Credit Card Promo Rates - generic question

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I'm very familiar with "deferred interest" payment plans (Paypal, etc.) but do credit card promo rates work the same way?

Say you open up a credit card with a 10K limit, that has a 0% APR promo rate for 18 months. If you carry a 10K balance through the 18 months, then pay off 90% of it by month 18, do you get stuck with the entire interest that whole time (because you didn't pay it all off, as in the case of deferred interest); or do you just get charged interest on the revolving balance that's left after the promo period ends?

On the card in question, I've studied the fine print, statements, etc, the credit card (and other finance) companies make a deliberate effort to hide these things. Just curious if anyone knows so I don't have to kill a couple hours getting a hold of customer service.
 
The terms & conditions could vary widely depending on who is issuing the card and what you choose (or choose not to) agree to. What makes you think that it would possibly be otherwise?
 
The interest should be charged each billing period, so for the 18 billing periods you'll have no interest, if you pay 90% of the balance off before the final period closes then you can't be charged interest on a balance that no longer exists when the interest starts accruing the next billing period.
 
Another trap is they'll charge you 0% APR on your initial balance but once you add more money you start paying interest on that. And when it commingles, as you'd expect with revolving credit, the bank wins.
 
Another trap is they'll charge you 0% APR on your initial balance but once you add more money you start paying interest on that. And when it commingles, as you'd expect with revolving credit, the bank wins.
This.

If you're going to do it, you must make sure you don't use that account for anything else until you pay it off.
 
The terms & conditions could vary widely depending on who is issuing the card and what you choose (or choose not to) agree to. What makes you think that it would possibly be otherwise?
This isn't helpful. As stated in my OP, I'm avoiding calling customer service, but will if I have to. I'm nearly certain credit cards issued by major banks use a true promo purchase APR (if 0% purchase APR for X months is advertised) instead of deferred interest. That leaves a smidgen of uncertainty, which is why I asked the question. Do you have examples where this is not the case? That's what I'm wondering.
 
generally you'll pay % interest per agreement on the latest balance as of 18th month unless you pay it in full by then

I wouldn't make any additional charges on the same card you may end up paying % in interest on the money right away
 
It can vary, so it's hard to give a definitive answer about a specific card without seeing the terms.

Some department store cards do accrue interest in the background over the promo term. That interest is forgiven if the promo balance is paid in full by the end of the promo period. If it is not, even if it's a dollar of a $10K purchase left in the end, the cardholder gets hit with the accrued interest.

In contrast, the rate on the LOC I have with my bank simply increases to the default rate at the end of the promo period - no surprise lump sum interest at the end.
 
Pay off the balance every month and you'll be fine.
I'd reply with a Sherlock Holmes reference with some poop in the middle, but pretty sure that'd get me a vacation on the forum, so I'll refrain...

Wise advise, but doesn't really apply to my situation. I've never paid credit card companies any interest, in fact they've paid me literally a few thousand (sorry, lost count) in sign up bonuses/rewards over the last few years. If I pay them a couple months interest on a small balance carried over a couple months, I'm fine with it. What I'm not fine with, is paying deferred interest on what started out as a large balance (card will be maxed out) that's mostly paid off by the time the promotional period ends. I've never carried credit card balances or taken advantage of promotional APRs, so I'm quite the novice when it comes to the fine details. Sounds like I need to call the credit card company to be sure.
 
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