Tesco Clubcard balance transfer credit card now offers 0% for 23 months


Updated on 24 January 2013 | 0 Comments

Tesco's Clubcard Credit Card for Balance Transfers now offers 23 months free of interest. How does it compare?

Tesco has improved its Clubcard balance transfer credit card so that it now offers a cracking 23 months of 0% interest.

The card comes with a competitive 2.9% balance transfer fee too.

Let’s take a look at how the new and improved Tesco card compares.

Card

0% period

Balance transfer fee

Fee paid on £2,000 transfer

Representative APR after 0% period ends

Barclaycard 24-Month Platinum Visa

24 months

3.2%

£64

17.9%

Barclaycard 23-Month Platinum Visa

23 months

2.7%

£54

18.9%

MBNA 23-Month Visa

23 months

2.85%

£57

16.9%

Tesco Clubcard Credit Card for Balance Transfers

23 months

2.9%

£58

16.9%

NatWest Platinum MasterCard

23 months

2.9%

£58

17.9%

RBS Platinum MasterCard

23 months

2.9%

£58

17.9%

Halifax BT 23-Month MasterCard

23 months

3%

£60

18.9%

Barclaycard 21-Month Platinum Visa

21 months

1.45%

£29

17.9%

Lloyds TSB Platinum

21 months

1.5%

£30

17.9%

Halifax BT 21-Month MasterCard

21 months

3%

£60

16.9%

So we can see that the Tesco card, while very competitive, is not quite market leading. Barclaycard’s 24-month Platinum card remains the credit card offering the longest interest-free period, while its 23-month Platinum card and the MBNA Visa both offer the same 0% period but a lower balance transfer fee.

Of course, if you already have debt on a Barclaycard or MBNA card that you are looking to transfer, then the Tesco Clubcard credit card suddenly looks far more attractive, given you cannot move debt between cards from the same provider.

Who needs a balance transfer card?

As the name suggests, a balance transfer card allows you to move your existing balance from your old credit card onto a new one. This is a smart move if you’re paying interest on the old card, as balance transfer cards offer lengthy interest-free periods.

That means you can pay off your debt in manageable chunks, safe in the knowledge that every penny you pay each month goes towards wiping out your debt.

However, to do so, you will need to pay a transfer fee. As the table above demonstrates, these can vary significantly, so make sure you know what you’ll be paying in exchange for your 0% period.

The best 0% balance transfer cards tend to only be offered to those with an excellent credit record. You can check your own score thanks to a free trial with Experian via Lovemoney. And if you need to clean yours up a little, check out How to build an excellent credit history.

Finally, make sure you clear the balance before you get to the end of the 0% period. Otherwise you’ll either have to start paying interest, or else move your debt over to a new 0% card, and pay another transfer fee for the privilege.

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