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Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card Review: Our Top Balance Transfer Card
Our verdict
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is a card built for one job: balance transfers. And for that job, we haven’t found a card that beats it. You won’t earn rewards, and the 0% intro APR period for purchases is not great, so look elsewhere if that matters to you. But if your priority is moving high-interest debt and giving yourself as much time as possible to pay it down, this is our top pick.
Most balance transfer cards make you compromise somewhere. You might get a long 0% period but pay a higher fee to move the debt. Or you might get a lower fee but give up some of the time you have to pay the balance down.
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card stands out because it gets both parts right: one of the longest balance transfer intro periods we’ve found, plus a relatively low intro balance transfer fee.
That combination is why it won our Best Balance Transfer Credit Card award for 2026.
The main drawbacks are that it doesn’t offer rewards and its intro APR period on purchases is relatively short. You can find cards that are stronger in either of those areas, but they generally make you give something up on the balance transfer side, such as a shorter 0% intro APR period or a higher transfer fee.
Best Balance Transfer Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Pick this card if: You want serious breathing room to pay down debt. We haven’t come across a longer 0% intro APR period for balance transfers than this.
- Balance Transfer Intro APR
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months
- Purchases Intro APR
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49%-27.24% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit Score
- 670-850 (Good to Excellent)
- Annual Fee
- $0
Card Details
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months and on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 16.49% - 27.24%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- No Annual Fee - our low intro rates and all the benefits don't come with a yearly charge.
- Buy now and pay later. Split your payment for eligible purchases of $75 or more into a fixed payment with Citi® Flex Pay.
- Get free access to your FICO® Score online.
Why we rated Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card Best for Balance Transfers
When we rate balance transfer cards, we care much more about the getting-out-of-debt math than the perks.
The first thing we look at is how much time the card gives you to pay down transferred debt without interest. Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card currently offers 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months.
Among the 200+ credit cards we review, we haven’t found a card with a longer balance transfer intro period. Some cards match it, but none we’ve seen give you more time.
That matters because a longer 0% period can make the monthly payoff target much more manageable.
Say you’re transferring a large balance. A card that gives you several additional months doesn’t reduce what you owe, but it gives you more time to spread those payments out before interest starts accruing again. For someone who actually needs that extra time, that can be more valuable than almost any rewards feature.
But length isn’t the only thing we look at. You normally have to pay a fee to transfer a balance, and Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card charges a relatively low intro fee compared with many of the other cards offering similarly long intro periods.
In short, a long 0% period isn’t as attractive if you have to pay substantially more upfront to get it. Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card gives you both: a lot of time and a relatively low cost to move the debt.
It also has a $0 annual fee. That’s exactly what we want from a card whose primary purpose is helping you reduce the cost of existing debt.
There aren’t a lot of extra bells and whistles here, but we don’t think there need to be. A balance transfer card should help you move debt at a reasonable cost and give you enough time to pay it off. Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card does those two things exceptionally well.
Pros
- Extremely long intro balance transfer period
- Low intro balance transfer fee
- No annual fee
Cons
- Does not offer rewards
- Relatively short intro purchases period
Who is Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card best for?
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is best for someone carrying high-interest credit card debt who wants as much time as possible to pay it down.
We especially like it for larger balances where a shorter promotional period would force you into a monthly payment that may be difficult to sustain.
The right way to use a card like this is to work backward from the end of the intro period. Figure out how much you’ll owe after the transfer, divide that by the number of payments you realistically have left, and make that your target.
The longer intro period gives you more room to make that plan work. It shouldn’t be an excuse to put off paying the debt.
That distinction matters because a balance transfer doesn’t make the debt disappear. It gives you a period when interest isn’t working against you, which can make it much easier to actually reduce the principal.
You may want another card if...
If you want to earn rewards on your everyday spending, we’d look elsewhere.
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card doesn’t offer cash back or points, but we don’t think that’s a major flaw for this type of card. It’s designed around balance transfers, not ongoing rewards.
But there are cards that give you both a balance transfer offer and rewards. If you can comfortably pay off your transferred balance within a shorter promotional period and want to put new spend on the card, that tradeoff may be worth making.
We wouldn’t sacrifice several months of interest-free payoff time just to earn a little cash back, though, if you actually need those months to get the debt paid off.
Also note that this card is not the strongest for 0% intro APR period for purchases, so see the alternatives below if that’s important to you.
Alternatives to Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card is our favorite balance transfer card, but there are a couple of situations where we’d choose something else.
Consider Wells Fargo Reflect® Card if you also want a long 0% intro APR on purchases
If you’re looking to transfer existing debt and finance new purchases without interest, Wells Fargo Reflect® Card is worth a look.
It gives you a stronger intro APR offer on purchases while still offering a long balance transfer period.
That makes Wells Fargo Reflect® Card a better fit if you need both. If your main goal is simply getting the strongest balance transfer offer, though, we prefer Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card because of the combination of its long intro period and relatively low transfer fee.
Best 0% Intro APR Card
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Pick this card if: You want an exceptionally long 0% intro APR period, whether you’re paying down existing debt, avoiding interest on new purchases, or both.
- Balance Transfer Intro APR
- 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers
- Purchases Intro APR
- 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases
- Regular APR
- 17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit Score
- 670-850 (Good to Excellent)
- Annual Fee
- $0
Card Details
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate, BT fee of 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Through My Wells Fargo Deals, you can get access to personalized deals from a variety of merchants. It's an easy way to earn cash back as an account credit when you shop, dine, or enjoy an experience simply by using an eligible Wells Fargo credit card.
Consider Discover it® Chrome if you also want rewards
If you want a balance transfer card that you’ll also use for everyday spending, Discover it® Chrome is a better fit.
It earns rewards while still giving you an introductory balance transfer offer.
The tradeoff is that you give up some of the payoff time you get with Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card. If you can comfortably pay off your transferred debt within the shorter window, getting rewards too can make sense. But if you need as much time as possible, we’d stick with Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card.
Great for balance transfers plus bonus
Discover it® Chrome
Pick this card if: You want a solid balance transfer offer plus ongoing value with rewards and a potentially lucrative bonus.
- Balance Transfer Intro APR
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months
- Purchases Intro APR
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months
- Regular APR
- 17.49%-26.49% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit Score
- 670-850 (Good to Excellent)
- Welcome Bonus
- Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year.
- Rewards Rate
- 1-2% cash back
- Annual Fee
- $0
Card Details
- Get a 0% intro APR for 18 months on balance transfers and 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months; balance transfer fee applies. Then 17.49% to 26.49% Standard Variable APR applies, based on credit worthiness.
- INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300
- Earn 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter, automatically. You'll still earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Redeem cash back for any amount
- No annual fee.
- Terms and conditions apply.
Consider a shorter balance transfer offer if your balance is relatively small
The longest 0% period isn’t automatically the best offer for every person.
If you can comfortably pay off the transferred balance much sooner, there’s less value in choosing a card primarily because it gives you the maximum amount of time, especially if you want rewards too.
Start with the monthly payment you can realistically afford, then choose an offer that gives you enough time to finish the job.
Final take
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card doesn’t try to be a great card for everything. It’s a balance transfer card, and it’s very good at what it was built to do.
We haven’t found a card that gives you a longer balance transfer intro period, and the relatively low intro transfer fee makes the offer even stronger. Add in a $0 annual fee, and we think it’s hard to beat if paying down transferred credit card debt is your priority.
That’s why Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card earned our Best Balance Transfer Credit Card award for 2026.
Best Balance Transfer Card
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Pick this card if: You want serious breathing room to pay down debt. We haven’t come across a longer 0% intro APR period for balance transfers than this.
- Balance Transfer Intro APR
- 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months
- Purchases Intro APR
- 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49%-27.24% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit Score
- 670-850 (Good to Excellent)
- Annual Fee
- $0
Card Details
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 21 months and on purchases for 12 months from date of account opening. After that the variable APR will be 16.49% - 27.24%, based on your creditworthiness. Balance transfers must be completed within 4 months of account opening.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- No Annual Fee - our low intro rates and all the benefits don't come with a yearly charge.
- Buy now and pay later. Split your payment for eligible purchases of $75 or more into a fixed payment with Citi® Flex Pay.
- Get free access to your FICO® Score online.