Should I pay more than the minimum on a 0% APR card?

Not necessarily. While the promo APR is 0%, the card costs you nothing to carry, so extra dollars are better aimed at any debt that does charge interest. Just make sure the 0% balance is fully paid before the promo ends.

What's the risk with 0% APR cards?

The promo expires. If a balance remains when the rate jumps to 20-30%, it suddenly becomes expensive — and some cards charge deferred interest retroactively. Plan to clear it before the expiry date.

0% APR Cards: When Paying Only the Minimum Is the Smart Move

"Always pay more than the minimum" is good advice — except when it isn't. On a 0% promo card, minimum payments can be the mathematically optimal choice. Here's why, and the one trap that ruins it.

Interest is the enemy — not the balance

The reason debt is bad is interest. A $5,000 balance at 0% APR costs you exactly $0 to carry this month. A $5,000 balance at 24% costs you about $100 this month, every month. So if you have a spare $200, the dollar-for-dollar best place to put it is the debt charging the most interest — not the one at 0%.

If you have a 0% promo card and a 22% credit card, every extra dollar should hit the 22% card first. Paying extra on the 0% card while the 22% card runs is literally setting money on fire.

So pay the 0% card... the minimum

While the promo lasts, treat the 0% balance like an interest-free loan: pay only its minimum, and aim your spare cash at whatever does charge interest. This is exactly what the debt avalanche does — it sorts by APR and attacks the most expensive debt first, which naturally parks 0% balances at the back of the line.

The trap: the expiry date

Promo rates end. When a 0% card flips to its regular 20-30% APR, any leftover balance becomes expensive overnight — and some store cards charge deferred interest, billing you all the interest you "saved" retroactively if a single dollar remains.

So the rule is: minimum payments on the 0% card are smart only if you'll clear the balance before the promo ends. Map backward from the expiry date. If the minimums won't get you there, you need to pay more than the minimum on the 0% card too — just in time, not early.

Put numbers on it

Plug your actual cards — balances, APRs, and any promo-expiry dates — into the debt avalanche calculator to see the cheapest payoff order and your debt-free date. The full SalaryIQ planner goes further: it models the exact day each 0% promo expires and routes your real paycheck cash flow to clear it just in time.

The takeaway

Extra dollars go to the highest-APR debt — usually not the 0% card.
Pay the 0% card its minimum while the promo lasts.
But clear it before the expiry date — work backward so you're never caught by the rate jump.