September’s balance-transfer league tables still headline 26-month 0% windows from TSB and M&S Bank, with Tesco Bank advertising a definite 22-month deal at 24.9% representative APR thereafter, according to MoneySavingExpert’s rolling roundup.
That matters for households trying to square two trends at once: cheaper mortgage deposits on new-builds through the government’s Your First Home equity loan, and persistent double-digit APRs on everyday card debt once promotional periods end.
What the tables show
Lloyds Bank’s Platinum card remains in the long-balance-transfer pack with up to 25 months at 0% before reverting to 24.9% representative APR, Which? noted in its August update that still circulates among comparison sites. Barclaycard’s dual-purpose Platinum product offers up to 24 months on purchases and balance transfers at the same revert rate.
For travel-heavy spenders, the Lloyds Ultra card keeps a lower 14.9% representative APR with 1% cashback in year one and no foreign transaction fees — a different trade-off from the 0% transfer cards that dominate debt-consolidation searches.
First-time buyer overlap
Your First Home lets eligible buyers in England put down as little as 2.5% on a new-build, with a government equity loan worth up to 20% of the price. Mortgage brokers say clients are asking whether they should park moving costs on 0% cards while they save the cash portion of the deposit.
The sensible answer, brokers say, is to run the maths twice: transfer fees on cards (often around 3%) versus interest saved, and whether mortgage underwriters will treat outstanding card limits as committed expenditure. A 26-month holiday on interest does not help if the lender cuts the mortgage offer because minimum payments still count in affordability models.
Practical checks
Eligibility calculators from issuers remain the first step; hard searches still ding credit files. For anyone carrying balances after a summer wedding season, the MSE tables suggest lining up a transfer before revert rates kick in, then setting a direct debit that clears the debt before month 26.
Cards are a cash-flow tool, not a substitute for the budget lines Healey will publish on 28 October. Until then, the market’s best 0% offers stay open — but only for applicants who pass issuer scoring.
Issuer fine print
Balance-transfer deals often charge a fee of about 3% on the amount moved, which can erase months of zero-interest benefit if the balance is small. MSE’s tables remind readers to set a calendar reminder before the promotional window ends; revert rates near 25% apply to any remaining balance overnight.
American Express remains absent from the longest 0% transfer tables because of its charge-card structure, but its cashback products still appear in travel comparisons. Barclaycard’s Amazon-linked card ran a higher gift-card promotion for applications before 10 September; that deadline passed, returning new applicants to the standard £20 offer on the issuer’s site.
Debt charities weigh in
StepChange urged households not to treat 0% cards as emergency savings. If mortgage brokers tighten affordability tests because of higher energy bills forecast for January, carrying large card limits can still reduce borrowing capacity even when no interest accrues.
For renters saving a 2.5% deposit on a new-build, the charity recommended keeping transfer balances separate from the account used for solicitor payments, avoiding commingling that can confuse lender underwriting.
Looking ahead
Teams on all sides said they would publish more detail when schedules firm up, and that stakeholders should expect incremental updates rather than a single document that answers every outstanding question.
Markets, voters and patients will treat silence as a signal, so the pressure to clarify timelines before the budget or the next fixture remains high.
Until then, the practical advice for readers is to watch primary sources—regulator notices, FA team sheets, issuer terms and trust board papers—rather than relying on second-hand summaries alone.
Officials reiterated that figures could be revised as more data arrives, and that anyone making financial or travel decisions should confirm numbers against the latest published tables before acting.