Chase Slate Review: Light on Fees, but No Longer Accepting Applications
The Bottom Line
5.0
It offers a triple crown of balance transfer benefits, making it ideal for anyone looking to pay down debt — though there's little incentive to use it after you've paid off your balance.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$0
Rewards rate
N/A
Bonus offer
Save with a $0 introductory balance transfer fee and get 0% introductory APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, and $0 annual fee. Plus, free credit score, updated weekly with Credit Journey℠
Intro APR
0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Ongoing APR
APR: 16.49%-25.24% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 26.49%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
$0 Intro for the first 60 days, then $5 or 5%, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
More details from Chase
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers. After that, 16.49% - 25.24% variable APR.
- $0 Intro balance transfer fee for the first 60 days your account is open. After that, the fee for future transactions is 5% of the amount transferred with a minimum of $5.
- Free credit score, updated weekly with Credit Journey℠
- No Penalty APR – Paying late won’t raise your interest rate (APR). All other account pricing and terms apply
- No annual fee
Pros and Cons
Pros
No annual fee
$0 Intro fee on transfers made within 60 days of account opening
Long 0% Intro APR Period
Cons
No rewards
Can't transfer debt from another Chase account
Detailed Review
» This card is no longer available
The Chase Slate® has been replaced by the Chase Slate Edge℠, so this article is out of date.
The Chase Slate® solves a pesky issue common among balance transfer cards: the balance transfer fee. During the first 60 days, it doesn't charge one.
That makes it one of the rare "triple-zero" products for transfers, offering a promotional $0 balance transfer fee, a $0 annual fee and a lengthy 0% intro APR period. It's a worthy contender for this particular use.
Long term, however, the Chase Slate® is a basic, no-frills card: no rewards, no sign-up bonus and not much of a reason to keep using it once you've paid off your balance. If you're looking for such incentives, other balance transfer cards may be a better fit — even ones that charge balance transfer fees.
Chase Slate®: The basics
Card type: Balance transfer.
Annual fee: $0.
APR: 0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 16.49%-25.24% Variable APR.
Sign-up bonus: None.
Rewards: None.
Balance transfer fee: Introductory $0 during the first 60 days your account is open, then 5%, with a minimum of $5.
Foreign transaction fee: 3%.
Other benefits:
No penalty APR.Complimentary three-month DashPass membership, which waives the delivery fee on DoorDash orders over $12. (DashPass ordinarily costs $9.99 per month.) After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at 50% off for the next nine months. Activate the offer by Dec. 31, 2021.
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
A way to avoid a balance transfer fee
Transfer a balance within 60 days of opening your credit card account and you'll pay a $0 fee. Compared with the 3% to 5% fee typical of balance transfer cards, this can offer real savings at a time when you're already trying to pay down debt. After that 60-day window, however, you'll pay a 5% fee on the transferred balance, with a minimum of $5, so act fast.
A long 0% intro APR period
The card offers an intro 0% intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 16.49%-25.24% Variable APR.
You can qualify with average credit
Most balance transfer cards require good to excellent credit to qualify (typically a FICO score of 690 or higher). But applicants with average credit — aka "fair credit," meaning scores of at least 630 — may also be eligible for the Chase Slate®.
No penalty APR
With some cards, a late payment can increase your interest rate dramatically, and that rate stays sky-high until you've made on-time payments for several months. That's not the case with the Chase Slate®. Keep in mind, however, that you may still be charged a late fee of up to $39. And in general, paying late can also harm your credit sco
Drawbacks and Considerations
No rewards
If your plan is to transfer a balance and pay down debt while making no new charges on your card, earning rewards may not be a priority for you. But some balance transfer cards offer benefits that encourage you to hold onto them long after you get out of debt. They include the Discover it® Chrome, discussed below.
Other cards offer longer 0% APR periods
If you need a longer interest-free window on a balance transfer, consider the Discover it® Chrome. It does charge a 3% introductory balance transfer fee, and up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms). But it offers an intro 0% intro APR on Purchases for 6 months and 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months, and then the ongoing APR of 18.74%-27.74% Variable APR. And you'll earn rewards, too: 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, on up to $1,000 in purchases each quarter; other purchases earn 1%. The annual fee is $0.
For a longer 0% intro on purchases, take a look at the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card. Pay an intro 0% intro APR for 18 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 17.99%-28.99% Variable APR. You'll be subject to a balance transfer fee, but the extra time may make the cost worth it.
Plus, the card offers relatively rare cell phone insurance. The annual fee is $0. For more balance transfer offers, check out NerdWallet's list of best credit card deals.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
The primary draw of the Chase Slate® is the opportunity for a $0 balance transfer fee, and it's especially attractive for anyone with average credit who may not qualify for other balance transfer cards.
But if you have at least good credit, you may want to opt for a card that offers rewards or some kind of incentive for continued use long after your balance is paid off.
Looking For Something Else?
Methodology
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
