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TSB review

Updated September 28, 2026 · DebitCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

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Our verdict

TSB is a straightforward balance transfer card for anyone with an existing balance to clear and a plan to clear it, with an annual fee of £0 once the offer is done. The catch is the running cost afterwards, so the card only pays off if the balance actually goes down.

Key facts

Best for
Clearing an existing card balance on a card with no annual fee.
Annual fee
£0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
APR
24.9% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Currency conversion fee
2.95% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Rewards type
None (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Balance transfer intro period
38 months (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Balance transfer fee
3.49% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Card kind
Credit (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
TSB Bank plc (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
2013 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Pricing model
No annual fee
Audience
Students, Kids
Official website
tsb.co.uk

Debit cards

Monthly fee
£0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Currency conversion fee
2.95% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Card type
Debit (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
TSB Bank plc (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
2013 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Audience
Students, Kids

Apps and profiles

Get the app
App Store
Elsewhere
WikidataWikipediaX

Pros and cons

Pros

  • The credit card's annual fee is £0, so there is no cost to keeping it after the intro period ends.
  • The debit card account carries a monthly fee of £0, so an everyday account can sit alongside the credit card at no monthly cost.
  • The listed audience is student and kids, which covers a first card for a student or a child.
  • One bank covers both sides of the wallet: the credit offer is a credit card and the account card is a debit card.
  • Varo Believe Secured Credit Card also has an annual fee of $0, and TSB matches that while adding a balance transfer offer.

Cons

  • Currency conversion on the credit card is charged at 2.95%, so foreign spend adds a cost to every purchase made abroad.
  • The APR is 24.9%, so a balance left after the intro period is expensive to carry.
  • Support runs on help centre only, so a card query depends on written guidance rather than a conversation.
  • The rewards type is none, so everyday spending earns nothing back.
TSB

Ready to try TSB?

Scored 8.7 / 10 by DebitCue.

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Who it suits

  • Readers holding an existing balance who can clear it inside the 38 transfer window.
  • People who already bank with TSB and want a debit card account at a monthly fee of £0 alongside the credit card.
  • Anyone opening a first card, since the listed audience is student and kids.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Readers who spend abroad, because Wise charges 0% on currency conversion and the TSB rate of 2.95% is the more expensive habit.
  • People whose goal is building a credit record with a secured card rather than paying down debt, where Chime Card (Secured Visa Credit Card), with an annual fee of $0, is built for a different purpose.

Fees and FX

The TSB credit card runs on three lines: an annual fee of £0, an APR of 24.9% and a currency conversion fee of 2.95% that applies when a transaction is settled in another currency. The balance transfer fee of 3.49% is separate and attaches to the balance moved across rather than to everyday spending. Put side by side, those numbers describe a card that is cheap to hold and expensive to carry. Nothing is owed for keeping it in a wallet, while the rate punishes any balance left in place once the offer ends. Currency conversion is the quieter leak, because the charge is applied again on each purchase made abroad rather than settling once. For readers who rarely spend outside the country and clear the balance inside the offer, the running cost is close to nothing. Readers who miss either habit pay more than the annual fee saves, so the fee-free line is a starting point rather than a summary.

Balance transfers

The transfer offer runs 38 and charges 3.49% to move a balance onto the card. Those two lines work together, because the fee is the price of entering the offer and the window is the time allowed to clear what was moved. A card that charges for the transfer but nothing to hold it is a familiar shape, so the value sits almost entirely in the length of the window and the size of the fee. The arithmetic for a reader is short: divide the fee by the balance being moved to get the cost of the move, then set a plan that finishes inside 38. The risk is timing rather than price. A balance still outstanding when the window closes returns to the card's standard rate, so the offer works as a structure for paying down rather than as a cheaper way of carrying debt. Comparing offers means weighing the fee against the window, not either figure alone.

How it compares on our data

Ranked across the group, TSB sits at 1 of 301 brands on annual fee, 92 of 133 on APR and 141 of 181 on currency conversion fee. The first of those says less than it looks, because a card with no annual charge is a common shape and ranking well on it separates little. The other two are where the comparison bites. A rate that sits well back in the field means the card is neither the cheapest borrowing here nor the most expensive, and a currency conversion rank near the back means foreign spend carries a genuine running cost. Read the three together rather than in isolation: TSB looks strong on the measure that is easiest to advertise and ordinary on the two that decide what a balance ends up costing. That is the pattern behind the offer and the fee profile, and it is what a reader should weigh before applying.

The company behind it

The credit card is issued by TSB Bank plc, a bank formed in 2013. Support runs on help centre, so written guidance is the route for questions about the transfer, the fee or the rate that applies once the offer ends. For readers weighing the safety of the money, the issuer name is the detail worth holding on to, because it identifies the bank standing behind the balance transfer and the account in which the money sits. The rest of this review sits with that entity: the annual fee that keeps the card cheap to hold, the transfer fee that prices the move, and the window that decides whether clearing a balance actually pays. A named issuer and a single published support route also tell a reader what to expect when something goes wrong, which is the part a fee comparison alone cannot show.

How TSB compares

Where TSB is available

Available
United Kingdom

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

What is the annual fee on the TSB credit card?+

The credit card charges an annual fee of £0, so there is nothing to pay for holding it once a balance transfer is complete. Borrowing is what costs: the card's APR is 24.9%, which applies to any balance still outstanding and to new spending that is not cleared in full.

How long is the balance transfer offer and what does it cost?+

The offer runs 38 and the transfer fee is 3.49%. That fee is charged on the balance you move across, not on everyday spending, so the cost of using the offer is set before the transfer starts. The window is the time allowed to clear the moved balance before the card's standard rate takes over.

What does it cost to spend in another currency?+

Currency conversion on the credit card is charged at 2.95%. It applies each time a transaction is settled in a currency other than the one on the card, so the cost scales with foreign spend rather than sitting as a single charge. Readers who travel or buy abroad regularly should weigh that rate before applying.

Is there a monthly fee on the card?+

The monthly fee figure is £0, and it belongs to the TSB debit card account rather than the credit card. The credit card is priced through its annual fee of £0 and the 3.49% balance transfer fee, so readers comparing day to day costs should hold the two account types apart.

Does the TSB card pay any rewards?+

The rewards type is none, so spending earns nothing back. That fits a card priced on its transfer offer rather than on its rewards, and the annual fee is £0 besides. Readers who want cashback on everyday spend are looking at a different kind of card and should weigh rewards as a separate line.

Which kinds of card does TSB offer here?+

The account types differ here. The balance transfer offer is on a credit card, and the everyday account card is a debit card with a monthly fee of £0. The differences matter for costs: the credit card is priced by its £0 annual fee, while the debit card is priced monthly.

Who is the TSB card aimed at?+

The listed audience is student and kids, which points at first cards and cards held for a young person rather than premium travel spending. On the credit side the card is a credit card built around a balance transfer, so that audience suits someone clearing an existing balance as a starter product.

How do I get help with the card?+

Support runs on help centre. Questions about the transfer fee of 3.49%, the 38 window or the rate that follows are handled through written guidance, so keeping a record of contact is worthwhile before the intro period ends.

Which company issues the card?+

The card is issued by TSB Bank plc, a bank formed in 2013. Readers weighing who stands behind a balance transfer can use the issuer name to check the bank's status and the protections that apply to money held there.

Sources

Compiled from 10 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

TSB

TSB

Clearing an existing card balance on a card with no annual fee.

8.7/10See alternatives