Balance Transfers Count Towards Minimum Spend?

I recently got asked this question a few times so I figured writing a post about it is a good idea.

Do balance transfers count towards minimum spend?

The quick and short answer is NO. And you also can NOT earn points on balance transfers from any of the rewards credit cards out there, at least as far as I know.

let’s talk a bit more on balances and balance transfers.

Carrying a balance on your credit cards can hurt you in several ways. It will definitely hurt your credit score, since one of the most important factors that affect your credit score is payment history. I did a detailed post about this issue before, make sure to check it out as it can be very useful to help you understand your credit score factors.

Another way carrying a balance can hurt you, is that no amount of points or miles – that you earn through your credit cards – will make up for the amount of interest you’re paying on that credit card debt. In addition to that, if you stay in credit card debt, your chances to get approved for a credit card with a great sign-up bonus become less and less.

If you’re looking to transfer a credit card balance to reduce the interest payments, I definitely recommend the Chase Slate card. This card is the only one that I’m aware of that offers both 0% balance transfer APR and charges no balance transfer fees as an introductory offer, other cards normally charge around 3% in fees. Chase Slate also has a $0 annual fee.

You’re not going to earn any points or miles or rewards from this card. However, transferring your balance with no fees and no interest for 15 months is a great deal. You can transfer your balance to this card and do your best to pay it down within those 15 months. This will help your credit score to go up and once you pay it off completely, you can start applying for credit cards with amazing sign-up offers and travel rewards and perks.

Bottom Line:

If you are carrying a balance on your credit cards, it’s almost counter productive to apply for travel rewards credit cards. The interest you pay on that balance will totally negate any miles or points you earn and it will also hurt your credit score.

If you have any questions please tweet me @pointspointers or email me at pointspointers@gmail.com or comment below.