The UK 0% Credit Card Ending Report 2026
How 0% promotional periods end, when interest starts, and why timing matters before the standard rate takes over.
What the data shows
Promotional risk
Interest starts
Interest starts
MoneyHelper says if you still owe anything when a 0% period ends, you will pay expensive interest.
Minimum repayment rule
Keep the deal
Keep the deal
MoneyHelper says you must repay at least the monthly minimum or the 0% deal could end.
Interest-bearing balances
Balances incurring interest
47.6%
UK Finance says 47.6% of outstanding credit card balances incurred interest in December 2025.
Balance growth
Year-on-year balance growth
8.9%
UK Finance says outstanding balances on credit card accounts grew by 8.9% over the twelve months to December 2025.
0% scope
New spending only
New spending only
Which says 0% purchase deals apply only to eligible new spending and not necessarily to other card uses.
What is happening when a 0% credit card deal ends
A 0% card is one of the clearest Onremind categories because the pricing changes on a known date.
The card works one way during the promotional period and a very different way once it ends. If the balance has not been cleared or properly planned for, the standard rate can start applying immediately.
That makes the end date the real event. The risk is not the card existing. It is letting the promotional period end before the plan is ready.
Why 0% endings still need reviewing
0% cards are useful because they create breathing room. That can also make them easy to leave until later.
The spending happens, the promotional period keeps running, the monthly minimum gets paid, and the bigger review keeps slipping. Then the 0% period ends and the standard rate takes over.
That is why this is a timing category. The important question is not whether the card was useful. It is whether the review happened before the interest started.
What to check before the 0% period ends
Check the exact 0% end date
Know when the promotional rate stops.
Check the remaining balance
The amount still outstanding changes the right next step.
Check what standard rate applies after the deal
Understand the post-promo cost, not just the 0% benefit.
Check whether the repayment plan still works
A 0% card only stays useful if the next step is deliberate.
Review before interest starts
Once the date passes, the cost basis changes.
Related pages
0% credit card ending reminders
How Onremind protects you before your 0% period ends.
What to do before your 0% credit card ends
Practical guidance on reviewing your deal before the date.
0% credit card deal ending: what it means
Latest developments relevant to 0% credit card expiries.
All credit card reminders
See all credit card categories protected by Onremind.
Sources
- MoneyHelper, simple guide to credit cards
- UK Finance, Card Spending Update December 2025
- Which?, interest-free purchase credit card guidance