ESL Visa® Credit Card Review: A Good No-Balance-Transfer-Fee Card With Limitations

The ESL Visa® Credit Card is one of the top no-balance-transfer-fee credit cards, offering the most potential savings of any card in our current balance transfer survey. That’s because it has a $0 balance transfer fee and a fairly long intro APR.

If you can qualify for membership with ESL Credit Union — which is mainly available to certain counties in New York — and you’re looking for a good balance transfer card, the ESL Visa® Credit Card is a smart choice. To make the most of the card’s offer, it’s important to pay the balance transfer off before the intro APR period ends.

If you expect to carry a large balance past the intro period, a card with a longer 0% intro APR period may be better for you.

Annual fee: $0

Intro balance transfer APR: 0% introductory APR for 12 months

Regular balance transfer APR: 12.50% - 17.99% Variable

Intro purchase APR: 0% introductory APR for 12 months

Regular purchase APR: 12.50% - 17.99% Variable

Foreign transaction fee: 1% of transaction amount

Sign-up bonus: N/A

Rewards: N/A

Recommended credit: N/A

• Intro purchase and balance transfer APRs

  The ESL Visa® Credit Card offers a 0% introductory APR for 12 months on balance transfers; after that, a 12.50% - 17.99% Variable APR applies. This gives you a year to pay off your high-interest balance from another credit card.

  On top of being a good balance transfer option, you can also use it to finance a larger purchase. You’ll get a 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases, followed by a 12.50% - 17.99% Variable APR. Its low interest rate also means, if you do carry over a balance, you won’t owe as much interest compared to most other cards.

  → Learn more about the best balance transfer credit cards

• No balance transfer fee

  The ESL Visa® Credit Card has a $0 balance transfer fee. Most cards with long intro APRs on balance transfers have a balance transfer fee of 3% or 5%. Depending on how much you need to transfer, this can add up. If you need to transfer $10,000 to a balance transfer card with a 3% fee, you’ll owe an additional $300 — and an additional $500 if the card’s balance transfer fee is 5%.

  Just be aware that — though the card’s ongoing APR is lower than average — it’s still costly to carry a balance on this card. If you think you’ll carry a large balance past the card’s intro period, you might look into a card with a longer intro APR to give yourself more breathing room. Some cards offer periods as long as 24 months.

  A $0 balance transfer fee can be the best way to save on a balance transfer.
  LendingTree research shows that cards with lower balance transfer fees can offer significant savings over cards with higher balance transfer fees and longer intro periods.

• $0 annual fee

  This card offers a $0 annual fee on top of having a $0 balance transfer fee. When you’re paying off a large credit card balance, saving on fees can help you put more down toward your payments.

  → Discover other no-annual-fee credit cards

• No rewards rate or sign-up bonus

  The ESL Visa® Credit Card does not come with any rewards. If you’re primarily looking for a card to do a balance transfer, a rewards rate and sign-up bonus aren’t the most important features to consider. Still, if you prefer a card that you’ll want to keep using in the long term, you can find plenty of balance transfer cards with rewards programs, including the Citi Double Cash^® Card.

• Credit union membership required

  Although the card is an excellent option for balance transfers, it’s not available to everyone in the country. The ESL Visa® Credit Card requires credit union membership with ESL, which is largely only available to people in select New York counties (Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming or Yates).

  On top of the county requirement, you need to either have family members who are also ESL members or be a part of select employers and organizations, so it’s not the easiest credit union to join.

  Tip: Even if you don’t live in New York, you can be eligible for membership regardless of your location if you join the George Eastman Museum for a fee. This can be done online.

• Not the longest intro APR available

  The intro period for the ESL Visa® Credit Card is on the shorter side — most of the best balance transfer cards offer longer intro APRs from 15 to 24 months. Depending on how much of your balance you’re likely to pay down before the intro period ends, you may benefit from more time to pay it off.

ESL Visa® Credit Card vs. ​​Navy Federal Platinum Credit Card

The Navy Federal Platinum Credit Card is a good option if you’re looking for a $0 balance transfer fee, $0 annual fee and you’re a member or former member of the armed forces. It offers a 0.99% introductory APR for 12 months for balance transfers requested within 60 days of account opening. After that, a 10.99% to 18.00% (variable) APR applies.

You’ll need a membership to Navy Federal Credit Union in order to apply. Active duty members, veterans, Department of Defense employees and their immediate family members are eligible for membership. If you meet those requirements, then this card may be worth it even though it doesn’t have a 0% intro APR.

ESL Visa® Credit Card vs. Citi Double Cash^® Card

The Citi Double Cash^® Card is a $0-annual-fee card with an excellent balance transfer offer: 0% intro APR for 18 months on Balance Transfers, followed by an 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable) APR. Plus, you can take advantage of an intro balance transfer fee if you transfer your balance soon after getting the card: 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).

The card also comes with a rewards rate and a sign-up bonus, which the ESL Visa® Credit Card does not. This makes it worthwhile to keep in your wallet even after your balance transfer is paid off.

ESL Visa® Credit Card vs. Citi Simplicity^® Card

The Citi Simplicity^® Card can help you save on balance transfers with a long intro APR despite its balance transfer fee. You’ll get a 0% intro APR for 21 months on Balance Transfers, then an 18.24% - 28.99% (Variable) APR applies.

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). There’s no credit union membership for this card, so anyone in the United States can apply. Plus, its much longer intro APR can give you more time to pay off your balance.

The ESL Visa® Credit Card can be right for people who qualify for credit union membership and are disciplined enough to pay down a balance at a regular pace. Cards with no balance transfer fee can be hard to come by and qualify for, but their savings can be worth it.

If you can’t apply for the ESL Visa® Credit Card, you may want to see if there’s a credit union near you that offers a no-balance-transfer-fee card. If you’re not able to find one, cards with balance transfer fees but longer intro APRs, like the Citi Double Cash^® Card or Citi Simplicity^® Card, can be a great alternative.

We take a comprehensive, data-driven approach to identify the [category name]. We use an objective rating and ranking system that evaluates over 200 credit cards from more than 50 issuers. All recommendations are made by LendingTree’s editorial team, completely independent of affiliate partnerships or compensation. Every card is selected based on its merit and ability to help people achieve their financial goals. We use the following criteria to make our picks:

• Intro offer savings (90% of rating): We calculate the amount you’ll save on a balance transfer, based on the length of the introductory period. We assume a transfer amount of $6,000 and a monthly payment of $300. We subtract balance transfer fees, annual fees and the amount paid on interest for any amount left over after the introductory period expires.
• Ongoing value (10% of rating): We also consider the yearly value in rewards for the average cardholder, minus the card’s annual fee. For non-rewards cards, this value will be $0, or less than $0 if the card charges an annual fee.