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0% credit card deal ending: what it means before interest starts
A dated note on what happens to a UK credit card account when the 0% promotional period ends and the standard purchase APR begins to apply.
Published 1 January 2026
What changed
Credit cards with a 0% promotional rate on purchases or balance transfers revert to the account's standard APR on the day after the promotional period ends.
The FCA's credit card market study and persistent debt rules sit in the background of how firms treat customers who carry a balance past the promotional end date.
What it means before interest starts
Any balance still on the card after the promotional end date starts attracting interest at the standard rate. The promotional end date is the only natural decision point built into the product itself.
Clearing the balance, transferring it, or accepting the standard rate are the three live options — and the choice between them is meaningfully different before the end date than after.
What to do now
Find the 0% promotional end date
It is on the most recent statement and in the cardholder agreement.
Read the standard purchase APR that will apply afterwards
This is what attaches to any remaining balance from the day after.
Work out the minimum repayment that would clear the balance before the end date
This sets the gap between the current schedule and a clean exit.
Related pages
0% deal ending reminders
Track your 0% deal ending renewal date so the next change is on your calendar, not the provider's.
0% credit card ending report 2026
Evidence on how UK prices move at this renewal — what households are paying and why.
What to do before your 0% credit card ends
A short guide to the dates, terms and decisions behind this renewal.
Sources
- FCA — Credit card market study. FCA work examining how promotional rates and persistent debt interact with consumer outcomes.
- FCA — Persistent debt remedies (CONC 6.7.27R). FCA persistent debt rules require firms to intervene when customers pay more in interest and charges than in repayments over an extended period.
Recorded outcomes
Real outcomes from Onremind users.
These figures come from outcomes people have recorded in Onremind.