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Travel reward credit cards and 0 percent introductory APRs on purchases and balance transfers don’t often co-exist. Having travel rewards and 0 percent APR are incredible perks on their own, but when you combine the two, you have the makings of a credit card with potential for substantial savings — and the chance to do some serious traveling.
The best travel rewards credit cards make it possible to significantly save on travel-related expenses, while 0 percent introductory APR offers save you money on costly interest charges. Both of these benefits can make a huge difference with your budget, especially during times of economic uncertainty.
Comparing the best travel cards with 0% introductory APRs
2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs
1% cash back on all other purchases
The 3% and 2% categories have a combined cap of up to $2,500 in quarterly purchases
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any BTs made in the first 60 days. A fee of 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4% will apply. (followed by a 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers); applies to balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening.
4.3/5
Top travel cards with 0% introductory APR offers
We picked the following credit cards and found our list of top contenders, each of which offer at least 12 months of a 0 percent intro APR on purchases or balance transfers, plus earn high rates of travel rewards.
Best for simple travel rewards program
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4
The Wells Fargo Autograph Card offers a 0 percent introductory APR for purchases for 12 months from account opening (19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR). Additionally, you earn 3X points on restaurant, travel, gas station, transit and streaming purchases, and 1X points for all other purchases. Points are worth around 1.0 cents each, according to Bankrate valuations, which means 3 cents per dollar for the bonus categories. With no annual fee, it’s a low-cost card with which you can rack up serious rewards quickly.
If you want a simple rewards program where you have broad category coverage for everyday spending, then the Autograph card may be a great fit.
Pros
You’ll earn points on more everyday spending categories than many competing cards.
Visa Signature® status offers additional features not commonly found on no-annual-fee cards.
The welcome bonus and intro APR on purchases offer solid value for a no-annual-fee card.
Cons
Unlike other flexible travel cards, there’s no additional incentive to redeem points for travel.
The card’s travel perks don’t match up to rival travel rewards cards.
You can find lengthier intro APR offers on both purchases and balance transfers on other no-annual-fee cards.
Best for zero-interest purchases and balance transfers
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Rating: 4.1 stars out of 5
4.1
You’ll often find credit cards offering 0 percent APR for either purchases or balance transfers, but not always both. The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers a 0 percent intro APR for 15 months for both purchases and balance transfers (then 19.24% – 29.24% (Variable)), giving you even more options with the card. Each balance transfer made within the first 15 months from account opening comes with a 3 percent balance transfer fee. After that, a 4 percent balance transfer fee applies at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time.
Plus, the no annual fee makes it a low-cost travel rewards card. You can earn a decent amount of travel rewards too, with a 5X miles on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and 1.25X miles for all other purchases.
Pros
You can transfer miles to travel partners to potentially increase your miles’ value.
The intro APR offer on purchases and balance transfers gives you time to save money on large purchases or existing debt.
The card includes a reasonable welcome bonus, which can go pretty far if redeemed for travel.
The current welcome offer of 20,000 miles after spending $500 in the first three months of account opening is worth $200 in travel booked through Capital One Travel.
Cons
It has no big-ticket travel perks commonly found on some travel cards, such as trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
The flat rewards rate is lower than the typical 1.5X rewards seen on most competing flat-rate cards, and your miles are worth less when redeemed on anything other than travel.
You’ll need a good to excellent (670 to 850) credit score for approval, which limits VentureOne’s accessibility as a starter travel card.
Best for a strong welcome offer
Discover it® Miles
Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5
3.9
The Discover it Miles credit card offers a flat-rate, unlimited 1.5 miles for every dollar spent, without an annual fee. Plus, you can enjoy a 0 percent APR on both purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (18.24% – 27.24% Variable APR). With the flat-rate earnings, it acts more like a cash back card than a traditional travel rewards, since you don’t have to keep up with any bonus or rotating categories, which may appeal to people who want an uncomplicated rewards structure. Plus, Discover has one of the best welcome bonuses on the market through their Cashback Match. This type of bonus doubles all of the cash back you earn within the first year of card ownership, making it particularly strong for large purchases like vacation bookings.
No matter what you redeem your miles for, the Discover miles are worth 1.0 cents each. While this may be appealing to some, it makes it harder to earn luxury travel perks, such as free hotel stays or upgrades on flights.
Pros
Because there is no annual fee, there’s no cost to carry this card.
It offers unlimited, flat-rate miles and remarkable redemption flexibility for travel purchases.
You have the option to redeem miles for cash back at a 1:1 rate, so none of the reward’s value is lost.
Cons
You can’t transfer its reward miles to airline frequent-flier programs, which limits your travel redemption options.
The Discover credit card network has fewer international acceptance partners and perks compared to Visa and Mastercard.
The card lacks some travel benefits found on other no-annual-fee travel cards, like trip interruption insurance.
Best for automatic 5% cash back categories
Citi Custom Cash® Card
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
4.4
The Citi Custom Cash Card is a general cash back card, but it earns up to 5 percent cash back on select categories, which includes airlines, hotel and cruise purchases. You automatically earn 5 percent in your top spending category each quarter, so if travel happens to be your top category, then it rivals the earning potential of other travel rewards cards. It also offers 0 percent APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then 18.24% – 28.24% (Variable)) and has no annual fee.
Currently, the Citi ThankYou points vary in value, depending on how you redeem them. Basic points are worth 1.0 cents each, but if you pool your points with other eligible Citi travel cards, you may be able to boost the value to around 1.6 cents each through high-value Citi transfer partners, according to Bankrate’s valuations.
Pros
It could offer the highest year-round rewards rate available from a no-annual-fee card on several of its potential categories.
There’s no need to activate bonuses or keep track of spending, since the top rate is automatically applied each billing cycle to the highest category.
It can pool rewards with other eligible Citi cards, making it an excellent partner for other Citi cards that earn ThankYou points.
Cons
The elevated bonus category has a relatively low reward spending cap for each billing statement, which can reduce your earning potential if you spend heavily in one category or have authorized users sharing the account.
You only earn elevated cash back in one category each billing cycle, so you may not earn as many rewards as you would with rival cards.
If this is your sole rewards card, you may only earn a boosted rewards rate on higher-expense categories like groceries or dining.
Best for lengthy zero-interest time period
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
4.3
The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card is also a cash back credit card. As the name suggests, you can customize the category you earn the maximum 3 percent cash back in — and travel purchases are one of these categories. You earn 2 percent cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs plus 1 percent on all other purchases (up to $2,500 of combined 3 and 2 percent category purchases each quarter, then 1 percent).
But the best part may be the 0 percent APR for both purchases and balance transfers in the first 60 days for 15 months (then 18.24% – 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers), making it one of the longer zero-interest options available. A 3 percent balance transfer fee applies to all balance transfers made within 60 days from account opening, followed by a 4 percent fee for transfers made after that.
The Bank of America cash back rewards are worth 1.0 cents. So your chosen 3 percent cash back category earns three cents per dollar, up to the spending cap. If you need a longer 0 percent APR promotional period and want to earn cash back for travel purchases, then this card may be the most rewarding match.
Pros
You can swap your highest-earning category once per calendar month, adding to the power you have to match your rewards to your spending.
Bank of America Preferred Rewards® members can earn up to 75 percent more cash back on all purchases.
The card offers a generous intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers, so it’s a great fit if you need to finance a purchase or pay off debt.
Cons
Your earnings might be limited by the quarterly spending cap.
Rival cards have potentially higher welcome offers or lower spending requirements.
This card has few noteworthy benefits other than the rewards program.
How to choose the best 0% APR travel credit card
Finding the right 0 percent APR travel credit card may be easier than finding your next travel destination. To make it as simple as possible, try comparing several different cards and consider what’s most meaningful to you as a cardholder. Here are some steps that can help you get started:
Find out how long you need a break from interest
Find out what the time period is for each potential card’s 0 percent intro APR offer and whether it applies to purchases, balance transfers or both. Is the time period long enough for you to accomplish your financial goal? For example, if you have a large purchase to make, then 12 months may be ample time to make monthly payments and pay the entire balance. Or you may need a longer period to consolidate and pay down a balance transfer from a high-interest credit card.
Decide whether you’re willing to pay an annual fee
Some credit cards have no annual fee, while others may charge several hundred dollars per year simply to carry the card. However, higher annual fees typically mean a more robust rewards program and other benefits — such as an attractive welcome offer — which can offset the cost of the annual fee if used wisely.
Compare each card’s ongoing APRs
The ongoing APR is the interest applied to your credit card once the promotional zero-interest rate is over. This rate is actually set when you open the account, even if it’s not in effect for several months. Keep in mind that many credit card issuers use a variable APR instead of a fixed one, which means the rate is subject to change.
Learn what each card’s travel rewards are worth
You’ll want to know how much the travel rewards are worth when you redeem them. The value of the points or miles depends not only on the rewards program you’re enrolled in, but also how you redeem them. For example, Wells Fargo points are worth 1.0 cents each on average and are typically only redeemable for cash back. On the other hand, Capital One miles are worth an average of 1.7 cents each and can vary based on the travel partner you transfer them to.
How to calculate your points and miles value
You can calculate the points and miles value of a reward by dividing the cost of the travel in cash (such as the hotel room or flight) by the cost in points or miles. For instance, if you find a flight that costs $300, or 25,000 points, then the value of the points for this flight would be 1.2 cents per point ($300 ÷ 25,000 = 0.012, or 1.2 cents).
Once you’ve estimated the general value, you can compare it to the rewards points values listed with Bankrate, to see if the value is equal or better than the standard. Bear in mind the value of your points or miles depends not only on the program you’re enrolled in, but also what you’re booking.
How to make the most of your zero-interest period
If your travel rewards card does offer a zero-interest period, there are ways to maximize the benefit, including:
Don’t miss a payment due date: Most often the zero-interest offer is canceled if you miss a payment and the APR reverts to the ongoing APR, resulting in costly interest charges. This usually applies even if you miss the payment by a day, so set a reminder to pay before the due date.
Pay off a balance transfer before the period is over: If the zero-interest applies to a balance transfer, your best approach is to pay the entire balance before the end of the promotional period. Usually, whatever balance is remaining once the time period ends is subject to the ongoing APR interest. Set a reminder in your calendar and pay off the entire balance before the end date.
Make and stick to a budget: It’s important to stay on top of the monthly payments for the zero-interest card and make it a part of your ongoing budget that you plan for each month. Missing a payment or paying less than the minimum amount due may forfeit the zero-interest.
Know your credit card’s ongoing APR: The ongoing APR is the interest rate you can expect to pay once your card reverts from its promotional APR. If you think you may carry a balance on the card or will have a remainder after a balance transfer, then look for a card with as low of an ongoing APR as possible.
The bottom line
While earning travel rewards with a credit card and taking advantage of a 0 percent introductory APR may not seem likely, it’s actually quite doable with several credit card options. It’s beneficial to you to compare multiple cards, so you can see which one suits your financial needs the most. If you take advantage of the zero-interest period and maximize your potential travel rewards, you could end up with significant savings.
Learn more: Check out Bankrate’s travel toolkit for tips and tricks on how to maximize travel with a credit card.
*Information about the Citi Custom Cash® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
The Bank of America content in this post was last updated on February 6, 2025.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about travel cards with 0% intro APRs
The right credit card for you will depend on your spending habits and the perks that matter most to you. Travel cards are great for people who know they want to redeem rewards for travel expenses or want perks like elite status, free checked bags, free hotel stays or airport lounge access. Cash back cards can be simpler to use and offer more flexibility than travel cards, especially If you don’t travel often enough to justify that type of card.
Many cardholders with travel cards earn boosted rewards by booking travel through issuer travel portals. Other top categories related to everyday spending include groceries, dining and gas, but each cardholder should look at their personal spending. It’s all about earning in categories where you spend the most on the card. Cardholders need to decide the cards offer the best chance to earn top rates in their favorite categories.
Cash back redemption options include direct deposit into a checking account, mailed checks, statement credits or gift cards, then put it toward travel you’ve already paid for. Wells Fargo allows cardholders to redeem for cash withdrawals in $20 increments at eligible ATMs.
Travel credit card redemptions can cover purchases including airfare, hotel stays, transit and more. Rewards might be tied to specific airline or hotel chains, or they may be general rewards redeemable for a wide range of travel.
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Coleman, S., & Wilson, B.J. (2025, February 13). Best travel credit cards with 0% intro APRs. Bankrate. Retrieved February 14, 2025, from https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/best-travel-cards-with-0-apr/
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Coleman, Sara & Benét J. Wilson. "Best travel credit cards with 0% intro APRs." Bankrate. 13 February 2025, https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/best-travel-cards-with-0-apr/.
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Coleman, Sara & Benét J. Wilson. "Best travel credit cards with 0% intro APRs." Bankrate. February 13, 2025. https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/best-travel-cards-with-0-apr/.
