The Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards in Canada for 2023

Considering doing a balance transfer to a 0% or low-interest rate credit card to save hundreds of dollars in interest? Here are our top picks for the best balance transfer credit cards in Canada.

Carrying debt on a high-interest credit card? One way to tackle this problem is to do a balance transfer – whereby you move debt from one high-interest credit card to a new one with a much lower (or no) interest rate.

This smooth move could save you hundreds of dollars in interest, allowing you to pay down your debt faster. A balance transfer credit card is a card with very low or no monthly interest on balance transfers.

Basically, you’re using one card to pay off another, while also taking advantage of a rock-bottom interest rate that’ll make your payments more manageable.

Here are our top picks for the best balance transfer credit cards in Canada:

Best Canadian Balance Transfer Credit Cards in Canada 2023

Credit Card	Annual fee	Balance Transfer Intro Rate
*CIBC Select Visa Card**	$29 (first-year annual fee rebate)†	0% interest for up to 10 months with a 1%† transfer fee & a first-year annual fee rebate†
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card	$0	1.95% interest on balance transfers for the first 6 months (1%* transfer fee applies)
BMO Preferred Rate Mastercard®*	$20 (Waived for the first year)*	0.99% introductory interest on balance transfers for the first 9 months (2%* transfer fee applies)
BMO AIR MILES®† Mastercard®*	$0	0.99% interest on balance transfers for the first 9 months (2%* balance transfer fee applies)
BMO CashBack® Mastercard®*	$0	0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months (with a 2%* transfer fee)
* † Conditions apply

CIBC Select Visa* Card

Transfer your credit card balance - Get 0% interest for up to 10 months with a 1% transfer fee† and a first year annual fee rebate.†

The best option is to pay off your credit card in full every month, but when you know you’ll have to carry a balance month to month it’s worth picking up a credit card that minimizes those ongoing interest payments. The CIBC Select Visa* Card has a Purchase Annual Interest Rate of 13.99%† and a low annual fee of $29, which is rebated for your first year as a cardholder†. Even better, this card comes with an outstanding welcome offer: Transfer your credit card balance - Get 0% interest for up to 10 months with a 1% transfer fee† and a first year annual fee rebate.† This card also comes with $100,000 in common carrier accident insurance coverage† and it’s $0 to add up to three additional cardholders.

The Details:

Annual Fee: $29 (first-year annual fee rebate)†
Income Eligibility: $15,000 household†
Credit Score Required: Good
Welcome Offer: Transfer your credit card balance - Get 0% interest for up to 10 months with a 1% transfer fee† and a first year annual fee rebate.†
Additional Benefits: Low-interest rate on purchases and cash advances; common carrier accident insurance coverage; three free additional cardholders†
Purchase Annual Interest Rate: 13.99%† | Cash Advance Annual Interest Rate: 13.99%† | Balance Transfer Annual Interest Rate: 13.99%†

†Conditions apply

Quebec Residents – Learn More about this CIBC product here.

Résidents du Québec – Pour en savoir plus sur ce produit CIBC, suivez ce lien.

Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card

Apply for a Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card by May 2nd, 2023 and earn an extra 10% back (up to $100) when you spend up to $1,000 in everyday purchases within your first 2 months.*

The Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card is offering a sweet balance transfer deal to new customers: make a transfer within 30 days of opening your account and pay only 1.95% for 6 months (1%* transfer fee applies), after which time you will pay the standard balance transfer interest rate of 19.95%. This is an attractive offer, especially combined with Tangerine’s $0 annual fee and cash-back benefits: Earn 2% Money-Back Rewards on your purchases in up to 3 categories of your choice, and 0.50% Money-Back Rewards on all other purchases.

As a limited-time offer: Special 10% extra cash back rate on the first $1,000 spent with the card ($100 cash back) in the first two months, apply by May 2, 2023.*

The Details:

Annual Fee: $0
Minimum Income Eligibility: $12,000
Credit Score Required: Fair;Good
Welcome Offer: 1.95% introductory interest rate for 6 months when you transfer a balance within 30 days of opening your account (1%* transfer fee applies)
Standard Balance Transfer Fee: 3.00% of amount transferred or minimum $5.00
Other Perks: Automatic, monthly reimbursement to your credit card balance or savings account
Other Card Info: Purchase APR: 19.95% | Cash Advance APR: 19.95%
Bonus : Special 10% extra cash back rate on the first $1,000 spent with the card ($100 cash back) in the first two months, apply by May 2, 2023.*

*Terms and conditions apply

BMO Preferred Rate Mastercard®*

Get a 0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months with a 2% transfer fee* and the $20 annual fee waived for the first year*.

The BMO Preferred Rate Mastercard®* offers a 0.99% introductory interest on balance transfers for the first 9 months (2%* transfer fee applies). But this card also gets our vote because of its everyday interest rate of 15.99% on cash advances.

For perks, this card includes extended warranty coverage (which extends the manufacturer’s warranty period for up to one year)* and purchase protection (which insures your card purchases against theft or damage for 90 days).* Another bonus: the $20 annual fee is waived for the first year for new cardholders who take advantage of the balance transfer introductory offer*.

The Details:

Annual Fee: $20 (Waived for first year)*
Minimum Income Eligibility: Minimum $15,000 (individual)
Credit Score Required: Good
Welcome Offer: Get a 0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months with a 2% transfer fee* and the $20 annual fee waived for the first year*.
Additional Perks: Extended warranty and purchase protection*
Other Card Details: Purchase APR: 12.99% | Cash Advance APR: 15.99%

*Terms and conditions apply.

BMO AIR MILES®† Mastercard®*

Get 800 AIR MILES Bonus Miles* (when you spend $1,000 in net card purchases within the first three months of card membership). That’s enough for $80 towards purchases with AIR MILES Cash*. Plus, for the first 9 months, enjoy a 0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers (2% fee applies)*.

The BMO AIR MILES®† Mastercard®* comes with a very attractive welcome offer that lets you both rack up the Air Miles and take advantage of a low-balance transfer offer.

Plus, there’s no annual fee and you’ll earn miles with your purchases. Get 3x the Miles for every $25 spent at participating AIR MILES Partners and 2x the Miles for every $25 spent at any eligible grocery store*. Get 1 Mile for every $25 spent everywhere else*. Use your BMO AIR MILES®† Mastercard®* and AIR MILES Collector Card at an AIR MILES Partner to earn Reward Miles from both*.

The Details:

Annual Fee: $0
Income Eligibility: Minimum $15,000 (individual)
Credit Score Required: Good
Welcome Offer: Get 800 AIR MILES Bonus Miles!* That’s enough for $80 towards purchases with AIR MILES Cash*. Plus, 0.99% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for 9 months (2%* fee applies to balance amounts transferred).
Additional Benefits: Free additional cardholder; extended warranty* and purchase protection*; receive a discount on car rentals*; discount on admission to Cirque du Soleil shows*
Interest on Purchases: 20.99% | Interest on Cash Advances: 22.99% (21.99% for Quebec residents)

*Terms and conditions apply.

BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Apply now link for the most up to date information.

BMO CashBack® Mastercard®*

Get 5% cash back on purchases in your first 3 months*. Plus, a 0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months (with a 2%* transfer fee).

The BMO CashBack® Mastercard®* may just be the card you’re looking for if you want to pair a low balance transfer rate with cash back rewards.

Get 5% cash back in your first 3 months* and a 0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months, 2% fee applies to balance amounts transferred*.

After the Welcome Offer ends get 3% cash back on grocery purchases, 1% cash back on recurring bill payments and 0.5% unlimited cash back on all other purchases.*

The Details:

Annual Fee: $0
Income Eligibility: Minimum $15,000 (individual)
Credit Score Required: Good
Welcome Offer: Get 5% cash back on purchases in your first 3 months*. Plus, 0.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months (with a 2%* transfer fee)
Additional Benefits: Car rental discounts*, purchase protection and extended warranty*
Interest on Purchases: 20.99% | Interest on Cash Advances: 22.99% (21.99% for Quebec residents)

*Terms and conditions apply.

BMO is not responsible for maintaining the content on this site. Please click on the Apply now link for the most up to date information.

Why Get a Balance Transfer Credit Card?

Transferring a balance can be an excellent strategy for consolidating debt and getting you back in the black.

When moving outstanding debt from a high-interest credit card onto a balance transfer credit card, you can either stop or greatly reduce the accumulation of interest while buying time to pay down your principal.

For example, imagine you have $2,500 in debt sitting on a credit card with a typical interest rate of 19.99%.

The interest on that debt totals around $500 over a year—that’s no small change! Instead of chipping away at the debt while interest accumulates, you could send that debt over to a balance transfer credit card at a lower interest rate and pay down the principal with little or no interest accumulating. In the long run, this savvy strategy could save you some serious coin.

In general, balance transfer cards are a very good idea for small or medium amounts of debt. Since you can transfer debt from multiple cards, they work like a charm if you’re trying to consolidate what you owe.

Just make sure to read the fine print, as interest rates and grace periods vary for each credit card.

How to Choose a Balance Transfer Credit Card

When choosing a balance transfer credit card, here are five things to be on the lookout for:

The introductory interest rate on transferred balances: The lower the interest rate, the better. Paying 0% is the best-case scenario!
Length of promotional grace period: The amount of time the promotional rate is in effect varies from card to card. The longer, the better – especially if it’s a lengthy 0% timeline.
Balance transfer fee: Typically expressed as a percentage of the balance you’re moving, this fee is tacked onto your total.
Annual fee: Some balance transfer cards have an annual fee, so work that into your calculations. A card with no annual fee is best for transfers.
Regular rate: What is the interest rate after the grace period? Although your plan should be to pay down your debt before the low-interest promotion expires, you don’t want to be caught out paying a higher-than-average rate should you need to take more time.
Rewards: Sweetening the pot, some balance transfer cards also allow you to collect rewards.

One thing to note: the low-interest rate for balance transfers is typically offered on an introductory basis for a finite period.

After the promo expires, the balance is charged at a much higher rate. So your goal should be to pay down your balance before the promotion period ends.

Balance Transfer Card Best Practices

Get the most from your balance transfer credit card by following these savvy strategies:

Don’t make new purchases on your balance transfer card: Your balance transfer is charged at a low or 0% rate of interest, but there is a different interest rate for new purchases. If you make purchases on the same card, your payments will be equally split between your balance transfer and the purchase amount. The idea of using a balance transfer card is to pay down debt fast, and this simple mistake will stretch out your repayment time—and trigger interest on the purchase amount. It’s a good idea to have a separate card for new purchases, so consider leaving one of your existing accounts open—or look into getting a low-interest credit card.
Don’t exceed your credit limit: Some companies allow overspending – and if that happens, there’s a chance of losing your introductory low-interest rate.
Pay your minimum monthly payments: If you miss a payment deadline, you could lose your low introductory interest rate.
Keep track of the time: Like all good things, the promotional period must come to an end. When it does, you’ll be charged at a much higher interest rate. Aim to pay off your debt in full, but failing that, give yourself time to transfer your remaining debt to another balance transfer card.

The Final Word

If you’re one of the many Canadians holding a modest amount of debt, you should definitely consider getting a balance transfer credit card to lighten the load.

With typical credit card interest rates running at around 20%, a small money misstep can turn into an onerous obligation—and fast. Luckily, the smart and strategic use of balance transfer credit cards can help minimize the financial blow.

Just remember to shop around for the right one: look carefully at the introductory interest rate, regular interest rate, annual fee, and balance transfer fee to see which credit card best matches your needs.

With a little strategy and determination, you can eliminate your debt in no time at all.

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This post was not sponsored. The views and opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.