Revealed: top all-round balance transfer and purchase cards
An all-round credit card is a handy tool that combines two or more offers on things like balance transfers, purchases, money transfers, rewards, points and cashback, in one place.
These sorts of cards are handy if you want to cut down on the amount of plastic you carry around and can make your life simpler.
That's because with one card you won't have to manage different payment dates, navigate multiple online banking systems and remember lots of different passwords.
Going for an all-rounder deal will also save you having to apply for two or more cards separately and going through more than one credit check, which looks a lot better on your credit record.
While all-round credit cards can come in a variety of combinations, typically cards that offer deals on 0% balance transfers and purchase are the main battle ground for providers.
These allow you to spread the cost of a big purchase but also move existing debt from another card you may want to close down at the same time.
The best all-round credit cards
As luck would have it, interest-free periods on all-in-one cards are getting longer. When we did the same round-up last August, we found the the top offer was for 25 months.
As you can see from the table below, that can easily be beaten by the current top all-rounder deals.
Credit card | 0% period on balance transfers and purchases | Balance transfer fee | APR |
MBNA All Round Credit Card | 30 months | 2.72% | 19.9% |
30 months | 2.74% | 18.9% | |
30 months | 2.75% | 18.9% | |
30 months | 2.75% | 18.9% | |
27 months | 2.7% | 18.9% | |
HSBC Dual Credit Card | 26 months | 2.89% | 22.9% |
25 months | 1.5% | 18.9% | |
25 months | 2.9% | 18.9% | |
Tesco Clubcard 15 Month Balance Transfer and Purchase Credit Card | 15 months | 0.85% | 18.9% |
The MBNA All Round Credit Card is our top pick, giving you 30 months of interest-free spending and freezing your debt with a 2.72% fee. So if you were to transfer £2,000, you'd pay a fee of £54.40.
The Sainsbury's Bank Dual Offer Credit Card also the same competitive 30-month period but comes with a slightly higher fee of 2.74%.
However, if you were prepared to sacrifice five months, you could go for the Virgin All Round Credit Card which has a cheaper balance transfer fee of 1.5% over 25 months.
If you have overdraft debt you want to clear, it also comes with 25 months 0% on money transfers with a 2% fee.
Not for everyone
All-round credit cards for 0% balance transfers and purchases won't be the best option for everyone.
If you need to tackle big credit card debts, all-round cards are probably not a good idea as you can get longer lasting 0% deals.
Right now you can get 0% balance transfers lasting 40 months, giving you 10 months longer to freeze your debt and get back in control of your finances compared to the top all-round credit card.
Likewise, if you don't have any debt to shift going for an all-round credit card may not be the best option as there are longer lasting deals available that will give you more time to spread the cost of your purchases.
At the moment you can get 32 months 0% interest-free spending with the Sainsbury's Bank Purchase Credit Card MasterCard or the AA Dual Credit Card MasterCard which are both two months longer than the top all-round deal.
