Paying nothing in interest sure seems appealing. But if you’re fielding 0% credit card balance transfer offers or considering a 0% auto loan, be sure to do a deep dive into the particulars to make sure you don’t end up paying more in the long run.
Read on to learn tips for evaluating these deals and whether they’re the best deal for you.
Auto Loan Financing
When you’re shopping for a car, you have several options for financing. You can get preapproval from a financial institution, like PSECU, before you go to the dealer. Or, you can have the dealer search for financing for you.
Some offers presented may include financing directly from auto manufacturers. These deals may seem very competitive, as some require no down payment, offer 0% interest, or have cash rebates.
Evaluating 0% Financing from Auto Manufacturers
Financing from auto manufacturers often gives buyers a tough choice to make – you can get 0% financing or take a cash rebate and use whatever financing you choose.
At first glance, it may seem obvious that you’d want to choose 0% financing. What could be better than paying no interest? However, when you look at other factors, specifically the size of the available rebate, you may save more when you pair that rebate with financing from your preferred lender, like PSECU.
Consider the examples below for a car purchase that you need $25,000 for (both are 60-month loans). By taking the rebate and combining it with a PSECU loan, you’ll save more than if you take the 0% financing offer from the dealer – both in monthly payments and your total loan repayment amount.
The amounts below were calculated using our auto loan calculator. To get an idea of how much a car loan with PSECU might cost you, use our vehicle calculator and enter the amount you’re looking to finance and your desired term.
With a 0% Auto Manufacturer Loan:
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Car price: $25,000
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Rebate: $0
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Amount you need to finance: $25,000
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Interest rate: 0%
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Estimated monthly payment: $416.67
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Total loan repayment: $25,000
With a 3.24%1 PSECU Loan and a Rebate:
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Car price: $25,000
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Rebate: $4,000
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Amount you need to finance: $21,000
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Interest rate: 3.24%
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Estimated monthly payment: $379.59
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Total loan repayment: $22,775.40
Above example is for informational purposes only. Actual terms will vary. See psecu.com/drive for important information.
Credit Card Balance Transfer Offers
Balance transfers on credit cards allow you to move the money you owe from one credit card to another. Typically, these promotions are advantageous if the card you’re transferring the balance to has a lower interest rate than the card you’re moving the balance from.
By moving money to a credit card with a lower interest rate, your balance accrues less interest, and your payments go further in paying off the actual principal balance on the card.
Evaluating 0% Credit Card Balance Transfer Offers
If you receive a 0% interest credit card balance transfer offer, make sure you read the fine print before jumping in. There are many more factors to consider than just the promotional interest rate.
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Length of offer. Most balance transfer promotions expire after a set period of time (either a certain number of months or a specific date).
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Regular interest rate. Once an initial balance transfer rate expires, the remaining balance typically accrues interest at the regular interest rate of the card.
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How much you can If you can’t make more than the minimum payment on the card, you may still be left with a high balance after the balance transfer period expires, leaving you with a big chunk to pay down at the higher interest rate. If the regular interest rate on the new card is higher than the rate on the old card, you may end up paying more in the long run than you would have on the original card.
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Many financial institutions offer attractive balance transfer interest rates, but they come with balance transfer fees. These fees may be a set dollar amount or a percentage of the balance you’re transferring and can diminish your savings (or make them nonexistent).
Balance Transfer Promo Rates from PSECU
While our balance transfer offer may not seem as flashy on the surface, many of the factors above make our balance transfer offer a better deal for you.
Though rates are subject to change at any time, we currently offer balance transfer rates of 2.9%2 on our Classic Card (after the promotional rate expires, rate will reflect our Balance Transfer rate of 9.9% APR, subject to change) and 3.9%3 on our Founder’s Rewards Card with no balance transfer fees (after the promotional rate expires, rate will reflect our Balance Transfer rate, which is Prime plus a margin of 9.15%). These current offers are good through December 31, 2023, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the lower interest rate.
Even after the promotional balance transfer rates expire, our regular interest rates are typically lower than industry averages, so you’ll likely still accrue less interest on your remaining balance on the card, saving you money in both the short and long terms.
What’s the Right Choice for Me?
Ultimately, whether it’s a car loan or a credit card balance transfer, you’ll need to evaluate your personal situation and make the best decision based on your circumstances. Take time to consider all of the factors listed above to determine if 0% financing will truly save you in the long run.
With low rates and loan term options to fit your needs, our no-hassle auto financing helps your vehicle fit into your life. To see our rates, estimate your monthly car payment, and apply for an auto loan, visit psecu.com/drive. The application process takes as little as 20 minutes.
If you want to save big, consider moving your high-interest credit card balances to one of our Visa credit cards. We don’t charge an annual fee, inactivity fee, or application fee, and moving a balance from another credit card to your PSECU credit card is quick and easy. Find out how much you can save, and apply today.
1Rates “as low as” 2.74% APR assumes excellent creditworthiness; your rate may differ from the rate(s) shown here. Rate and loan amount subject to credit approval. Minimum APR is 2.74%. Maximum APR is 12.99%. Rates reflect a .25% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) reduction for Automatic Payment Service. Your rate will increase if you discontinue Automatic Payment Service. PSECU will finance up to 130% of the retail value of the vehicle for excellent creditworthiness. PSECU will finance up to 100% of the retail value of the vehicle for refinance of an existing PSECU vehicle loan. Value of the vehicle to be determined prior to final loan amount. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price determines new vehicle values; Kelley Blue Book® or other authorized guides determine used vehicle values. Minimum value is $3,000. PSECU makes all final decisions regarding vehicle value. Monthly payment example: 36 monthly payments of $28.97 per $1,000 borrowed at the 2.74% APR or 72 monthly payments of $15.31 per $1,000 borrowed at the 3.24% APR. Monthly payment examples are representative of the maximum term for the corresponding rate per $1,000 borrowed. Your payment may be different from the examples shown. Rates, terms, and information are subject to change at any time. Please see psecu.com/drive for more information. Kelley Blue Book® is a registered trademark of the Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc.
2PSECU Visa® Classic Card/Visa® Alumni Classic Card: When you take advantage of the 2.90% APR promotional offer, Visa® balance transfers will accrue interest at 2.90% APR from the time that the transaction posts until the 2.90% APR promotional offer expires on 12/31/2023; thereafter, any remaining balance will begin to accrue interest at the APR for Balance Transfers, currently 9.90% (subject to change). Payments will be applied as stated in your Visa® Classic and Visa® Alumni Classic Consumer Credit Card Agreement. A minimum of $250 must be requested for balance transfers through digital banking. Our 2.9% APR promotional offer cannot be used to pay off any PSECU loan or be made payable to cash, yourself, any joint owner(s), or co-maker(s). Balance transfers access credit under the terms of your Visa® account as stated in the Visa® Classic and Visa® Alumni Classic Consumer Credit Card Agreement.
3PSECU Visa® Founder's Card/Visa® Alumni Rewards Card: When you take advantage of the 3.90% APR promotional offer, Visa® balance transfers will accrue interest at 3.90% APR from the time that the transaction posts until the 3.90% APR promotional offer expires on 12/31/2023; thereafter, any remaining balance will begin to accrue interest at the APR for Balance Transfers, currently 13.90%, which is a variable APR equal to the Prime Rate plus a margin of 9.15%. Payments will be applied as stated in your PSECU Visa® Founder's and Visa® Alumni Rewards Consumer Credit Card Agreement. A minimum of $250 must be requested for balance transfers through digital banking. Our 3.9% APR promotional offer cannot be used to pay off any PSECU loan or be made payable to cash, yourself, any joint owner(s), or co-maker(s). Balance transfers do not qualify as eligible purchases for the cash back reward program. Balance transfers access credit under the terms of your Visa® Founder's Card/Visa® Alumni Rewards Card account as stated in the PSECU Visa® Founder's and Visa® Alumni Rewards Consumer Credit Card Agreement.
PSECU Visa® Founder's Card/Visa® Alumni Rewards Card: When you take advantage of the 3.90% APR promotional offer, Visa® balance transfers will accrue interest at 3.90% APR from the time that the transaction posts until the 3.90% APR promotional offer expires on 12/31/2023; thereafter, any remaining balance will begin to accrue interest at the APR for Balance Transfers, currently 12.65%, which is a variable APR equal to the Prime Rate plus a margin of 9.15%. Payments will be applied as stated in your PSECU Visa® Founder's and Visa® Alumni Rewards Consumer Credit Card Agreement. A minimum of $250 must be requested for balance transfers through digital banking. Our 3.9% APR promotional offer cannot be used to pay off any PSECU loan or be made payable to cash, yourself, any joint owner(s), or co-maker(s). Balance transfers do not qualify as eligible purchases for the cash back reward program. Balance transfers access credit under the terms of your Visa® Founder's Card/Visa® Alumni Rewards Card account as stated in the PSECU Visa® Founder's and Visa® Alumni Rewards Consumer Credit Card Agreement.