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Work out exactly what a credit card balance transfer fee costs you in pounds — enter your balance and the fee rate to see the fee, your new balance including it, and how common UK card fee rates compare.
5 min readUpdated: 11 Sep 2026UK
A balance transfer fee is a one-off charge for moving debt to a new credit card, worked out as a percentage of the amount transferred — commonly 1% to 3.5% in the UK, with around 2.9% typical on the longest 0% deals. To calculate it, multiply your balance by the fee rate: £3,000 × 2.9% = £87. Most cards add that fee to your balance, so you'd owe £3,087 on the new card. If the percentage works out below the card's minimum fee (often £3–£5), you pay the minimum instead.
Your balance transfer
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Typical UK fee is 1–3.5%. Enter 0 for a fee-free card.
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Many cards apply a £3–£5 minimum. Leave at £0 if none.
Your balance transfer fee
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Transfer fee
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New balance (inc. fee)
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Effective fee rate
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Fee as % of a £100 payment
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Enter your balance and fee rate above; the fee updates instantly as you type.
What the fee costs at common UK rates
Fee rate
Fee on your balance
New balance
Your entered rate is highlighted. A fee-free (0%) card usually gives a shorter 0% period in return.
Want to know the monthly payment needed to clear the balance including this fee before the 0% deal ends, and what a missed deadline would cost? Use the 0% Balance Transfer Calculator for the full repayment plan.
Key takeaways
The fee is just balance × rate. A £3,000 transfer at 2.9% costs £87 — a one-off charge, not an ongoing interest rate.
It's almost always added to your balance. So you owe the fee too, and need to clear it within the 0% window — factor it into your monthly payment.
A small fee usually beats no fee. A 2–3% fee on a long 0% deal typically saves far more than a fee-free card with a short window, because you get more interest-free months.
Watch the minimum fee on small balances. A £3–£5 minimum can make the effective rate higher than the headline percentage on small transfers.
Weigh the fee against the interest saved. If the fee is less than the interest you'd pay staying put, the transfer wins — see the 0% balance transfer calculator.
Longer 0% or lower fee? Choosing between balance transfer offers
By CalculatorDashboard Editorial Team·Updated ·Reviewed ·5 min read
What is a balance transfer fee?
A balance transfer fee is a one-off charge a credit card applies when you move an existing balance onto it. It's how card companies make money on 0% deals: you pay no interest for the promotional period, but you hand over a small percentage of the transferred amount up front. In the UK that fee is usually somewhere between 1% and 3.5% of the balance, with around 2.9% common on the cards offering the longest interest-free windows.
Crucially, it's a fee, not a rate — you pay it once, not every month. On a £3,000 transfer a 2.9% fee is £87, and that's the total cost of moving the debt, regardless of how long you take to clear it. That's what makes transfers so powerful for expensive card debt: £87 once is a fraction of what a year of interest at 20%+ would cost.
How to calculate a balance transfer fee
The maths is simple: fee = balance × fee rate. Multiply the amount you're transferring by the percentage the card charges.
£3,000 balance × 2.9% = £87
£5,000 balance × 3.0% = £150
£1,500 balance × 1.5% = £22.50
The calculator above does this instantly and also shows your new balance including the fee, because most UK cards add the fee to the amount you owe rather than charging it separately. So a £3,000 transfer with an £87 fee leaves you owing £3,087 on the new card — a figure you'll want to use when planning how much to repay each month.
Is the balance transfer fee added to my balance?
Almost always, yes. Rather than taking the fee as a separate payment, the card adds it to your transferred balance. This matters for two reasons. First, the fee itself sits inside your debt, so you have to clear it during the 0% period along with everything else. Second, it very slightly raises the payment you need to make each month — worth building in from the start so the deadline doesn't catch you short. The "new balance" figure above already includes the fee for exactly this reason.
Is a balance transfer fee worth paying?
The test is straightforward: compare the fee against the interest you'd otherwise pay. If your £3,000 balance is sitting on a card at 24.9% APR, you could be paying several hundred pounds a year in interest. Move it to a 0% card for an £87 fee and — provided you clear it before the promo ends — that £87 is the whole cost. The fee wins comfortably.
The fee is less attractive in two cases: if you could clear the balance in a month or two anyway (so little interest would accrue), or if a fee-free card gives you enough 0% months to clear the debt without paying anything at all. To see the full picture — the monthly payment needed and what any leftover balance would cost at the revert rate — use the 0% balance transfer calculator.
Can you avoid the fee? Fee-free vs low-fee cards
Some cards advertise fee-free balance transfers, and they can be a great deal — but there's usually a trade-off. Fee-free cards tend to offer a shorter 0% window than the fee-charging cards with the longest promotions. The right choice depends on your balance and how fast you can repay:
Fee-free card: best when you can clear the balance within its shorter 0% period. You pay nothing at all.
Small fee, long 0%: best when you need more time. The extra interest-free months are usually worth far more than the fee.
Enter 0% in the fee box above to model a fee-free transfer, then compare the total cost against a longer deal with a fee.
Minimum balance transfer fees
Many cards set a minimum fee — commonly around £3 to £5 — which applies when the percentage works out lower on a small balance. For instance, a 2.9% fee on a £100 transfer is just £2.90, so a £5 minimum would apply instead, pushing the effective rate up to 5%. It rarely matters on larger balances, but on small transfers it's worth checking. Set the minimum-fee field above and the calculator flags when the minimum bites and shows your true effective rate.
Getting help with debt
A balance transfer is a tool for cutting the cost of debt you can realistically repay — not a fix for debt that's outgrowing your income. If you're struggling to keep up with payments, speak to a free debt charity such as StepChange, National Debtline or Citizens Advice before taking on new credit. A government Breathing Space scheme can freeze most interest and charges for up to 60 days while you get advice.
A worked example: 30 months at 3.49% or 18 months at 0.99%
Sam has £3,000 to transfer and can pay £150 a month. Offer A gives 30 months at 0% with a 3.49% fee, which adds about £105. The balance becomes £3,105, cleared in about 21 months at £150 a month, comfortably within the 0% period. Total cost: about £105.
Offer B gives 18 months at 0% with a 0.99% fee, about £30. The balance becomes £3,030, and after 18 months of £150 payments about £330 is left. At the card's standard rate of 24.9%, that takes three more months to clear and costs about £12 in interest. Total cost: about £42.
So the shorter offer is about £63 cheaper, because Sam can pay most of the debt off within 18 months. If Sam could only afford £100 a month, the answer would flip: Offer B would leave over £1,200 on the card at 24.9% when the 0% period ended, and the longer offer would be far cheaper. The calculator above runs both offers with your own payment.
The question to ask first
Work out how much you can realistically pay each month, then check how long the balance would take to clear at that rate. If it clears inside the shorter 0% period, the lower fee usually wins. If it doesn't, the longer period is usually worth the higher fee, unless you can transfer again when the first offer ends. Re-transferring is possible, but it adds another fee and depends on being accepted for another card, so don't count on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Multiply the balance you're transferring by the fee percentage. For a £3,000 balance and a 2.9% fee, that's £3,000 × 0.029 = £87. Most UK cards add that fee to the transferred balance, so you'd owe £3,087 on the new card. If the percentage works out below the card's minimum fee (often £3–£5), you pay the minimum instead.
Most UK balance transfer cards charge a one-off fee of about 1% to 3.5% of the amount transferred, with roughly 2.9% common on the longest 0% deals. Some cards advertise fee-free transfers, but these usually come with a shorter interest-free window, so weigh the saved fee against the extra time you'd have interest-free.
Usually, yes. Most UK cards add the fee to the transferred balance rather than billing it separately, so a £3,000 transfer with a 2.9% fee becomes a £3,087 balance on the new card. That means you also need to clear the fee itself within the 0% period, so include it when working out your monthly payment.
It's worth it whenever the fee is less than the interest you'd otherwise pay. A one-off 2.9% fee on £3,000 is £87 — far cheaper than a year of interest at 24.9% APR, which would run to several hundred pounds. The fee only stops being worthwhile if you'd clear the balance very quickly anyway, or if a fee-free card offers enough 0% months to suit you. The 0% balance transfer calculator shows the full comparison.
Yes — some cards offer fee-free balance transfers. The trade-off is usually a shorter 0% period. A fee-free card can win if you can clear the balance within its shorter window; a card with a small fee but a much longer 0% deal often wins if you need more time. Enter 0% in the fee box above to model a fee-free transfer.
Many cards apply a minimum fee, commonly around £3 to £5, which you pay if the percentage fee works out lower on a small balance. For example, a 2.9% fee on a £100 transfer is only £2.90, so a £5 minimum would apply instead. Set the minimum-fee field above to see when it bites.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter; actual card fees, minimum fees and terms vary by provider and change over time — always check the specific card's terms before applying. If you are struggling with debt, contact a free UK debt advice service such as StepChange (stepchange.org) or National Debtline. For personal financial advice, consult a qualified adviser regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).