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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 a credit card with potential for substantial savings while 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.
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.
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The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card not only has a lengthy intro APR offer, but it also earns 3X points on restaurant, travel, gas station, transit, phone plans and popular streaming purchases, and 1X points for 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.
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Pros
- You’ll earn points on more everyday spending categories than many competing cards.
- The welcome bonus and intro APR on purchases offer solid value for a no-annual-fee card.
Cons
- 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.
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The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card offers an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, 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 fact that it has 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.
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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.
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.
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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 an intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers. 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 with its Discover Match, which doubles all of the miles you earn within the first year of card ownership, making it particularly strong for large purchases like vacation bookings.
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Pros
- 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 card lacks some travel benefits found on other no-annual-fee travel cards, like trip interruption insurance.
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The Citi Custom Cash® Card* is a general cash back card, but it earns high cash back rates on select categories, which includes airlines, hotel and cruise purchases. So if travel happens to be your top category, then it rivals the earning potential of other travel rewards cards.
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.
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Pros
- It could offer the highest year-round rewards rate available from a no-annual-fee card on several of its potential categories.
- The top rate is automatically applied each billing cycle to the highest eligible spending category.
Cons
- The elevated bonus category has a relatively low reward spending cap for each billing cycle, 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.
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With the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, 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 intro APR for both purchases and qualifying balance transfers, and it’s one of the longer options available.
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Pros
- 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 qualifying 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.
Comparing the best travel cards with 0% introductory APRs
| Card name | Annual fee | Rewards | Introductory APR offers | Recommended credit score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Autograph® Card | $0 |
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0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases on purchases (followed by 18.74%, 24.74%, or 28.74% Variable APR). | 670 – 850 |
| Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card | $0 |
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0% intro on purchases for 15 months and 0% intro on balance transfers for 15 months (followed by a 18.99% – 28.99% (Variable) APR) | 670 – 850 |
| Discover it® Miles |
$0 |
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0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers (followed by a 17.74% – 26.74% Standard Variable Purchase APR ). | 670 – 850 |
| Citi Custom Cash® Card* | $0 |
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0% for 15 months on purchases and 0% for 15 months on balance transfers (Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum., 17.74% – 27.74% (Variable) ongoing APR) |
670 – 850 |
| Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card | $0 |
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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 17.74% – 27.74% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers) | 670 – 850 |
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. Before getting a new travel card with an intro APR offer, determine if the offer applies to purchases, balance transfers or both. Is the time period long enough for you to accomplish your financial goal? Or will you 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.
- 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.
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. If you miss a payment, the zero-interest offer is usually canceled 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 remains once the time period ends is subject to the ongoing APR interest.
- 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. 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.
What’s next?
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.
Frequently asked questions about travel cards with 0% intro APRs
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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.
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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 it varies by card. Cardholders need to decide which cards offer the best chance to earn top rates in their favorite categories.
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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. Travel credit card redemption options 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.
*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 November 11, 2025.
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