Best 0% APR Credit Cards for Travel

The only thing better than taking a great vacation is doing so with the rewards you earned from your credit card spending.

But, points and miles for travel are only part of the benefits that you can get from using the right credit card.

Some of the top travel rewards credit cards offer 0% APR promotional financing on new purchases, balance transfers, or both.

Here are some of the best credit cards that offer great travel rewards for spending and 0% APR introductory offer:

Amex EveryDay and EveryDay Preferred Credit Cards from American Express

Both of these cards come with 0% APR introductory periods on both new purchases and balance transfers, with a 3% balance transfer fee (terms apply).

In addition, they both offer points in the American Express Membership Rewards program for each dollar spent.

With the standard Amex EveryDay card, you earn double points at U.S. supermarkets, and one point per dollar spent elsewhere.

Membership Rewards points are worth one cent each towards travel reservations made through American Express travel, but they can be much more valuable when transferred to frequent flyer miles with 16 different airline programs.

In addition, you can receive a 20% bonus on the points earned in each statement period that you make 20 or more transactions. There is no annual fee for this card.

With the EveryDay Preferred version of this card, 3X points are earned for purchases from U.S. supermarkets, 2x points at U.S. gas stations and at select U.S. department stores, and 1x elsewhere.

In addition, cardholders can earn a 50% bonus during each statement period that they complete at least 30 transactions, meaning that you can earn as much as 4.5x at supermarkets, 3x at gas stations and grocery stores, and 1.5x elsewhere. There is a $95 annual fee for this card.

Read Amex Everyday Credit Card Editor's Review

VentureOne Rewards from Capital One

offers new applicants travel rewards. Earn 1.25 miles for each dollar spent.

Each mile is worth one cent each as statement credits towards travel reservations including airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises. There is no annual fee for this card and it has no foreign transaction fees.

Read VentureOne Rewards from Capital One Editor's Review

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Select+ American Express Card

If you just need to transfer an existing balance, and still want to earn rewards, this card offers nine months of 0% APR financing on balance transfers, with a 3% balance transfer fee.

You also earn one point per dollar spent in U.S. Bank's FlexPerks rewards program.

This program allows you to redeem your miles for travel on over 150 different airlines with no blackout dates or online redemption fees, and the number of points needed for an airline ticket varies with the price of the ticket.

For example, you can redeem 20,000 FlexPoints for a ticket that costs up to $400. There is no annual fee for this card.

Discover it Miles

Discover it Miles offers 1.5 miles for each dollar spent, and miles are worth one cent each as statement credits towards travel reservations, or as cash back.

In addition, Discover will match your miles earned during your first year, doubling your rewards during that time.

Read Discover it Miles Editor's Review

How to Use 0% APR Cards for Travel

These financing offers for new purchases can allow you to carry a balance at no cost, and only pay the standard interest rate on the remaining balance once the promotional rate expires.

A common use for such 0% introductory offers is to book a trip and have time to pay off the bill slowly without interest charges.

The usual reason for this is that someone doesn't yet have the ability to pay for a trip without borrowing money.

Ideally, if you sign up for one of these credit cards for this reason, you should plan to make a strong effort to eliminate the card balance before the 0% APR period ends.

Otherwise, you may be losing a lot of money on interest payments if you continue to carry a balance when the interest rate is no longer 0%.

And when utilizing a 0% APR offer for balance transfers, you can avoid interest charges on your existing balance.

But, a 3% balance transfer fee will usually apply.

See the chart below for a little more information on how much you can save on 0% APR on balance transfers.

Generally, it is not a good idea to transfer a balance to a travel rewards credit card because you're not likely to earn rewards on the transferred balance (though there may be cards that will still offer rewards on balance transfers).

It's only worthwhile if you already have high-interest credit card debt.

Credit Cards: Different APRs on Different Balances