Is a personal loan or a 0% APR balance transfer card better for debt consolidation?

It depends strictly on your repayment timeline and monthly cash flow: If you can aggressively pay off your entire debt within 15 to 21 months, a 0% Intro APR balance transfer card is cheaper, costing only a 3%–5% upfront transfer fee ($300–$500 on $10k) and 0% interest thereafter. However, if you need 2 to 5 years to comfortably extinguish the debt, a fixed-rate Personal Loan is significantly safer: personal loans provide fixed interest rates (typically 7.99% to 16.99% for good credit) and a fixed amortized monthly payment, protecting you from the brutal 24%–30% retroactive interest rates that kick in if you fail to clear a 0% APR card before the promotional window closes.