BankAmericard® vs. Chase Slate®: Comparing 0% APR Cards
BankAmericard® vs. Chase Slate®: Comparing 0% APR Cards
See how these cards differ in what happens when the promotion ends and how they handle late payments.
Written by
Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson is a money and insurance expert who has covered personal finance, credit cards and insurance for over a decade. She is passionate about explaining the ins and outs of financial products to consumers, and is the co-author of "Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You’ll Love." She lives in Indiana with her husband and children.
Chase relaunched its Slate card in January 2026, replacing the Slate Edge for new applicants and offering a longer 0% introductory APR period. Now, the Chase Slate® and BankAmericard® are on more equal footing, with both cards offering 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 21 months.
However, there are still some important differences to consider, including the interest rates you'll pay after the introductory period ends and what happens if you make a late payment.
Key Insights
Both cards offer a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 21 months, giving cardholders plenty of time to pay down debt without interest.
The BankAmericard® has no penalty APR, while the Chase Slate® may charge a penalty APR of up to 29.99% if you're 60 or more days late on a payment.
Both cards charge balance transfer fees, but the difference in fees may be minimal depending on how much you transfer and when.
Neither card charges an annual fee or earns rewards, and both require good to excellent credit for approval.
The Quick Verdict
The BankAmericard® and Chase Slate® have a lot in common, especially when it comes to their introductory APR offers. Both cards give you 21 months to pay down qualifying purchases and balance transfers without interest, which can make either one a good option if you're trying to pay off debt or spread out the cost of a large purchase.
However, the BankAmericard® has a slight edge when you look beyond the introductory offer. It comes with a lower regular APR range, which could save you money if you carry a balance after the promotional period ends. The BankAmericard® also doesn't charge a penalty APR, while the Chase Slate® may impose a higher interest rate if you fall significantly behind on payments.
The bottom line: Both cards can help you save on interest, but the BankAmericard® may be the better choice if you want a lower potential ongoing APR and fewer worries about penalty interest rates.
Intro APR: A Genuine Tie
BankAmericard® offers 0% for Intro APR for 21 billing cycles for purchases, and on balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening. Chase Slate® matches that with 0% Intro APR for 21 months on Purchases.
With these details in mind, you can see that neither card has an edge here. If intro length were the only factor between these two cards, it would be a coin flip.
What Your Rate Looks Like After the Intro Period
While both cards offer the same 21-month introductory APR period, there's a significant difference when you look at their ongoing interest rates. The BankAmericard® has a variable APR of 15.24% - 26.24%, while the Chase Slate® comes with a APR of 18.49% - 28.49% Variable.
If you pay off your entire balance before the introductory period ends, these differences won't matter much. However, if you still have a balance when the promotional period expires, the interest rate you're charged can make a big difference in how much you pay over time.
Senior wealth counselor Paul Ferrara of Avenue Investment Management says consumers should never forget that the promotional interest rate on balance transfers only applies for a limited time.
Also, the minimum monthly payment during the promotional period could change when it ends based on how much money you still owe and the card's new rate.
Expect Higher Payments After the Promo
Once that introductory period ends, the interest rate on the new card can increase, which may also increase your required payments.
Paul FerraraSenior Wealth CounselorAvenue Investment Management
Balance Transfer Fees
Both the BankAmericard® and Chase Slate® charge balance transfer fees, so you'll want to factor these costs into your decision before moving debt from another credit card. The BankAmericard® charges a balance transfer fee of 5% of the amount transferred, while the Chase Slate® charges $5 or 5% of the transfer amount, whichever is greater.
For balance transfers of $100 or more, you'll pay the same fee with either card. For example, transferring a $5,000 balance would cost $250 regardless of which card you choose.
That said, consumer debt-defense attorney Michael A. Ziegler says consumers should make sure they understand what their balance transfer fee works out to in actual dollars. Also remember that balance transfer fees across card products vary. Where both the BankAmericard® and Chase Slate® charge a 5% balance transfer fee, other balance transfer cards like the Citi Simplicity charge an introductory balance transfer fee of 3%.
Know Your Fee in Dollars
Most cards charge somewhere between 3% and 5% of what you move over, and it gets added to your balance on day one. So on a $10,000 transfer you're starting at $10,300 or $10,500.
Once the fee is factored in, Ziegler suggests taking the new balance and dividing by the number of months to figure out the minimum payment required to become debt-free during the intro period.
"That's what you'd have to pay every month to be clear by the deadline," explains Ziegler.
For a starting balance of $10,500 and 21 months at 0% APR, for example, the new payment works out to $500 per month.
Late Payments: No Penalty APR vs. a Real One
One of the biggest differences between these cards is how they handle late payments.
The BankAmericard® doesn't charge a penalty APR, so a late payment won't automatically trigger a higher interest rate. However, late fees can still apply. The Chase Slate® may impose a penalty APR of up to 29.99% if your payment is 60 or more days late or a payment is returned unpaid.
If you're financing a large purchase or transferring a balance, BankAmericard®'s lack of a penalty APR offers some extra peace of mind if you miss a payment.
Rewards, or the Lack of Them
Neither card earns points or cash back, but that is pretty standard among balance transfer cards. This means Bank of America's BofA Rewards program, its relationship-based rewards booster renamed from Preferred Rewards in 2026, has nothing to boost on a BankAmericard® account. Chase has its own relationship perks tied to other cards, but not to Slate.
An Example: What a Late Payment Actually Costs You
Say you're carrying a $4,000 balance on each card and miss a payment by 65 days. On the BankAmericard®, you'd owe a late fee, up to $41 for a repeat offense, but your APR stays wherever it started. On Chase Slate®, however, that same 65-day miss can trigger the penalty APR, up to 29.99%, on top of a late fee.
At that rate, a $4,000 balance can rack up more than $1,000 in interest over a year if it isn't paid down, compared to roughly $600 to $700 at Chase Slate®'s standard rate. That gap is the real cost of the two cards' different approaches to a missed payment, not the balance transfer fee or the intro period, which are close to identical.
What Credit Score Do You Need to Qualify?
Both the Chase Slate® and BankAmericard® are geared to applicants with good to excellent credit, which typically includes FICO scores of 670 or higher. Consumers with a FICO score of 740+ have even greater approval odds.
Neither Bank of America nor Chase publishes an official minimum score, and both factor in income, existing debt, and how many accounts you've opened recently. If you're not sure where your score stands, use each issuer's prequalification tool first. Both use a soft inquiry for preapprovals, which means you can gauge your approval odds without an impact on your credit.
Which Card Should You Choose?
Choose BankAmericard® if you want the lower standard APR as a safety net after the intro period ends, or if the idea of a penalty APR kicking in after a late payment is a dealbreaker. Choose Chase Slate® if you're already a Chase customer and want your balance transfer card in the same app and ecosystem as your other accounts, and if you're confident you'll clear the balance before the intro period ends.
Your Questions, Answered (FAQs)
Do BankAmericard® and Chase Slate® offer the same intro APR length?
Yes. Both cards offer a 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers, although they describe the promotional period differently. The Chase Slate® offers 21 months on Purchases, while the BankAmericard® offers Intro APR for 21 billing cycles for purchases.
Which card has the lower APR after the intro period?
The BankAmericard® has a lower ongoing variable APR of 15.24% - 26.24%, compared to the Chase Slate®'s 18.49% - 28.49% Variable.
Does Chase Slate® have a penalty APR?
Yes, the Chase Slate® may charge a penalty APR of up to 29.99% if you're more than 60 days late on a payment or a payment is returned unpaid. The BankAmericard® doesn't charge a penalty APR, making it a more forgiving option if you miss a payment.
Does either of these cards charge an annual fee?
No. Neither card charges an annual fee.
Does either of these cards offer 0% on cash advances?
No. Both charge a cash advance fee and a separate cash advance APR that starts accruing interest immediately with no grace period.
Our mission at BestMoney is to make financial decisions less overwhelming. This article was produced by the BestMoney credit cards editorial team, which reviews and compares financial products to help readers make informed decisions.
Holly Johnson is a credit card expert, award-winning writer and mother of two who covers travel rewards and loyalty programs, rewards credit cards, loans, banking and personal finance. In addition to writing for publications like LendingTree, U.S. News and World Report Travel and Travel Pulse, Johnson owns Club Thrifty and is the co-author of "Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You'll Love."
Where We Got Our Information
Bank of America: BankAmericard® credit card product page, APR, fees, and terms
Bank of America: BankAmericard® terms and conditions
Editorial Note: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through a credit card issuer partnership.
Written byHolly Johnson
Holly Johnson is a money and insurance expert who has covered personal finance, credit cards and insurance for over a decade. She is passionate about explaining the ins and outs of financial products to consumers, and is the co-author of "Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You’ll Love." She lives in Indiana with her husband and children.
