Young couple sits at home on their couch reviewing their credit scores.

Do Balance Transfers Hurt Your Credit or Affect Your Credit Score?

6 min read
Last Updated: January 29, 2026

Key Takeaways

  1. A balance transfer may help you manage high-interest credit card debt.
  2. Balance transfers may help your credit score by reducing your credit usage and making it easier to make on-time payments.
  3. Balance transfers may impact your credit score by leading to a hard credit check or lowering the average age of your accounts.

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