Yes, I actually spend a lot of time searching for no fee balance transfer offers. Most of that time is wasted, as searching for these deals is like looking for D.B. Cooper. However, I did stumble upon a credit card from my favorite charity that offers no fee balance transfers for 6 months and 1.9% APR. The credit card is the Make a Wish Visa, and this is a great card because the issuer, makes a contribution to your local Make-A-Wish® chapter every time you make a purchase with your card.

Last year, I had the pleasure of making two special contributions to Make-A-Wish. The first was a donation of two Red Sox ALCS tickets (even though I’m a Yankee fan) to a young child in a wheelchair. The second donation was three Giants tickets to a young man, so he, his brother and his father could go to the game. It was great to give an experience to kids who struggle every day with illness. For a few hours, it lets them forget about their problems.

If you’re in the position to make a charitable donation, the Make a Wish foundation is a great place to consider. Extra sports tickets, concert tickets…really, little things we take for granted can really brighten someone’s day.

If you are interested in applying online for the Make A Wish Visa, you can view the online application here.

If you are interested in learning more about the Make A Wish foundation, please visit their website at www.wish.org.

Lastly, if you’d like to compare additional no fee balance transfer offers, you review all current offers in the credit card directory of Smart Balance Transfers.

While saving money with a 0 APR balance transfer credit card is one of the easiest ways to cut down on monthly bills, making a costly balance transfer mistake is also very easy. Here are a few quick tips to help you maximize the money you save when transferring balances online.

1.) If you are transferring balances from more than one credit card, take advantage of a no fee balance transfer offer. Most credit card companies charge a balance transfer fee of 3% up to $75 dollars for each balance transferred. (Some credit cards have even taken the consumer un-friendly approach of putting no maximum fee on balance transfers.) However, you can avoid these altogether by applying for a no fee balance transfer credit card.

Applying for a no fee balance transfer card provide a great deal of savings if you are transferring balances from multiple cards. For example, if you transfer $3000 from one credit card, $2000 from another card, and $1500 from a third card, you’ll end up paying $180 in balance transfer fees. With a no fee balance transfer offer, all that money stays in your hands.

2.) Don’t run up new bills on your old credit cards. If you know you will be spending more money on your credit cards, you may want to apply for a credit card that offers a 0 APR on purchases as well as balance transfers. This will allow you to avoid paying interest on all of your credit card balances for a full year.

3.) Don’t rush to pay off your 0% balance. Take advantage of the 1 year interest free grace period by putting some extra cash in a high yielding savings account. At the end of the 0% period, use that money, plus the interest it has earned, to repay your credit card bill.

For more information on 0% APR no fee balance transfer credit cards, you can review current offers on Smart Balance Transfers and apply online for approval.

Although losing weight and quiting smoking are among the top New Year’s resolutions, the easiest, and perhaps best resolution should be to save money. What makes this resolution so easy? The fact that there are hundreds of ways we waste money every day.

As our specialty is credit cards, we’re dedicating our first post of the new year to simple ways to save hundreds of dollars with balance transfer credit cards. Firstly, if you carry a balance on your credit card, you probably waste about $140 for every $1000 you carry on your credit card. With a 0% balance transfer, then, you can save $520 by transferring a balance of $3000. Not too bad for something you can accomplish online in five minutes. You can compare current 0% APR balance transfer credit cards in the card comparison section of Smart Balance Transfers.

Want another way to save money? Get a new credit card that offers a 0% interest rate on both purchases and balance transfers. With one of these credit cards, you not only save money on the interest you would be paying (wasting) on your old credit card balances, but also on any new purchases you make. You can compare these offers and apply online at Smart Balance Transfers to start saving money in minutes.

Lastly, you can add an extra fifty to seventy five dollars to your savings by apply online for a no fee balance transfer credit card. While there are only a few of these offers available, they offer yet another way to start the new year by putting extra cash in your pocket.

We wish you all a prosperous and happy new year and hope we’ve helped you kick start a plan to save money in 2008.

As noted in my last posting, Citi has pulled the Driver’s Edge card, a no fee balance transfer offer that provided a 0% APR for 1 year. However, there are still two Citi cards and a Bank of America credit card offering no fee balance transfers. The Citi Home Rebate card (see the no fee balance transfers section of Smart Balance Transfers to view the application) is offering no fee balance transfers and a 0% APR for 1 year. The Citi Professional card is offering no fee balance transfers for 9 months, and lastly, the Bank of America Platinum is offering no fee balance transfers with a 0% APR for 6 months, as well as a 0% APR on purchases.

Apart from these no fee offers, there are still a number of credit cards offering a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 1 year. These credit cards should be taken into consideration by anyone who plans to use their new credit for purchases this holiday season. You can review all credit cards offering a 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases in the 0% APR section of Smart Balance Transfers.

As written earlier, Citi will be pulling the Citi Driver’s Edge no fee balance transfer credit card at the end of this month. However, Citi is still offering no fee balance transfers with the Home Rebate card. This card will continue to offer 0% APR, no fee balance transfers for 1 year. You can learn more about this no fee balance transfer credit card and apply online at our main page.

I received an email from a visitor regarding the issue of maximum balance transfer fees. In general, it is safe to assume the maximum balance transfer fee is $75 or 3%, whichever is greater. However, never assume anything when it comes to credit card companies.

As I’ve reported recently, a number of credit card companies have lifted the ceiling on balance transfer fees. Individuals transferring less than $2500 need not be concerned, as the maximum fee on a balance transfer of that size or less will be no more than $75. The issue of no limit balance transfer fees only effects individuals transferring more than $2500. If you fall into this category, then it is vitally important to examine the fee disclosure in the terms and conditions of your credit card application.

For example, a typical balance transfer fee disclosure will state that there is a, “3% balance transfer fee, up to $75, for every balance transferred with this offer.” A credit card that does not cap the maximum fee will simply state that there is a, “3% balance transfer fee for each transaction.”

Failing to notice this key disclosure can be costly. For example, if you make a $10,000 balance transfer with a 0% APR credit card that does not cap balance transfer fees, the cost of transferring your balance skyrockets from $75 to $300! That’s a hefty penalty for failing to read the fine print.

Fortunately, avoiding a massive balance transfer fee is simple. All you have to do is read the fine print. For additional information on balance transfer fees, visit the 0% APR balance transfers section of Smart Balance Transfers where you can compare balance transfer applications and apply online for approval. Additionally, you can cut out fees altogether by applying online for a no fee balance transfer credit card. Just remember to read the fine print before you submit your application.

As I’ve been documenting, the number of no fee balance transfer credit card offers are dwindling fast. And as of Novemeber 30th, the number of credit cards offering no fee balance transfers and a 0% APR for 1 year will now reach 0. That’s right. Zero. Zilch. None. Presently, the Citi Driver’s Edge Options card is the only credit card on the market that charges no fees and a 0% APR for 1 year on balance transfers. On November 30th, this card will no longer be available.

Once this card disappears, there will be two no fee balance transfer cards available. One, the Bank of America Platinum Plus, offers no fees and a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months. The other, the Citi Professional Card, offers no fees and a 0% APR on balance transfers for 9 months.

At this time last year, there were close to ten cards that offered no fee deals. Soon, I expect, there may not be any. However, paying a balance transfer fee is not the end of the world. And, with many offers, its better to pay the nominal fee and take advantage of longer 0% rates that apply to both purchases and balance transfers. However, if you want to save the 3% or $75 maximum fee and wring the most savings out of a balance transfer, get yourself the Citi Driver’s Edge Options card before it is pulled from the market.

Capital One floods more mailboxes than any other credit card issuer with offers from www.mycapitalonecard.com. Each offer varies based on the information they have about you. For example, someone with a limited credit history may receive an offer to apply online at www.mycapitalonecard.com for a credit card with a $300 credit limit. Individuals with good to excellent credit may get a mycapitalonecard.com offer like the one I was shown.

NOTE:  Many people will get a better credit card by using the Capital One Card Lab instead of responding to a mail offer.  With the Card Lab, you can choose to get a 0% rate on purchases and balance transfers, a low apr, or rewards.

Now, the offer I recieved from mycapitalonecard.com advertised a no fee balance transfer with a fixed APR. That would be great, except the no fee balance transfer had a fixed APR of over 16%. I put the mycapitalonecard.com no fee balance transfer offer in the shredder.

As I’ve said before, no fee balance transfers are good deals if you transfer your balance and don’t use the card for anything else. However, if you’re looking for a no fee balance transfer credit card, get one that offers a 0% APR for 1 year. If you can’t get approved for a fee-free card, get a 0% APR credit card that charges no interest on both purchases and balance transfers.

The list of available no fee balance transfer credit cards is technically longer than it has been in recent months, as a major credit card company is offering no fee transfers on just about all of its cards. However, these no fee balance transfer offers do not come with a 0% APR. In fact, some of these card have APR’s as high as 19%. I won’t name name’s (hint: they’re not from lowercase 1), but these no fee balance transfers offers are probably the worst I’ve ever seen. If you’re going with a no fee balance transfer, stick to the cards that still offer 0% rates. You can view offers and apply for no fee balance transfers in the no fee section of Smart Balance Transfers.