Below are our staff picks for 2020's best low-interest credit cards. These cards feature the lowest annual percentage rate (APR) on purchases and transfers for qualified applicants.
Earn unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 you spend on all purchases, everywhere, every time – no matter how much you spend
Earn 3 points per every dollar spent when you book your travel (car, hotel, airline) through the Bank of America® Travel Center
Earn 30,000 bonus points when you make at least $3,000 in net purchases within 90 days of your account opening which can be redeemed for a $300 statement credit towards travel purchases
Get 75% more points on the base earn of every purchase you make when you’re a Preferred Rewards for Business Platinum Honors tier member. That means you'll earn 2.62 points on all purchases and 4.12 points for every $1 you spend at the Bank of America® Travel Center.
0% introductory APR on purchases for 9 billing cycles from account opening
Earn 3% cash back on your choice of one of the following six categories: gas stations (default), office supply stores, travel, TV/telecom & wireless, computer services, or business consulting services
Earn 2% cash back on dining, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
Get a $300 statement credit when you make at least $3,000 in net purchases within 90 days of your account opening
Get 75% more cash back on every purchase when you're a Preferred Rewards for Business Platinum Honors tier member. That means you'll earn 5.25% on your selected choice category, 3.5% on dining, and unlimited 1.75% cash back on all other purchases.
Earn cash back twice. Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Balance Transfer Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 13.99% - 23.99%, based on your creditworthiness.
Balance Transfers do not earn cash back.
If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
The Citi Rewards+℠ Card - the only credit card that automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase - with no cap.
Earn 15,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $150 in gift cards at thankyou.com
0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 13.49% - 23.49%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfer fee — either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Earn 2X ThankYou® Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter. Plus, earn 1X Points on All Other Purchases.
The standard variable APR for Citi Flex Plan is 13.49% - 23.49%, based on your creditworthiness. Citi Flex Plan offers are made available at Citi's discretion.
0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months from date of first transfer. After that, the variable APR will be 13.74% - 23.74%, based on your creditworthiness. All transfers must be completed in first 4 months.
0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 13.74% - 23.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
If you transfer a balance with this offer, after your 0% Intro purchase APR expires, both new purchases and unpaid purchase balances will automatically accrue interest until all balances, including your transferred balance, are paid in full.
There is a balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Get free access to your FICO® score online.
With Citi Entertainment℠, get special access to purchase tickets to thousands of events, including concerts, sporting events, dining experiences and more.
Earn 5X rewards points for up to $12,500 spent on gas, grocery, and drugstore purchases for the first 6 months and 1x points on other purchases -- points expire after 5 years
Rewards have 50% more value when redeemed for airfare (for instance, 20,000 points is a $300 value toward airfare redemption or a $200 value toward cash redemption)
Introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening
Access your FICO® Credit Score with Wells Fargo Online®
Earn 5X rewards points for up to $12,500 spent on gas, grocery, and drugstore purchases for the first 6 months and 1x points on other purchases - points expire after 5 years
Introductory 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from account opening
Flexibility to use points toward travel, gift cards, merchandise, cash redemption, and more
Account protection features such as Zero Liability protection for promptly reported unauthorized transactions, card and account activity alerts, and cell phone protection
Earn $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
3% cash back in the category of your choice: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings
2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
1% cash back on all other purchases
Enjoy a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
Introductory 0% APR for your first 12 billing cycles for purchases and balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening (balance transfer fee applies)
Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide, eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That's 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
New Offer! Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year
Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases - with no limit to the amount you can earn
Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
Redeem points for travel, cash back, gift cards and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
Qualified applicants will receive exclusive benefits such as 1% cash back rewards on all purchases, no annual fee, and a competitive APR. Terms apply.
Manage your account quickly and easily from your mobile device by using the Credit One Bank mobile app.
Use your Apple device to make purchases securely through Apple Pay®. Apple Pay is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.
Your account is safeguarded against unauthorized charges with Zero Fraud Liability at no additional charge.
Take advantage of free online access to your Experian credit score and credit report summary so you can track the key factors impacting your credit health. Terms apply.
Choose your own credit line based on how much money you want to put down as a security deposit.
Initial deposits can be from $200 to $3,000. You can increase your credit line at any time by adding additional money to your security deposit, up to $3,000.
After 9 months, we review your account for a credit line increase. No additional deposit required!
Secured Credit Cards are great for people looking to build or rebuild credit and are available to people with all kinds of credit backgrounds.
Unlike a debit card or a pre-paid card, it helps build your credit history. As you pay your bill every month, we report to all three major credit-reporting agencies.
Get 100% U.S.-based customer service & get your FICO® Credit Score for free each month.
No credit check necessary to apply. OpenSky believes in giving an opportunity to everyone.
The refundable* deposit you provide becomes your credit line limit on your Visa card. Choose it yourself, from as low as $200.
Build credit quickly. OpenSky reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
99% of our customers who started without a credit score earned a credit score record with the credit bureaus in as little as 6 months.
We have a Facebook community of people just like you; there is a forum for shared experiences, and insights from others on our Facebook Fan page. (Search “OpenSky Card” in Facebook.)
OpenSky provides credit tips and a dedicated credit education page on our website to support you along the way.
The credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which CardRates.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CardRates.com does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers.
Review Breakdown: Best Low APR Credit Cards
Finding the lowest interest rate on a credit card can be tricky, especially when low-interest offers mix an ongoing APR rate with a special introductory rate. Below is a simply summary table to help you better determine the best low interest credit card for your financial needs.
A low credit card APR is a valuable commodity if you ever carry a balance, as the higher your interest rate, the more you’ll be charged in interest fees. Indeed, an increase of just a few percentage points can make a huge difference in how much money you’ll pay over the course of a year.
This is true of APRs for all loan types — not just credit cards. But how do you ensure a low interest rate?
Here are a few steps for keeping your credit card rates low.
1. Always Pay Your Bill on Time
In addition to paying late fees on late or missed payments, many credit cards will also start charging you what’s known as a penalty APR. Typically much higher than your normal purchase APR, penalty rates can cause your interest fees to skyrocket.
Fortunately, the CARD Act of 2009 makes it much more difficult for credit card issuers to give consumers penalty rates. However, if you have a delinquency on your credit card of 60 days or more (meaning you’ve missed at least two payments), you may trigger a penalty rate.
This means the credit card company can increase your rate on your existing balance, and they aren’t required to lower it until you regularly pay your bill on time for the next six months.
To help make sure you always pay your bill on time, create reminders in your phone or calendar if you have trouble remembering due dates, or, better yet, set up automatic payments from your bank account. If your minimum payments are too high, call your credit company and ask if you can make other arrangements — before you get in trouble and find yourself with a higher interest rate (and a balance that grows more quickly).
2. Negotiate Your Interest Rate
Believe it or not, some credit card companies will lower your APR upon your request. Call your credit company, sell yourself as a good customer, and remind them how many years you’ve been banking with them.
Let them know of competing credit card offers from other banks with much lower APRs. Mention how you’d like to stay loyal to them and ask for a lower APR.
If they say no or do not offer a low enough rate, ask to speak to a supervisor or someone in the retention department.
Still no luck? You may want to try calling again a few days later and see if a different representative can help.
3. Transfer Your Balance
When obtaining a lower interest rate on your current card isn't an option, you may be able to reduce your interest fees by transferring your balance to a new card with a lower rate. This can help you pay off your debt faster, as more of your payment will go toward your balance instead of interest fees.
If you have at least good credit, many banks offer great introductory credit card offers with 0% interest on balance transfers for a year or longer. Just read the fine print so you know what interest rate to expect once the introductory period ends.
If it’s higher than your current rate, it may not be a great deal unless you make major progress on your balance during the 0% introductory period.
Additionally, be aware of any applicable balance transfer fees. Most credit cards will charge a fee — typically 3% to 5% of the total transferred amount — to transfer a balance to the card. While this fee can be well worth it for a good 0% APR offer, crunch the numbers to see if it’s worth paying for lesser APR decreases.
4. Avoid Variable Rates
When you have a variable rate on your credit card, it is tied to an index (generally the U.S. Prime Rate). As the market fluctuates, so, too, will your interest rate.
The only problem? Fixed rate credit cards are harder to find since the CARD Act went into effect, so you may need to do a decent bit of hunting to find one. Most major credit card issuers don’t have fixed-rate cards, but you may have better luck with your local credit unions or community banks.
Maintaining a low credit card APR is easy if you follow some basic steps.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
The information on this page was reviewed for accuracy on .
About the Author
Brittney Mayer Credit Analyst
Brittney is a Credit Strategist and Finance Expert who has spent years honing her knowledge of the credit industry both personally and professionally. Brittney applies her more than a decade of research experience to crafting in-depth consumer guides designed to help CardRates readers make better, more informed financial decisions.
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Advertiser Disclosure: The credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which CardRates.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CardRates.com does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. See the credit card issuer's website for specific terms and conditions of each card.
