APR is granted at all.
- U.S. Bank allows ten days to cancel. After that, stop payment on its balance transfer checks will not be honored unless the check has been stolen, lost or destroyed.
- Introductory rates do not cover cash advances at any issuer tracked here.
Change log
This log begins in September 2026. Entries are added when we observe a change against a previously recorded term. We are not reconstructing history we did not record, so the log will be thin at first and will grow.
| Observed | Issuer | Change |
|---|---|---|
| September 25, 2026 | U.S. Bank | The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum has been replaced by the U.S. Bank Shield Visa Card as the bank’s balance transfer product. The former Visa Platinum product page now resolves to the Shield card. Terms recorded above are the Shield’s. |
The U.S. Bank entry is worth flagging for anyone comparing cards right now: a large amount of published material still lists Visa Platinum terms for a card that no longer carries that name.
How we verify this
- Every figure comes from the issuer’s own rate and fee disclosure or application terms, read directly. We do not take terms from other comparison sites.
- Each issuer carries the date we last read its disclosure, shown at the top of this page.
- Where an issuer does not publish something, we say it is not published rather than estimating it.
- When a term changes against what we previously recorded, it goes in the change log with the date we observed it.
- We do not publish terms for issuers we have not verified. Coverage here is narrower than on larger sites, deliberately.
Card terms change without notice, and an issuer can alter an offer between our verification date and your application. Confirm current rates and fees on the issuer’s own application page before making a credit decision.
Citing this page
Journalists, researchers and writers are welcome to cite this data. Please include the verification date for the issuer in question, since terms move.
“Balance Transfer Terms Tracker.” BalanceTransfers.com. https://www.balancetransfers.com/balance-transfer-terms-tracker/
If you find a term here that does not match an issuer’s current disclosure, tell us and we will check it. Corrections are logged above.
Common questions
Which card has the longest 0% balance transfer period?
Four tie at 21 months or billing cycles: Citi Diamond Preferred, Wells Fargo Reflect, U.S. Bank Shield and Chase Slate. Diamond Preferred is the cheapest of the four, at a 3% introductory fee against 5% for the other three, provided the transfer is completed within four months of opening the account.
Which issuer gives the longest window to make the transfer?
Wells Fargo, at 120 days from account opening on both Reflect and Active Cash. Citi allows four months. Chase, U.S. Bank and American Express each allow 60 days.
What is the largest balance I can transfer?
Of the issuers tracked here, Chase publishes the highest ceiling at $15,000 within any 30-day period. American Express publishes the lowest at $7,500. Wells Fargo, Citi and U.S. Bank do not publish a dollar figure, limiting transfers to your available credit. In every case the fee counts against that limit.
Is a 3% fee always better than 5%?
No. The fee is charged once and the 0% period determines whether you finish in time. On a $6,000 balance the difference between 3% and 5% is $120, while the difference between a 12-month and a 21-month card is about $215 every month. Work out the payment you can sustain first, then compare fees among the cards that fit it.
Why does this page track fewer cards than other sites?
Because we only publish terms we have read in the issuer’s own disclosure and can date. Adding issuers we have not verified would make the table longer and less reliable, which defeats the purpose of the page.
Sources
- American Express rates and fees disclosures, Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred, americanexpress.com
- Wells Fargo credit terms and conditions, Reflect and Active Cash, wellsfargo.com
- U.S. Bank Shield Visa Card offer disclosures, usbank.com
- Chase card application and pricing disclosures, chase.com
- Citi card application and pricing disclosures, citi.com
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidance on balance transfer fees and promotional rates
Issuer detail pages: Chase, Citi, American Express, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank. To work out what a transfer would cost you, see calculating a balance transfer fee.