How to Pay Off Debt with 0% Balance Transfer Card

When credit card balances -- or any high interest debt -- begins to pile up on you, it's time to consider the options for getting your finances under control.

In many cases, a good choice to pay down debt, plastic or otherwise, is to transfer it with a low-interest credit card offer.

But you need to know the best way to use a zero percent credit card balance transfer, so you don't end up with more debt.

Balance Transfer Offers

The tighter lending rules brought on by the economic recession put a stop to most of the old "no interest-no fees" balance transfer offers.

Transfer fees are now commonly anywhere from 2 percent (rare) to 5 percent of the balance. One exception is Chase, the only major bank currently offering zero percent balance transfers with no transfer fee.

Whether you qualify for those offers or choose another from the vast selection of transfers with fees, be careful to check the fine print for any unusual rules on card usage or lurking surprise fees.

For the end of the zero percent promotion, you'll be given a "go to" rate telling you how much interest you'll pay each month. Typically, longer promotional periods lead to higher "go to" APRs.

Your new card could also cause a sudden dip in your credit score, which could hurt if you expect to be shopping in the ensuing six months for the best rates on a mortgage or an auto loan.

Compare Your Personal Loan Options

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Plan Out How you Will Payoff Your Debt

The most basic and practical use of zero percent balance transfer offers is to pay down high interest credit card balances more quickly.

If you've run up a large credit card balance that is carrying an interest rate of eight, 14, 17 percent or even higher, transferring that balance to a new card with a zero percent rate can help you to get a head start on paying down that debt.

Be sure to set aside that credit card after transferring the balance until all of the debt is gone.

But paying off the original debt is only half the battle. Be sure to have a plan ready for the eventual payoff of your balance transfer as soon as you execute the transfer.

It can be as simple as dividing the balance transferred by the number of months you have the zero percent APR -- 12, 15, or 18 months. But you'll need to know your source of funds for payments, plot out a realistic schedule of your payments, and then exercise the discipline to stick to your payoff resolution.

Transfers are not strictly for credit card balances. Another use for zero percent balance transfer offers is to get ahead on college student loans, home equity lines of credit, and even car loans.

This can be a little tricky because the loan must be paid off or transferred to another zero percent offer when the promotional period ends. Otherwise, you might get stuck with an extremely high "go to" APR at the end of the introductory period.

Also, many people are unable to save for an emergency fund. A rolling zero percent balance transfer can be a low-cost way to handle a financial emergency -- if you are disciplined.

Do not spend the money unless it is truly an emergency, and make sure you payoff the amount or roll it over before the promotional period expires.

More Ways You Can Payoff Your Debt

There are other methods with varying price tags to accomplish the same goal.

Lifetime balance transfer credit cards: For card customers trying to payoff high-interest credit card debt, lifetime low interest balance transfers, offered by Discover Card and others, may be substantially cheaper than the other personal loan alternatives out there.

While lifetime balance transfer credit card rates may be cheaper than the alternatives, they do require the card account holder to exercise careful repayment habits to continuously benefit from the perpetually low rates. Failure to do so will result in substantially higher rates and penalty fees.

P2P lending

For those with less-than-stellar FICO credit scores or credit reporting histories, online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending services have emerged as viable balance transfer and personal loan alternatives to traditional banks. Peer-to-peer services like LendingClub.com and Prosper.com, offer a way for individuals to lend by way of an online matching system -- complete with personal profiles and blog messages written by prospective borrowers.

Secured credit card debt consolidation

A home equity line of credit (HELOC) loan offers a much lower interest rate than most personal loans via banks or ordinary non-promotional credit card offers. However, this option means the debt is secured by your home. Ordinarily, in the event of a failure to pay back the credit card loan (a credit card default), the card issuer can not immediately go after your home to satisfy the unpaid debt. But once the debt consolidation is made via a HELOC loan, the home is subject to possible seizure for nonpayment.

Personal loans via banks and local credit unions

Those with good to excellent credit scores may be able to apply and get approved for a personal loan from their local bank or community credit union.

However, bear in mind that while these type of loans for credit card consolidation purposes are widely available to most borrowers, but they frequently demand interest rates that are higher than available home equity line of credit solutions.

Debt consolidation counseling

If your credit score or credit report history is simply too damaged to utilize the available low interest credit card debt consolidation alternatives above, seek affordable credit counseling services from accredited nonprofit organizations to help you consolidate your existing debt in a manageable way via fee waivers and lifestyle changes.

So, there are other options to pay down debt. But if your choice is to transfer it with a credit card offer, follow our suggestions on the best way to use a zero percent credit card balance transfer.