Do balance transfers hurt my credit?

Question

I have a CC through my bank with a really high APR. I saw they have this CC that says 0% APR for balance transfers. I was thinking of doing it but wanted to make sure this doesnt negatively affect my credit.

Answer 1

Opening a new credit card account would cause a credit inquiry which would ding your score.  However, the additional available credit limit would lower your debt percentage which would help your score.

Transferring to a lower interest rate will save you money.  But make sure you read all the fine print.  There are all sorts of gotchas.

Also, if your current account is thru your bank and the 0% offer is also thru your bank, they may not allow you to transfer.  

Most important is that you don't run up both credit cards.  You should squeeze every penny out of your budget and work on paying off that credit card debt completely.

Answer 2

No it wont effect your credit infact it will help your credit because they see it as good dept management.

Answer 3

The only thing that will have a slightly negative impact on your credit score is the 'credit inquiry' which will be used to check your credit report to determine if you qualify for the offer. But this will rectify itself within 6-12 months and it only costs 3-4 points. The balance transfer itself will have no effect on your credit score.

If you're paying a high interest rate, it's probably a smart move to transfer to a 0% APR credit card. Just make sure the ongoing APR isn't higher than your existing credit card, because you'll end up paying more after the intro ends.

It's probably also wise to compare a wide variety of offers from other credit card issuers. Instead of just settling for the offer provided by your bank, shop around and be sure you're getting the best deal available. There's lots of sites out there, this is the one I like: http://www.asapcreditcard.com

Answer 4

NO it wont affect your cred, you will save money by not paying the banks high rate of interest, just make sure Opc means Opc, read the small print