Transferring your credit card balance from one card to another can allow you to save on interest and reduce stress with fewer monthly payments. The process may take between two days and six weeks depending on the financial institution.

Generally, you can expect a timeframe of about two weeks but it's best to keep an eye on your accounts in case it takes shorter or longer. Read on for full answers to the question, How long does a balance transfer take?

What Is a Balance Transfer Credit Card?

A balance transfer credit card is a credit card that features a balance transfer offer to encourage you to transfer your credit card balance from another financial institution. For example, you may get a low or 0% annual percentage rate (APR) for an introductory period and the new credit card issuer may waive the balance transfer fee.

Balance transfer credit cards are designed to help you pay down your debt. It's best not to use the card to make new purchases until you've paid off the transferred balance and you should try to do this within the introductory period.

How Long Does a Credit Card Balance Transfer Take?

The length of time it takes for a balance transfer to be completed varies with each financial institution but can be as little as two business days up to twenty-one days. In some cases, it may take as long as six weeks.

Be sure to ask your new and old credit card issuers how long they estimate the process to take so you know what to expect and can track the progress.

How to Track Your Balance Transfer

Some financial institutions make it easy to track balance transfers and other transactions through online banking. If this service isn't available, you need to keep checking your account balance on both your old and new credit cards by calling customer service.

Once you've requested a balance transfer, you may see a credit appear on your old card with the word “pending.” In this case, the transfer is on its way to pay your old balance but hasn't been fully processed yet.

• Keep checking your old account until you see the transferred amount appear, whether you’ve paid off your balance in full or in part.

• Also, check your new credit card to see if the transferred amount has appeared.

• These transactions may appear at the same time or at different times because they are taking place within different financial institutions.

What to Do If It's Taking Longer Than Expected

It can be difficult to know when you should follow up on your balance transfer because there's no universal answer to your question, “How long does a balance transfer take?” However, you should make a note of when you applied for the balance transfer and how long it was estimated to take.

For example, if your chosen financial institution says it will take up to two weeks but three weeks have now passed, you should call a member service representative. You may also send an email or use an internal messaging system.

How Does a Balance Transfer Work?

Your new credit card issuer will pay off all or some of the debt you have from other financial institutions. Here are the likely steps you'll follow during the process:

• Get pre-approved for your balance transfer credit card and make sure you get a credit limit that can accommodate the amount of debt you want to transfer.

• Submit your transfer request and give details about the financial institutions, credit cards, and amounts you want to transfer.

• Your new credit card issuer may give you a check written out to the other institution or they might pay the institution directly on your behalf.

• While the balance transfer is processing, you need to keep making payments on your old account.

• Once the transferred balance appears in your new account, make sure to pay at least the minimum amount by the due date to avoid late payment fees.

• Be sure to check your old credit card account in the following months so you can pay off any transactions that didn't get transferred and avoid new interest charges.

Why Do a Balance Transfer?

There are several good reasons to consider a balance transfer:

• Your new credit card offers significantly lower rates than your old cards for both the introductory APR and the standard rate you will get when the intro period ends.

• Your new credit card may also offer better rewards, like 2% cash back on Listerhill's Signature Rewards Card.

• Your new credit card issuer offers to waive the balance transfer fee and charges a lower or no annual fee.

• You have credit card debt with multiple financial institutions and want to consolidate the debt into one simple payment.

• You have established good financial habits and are confident you won't use the new card to incur more debt or add more debt onto your old cards.

• You want to improve your credit score by paying down your debt so your credit utilization rate, or debt-to-credit ratio, drops below the ideal 30%.

Next Steps: How to Do a Balance Transfer

Now that we've answered your question – how long does a balance transfer take – it's time to consider the mechanics of a credit card balance transfer.

Luckily, the process is relatively simple and can take as little as a week to complete. Click below for tips on what to do before, during, and after your balance transfer.

How to Transfer Credit Card Balance