Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own.

» This page is out of date

See our roundup of the best balance transfer credit cards for other offers.

With the U.S. transition to EMV credit cards underway, many issuers are starting to embed smart chips in their plastic. One of our favorite balance transfer credit cards, the Chase Slate®, recently got a flashy new chip.

Ready to learn more, including some of the features the card has to offer? Let’s dig in.

The Chase Slate® now comes EMV chip-enabled

Beginning in November 2014, the Chase Slate® will be issued to customers with an EMV chip. It’s one of several credit cards from Chase that now offer chip-and-signature capability. The purpose of the chip is to allow for more secure credit card transactions; this technology is already widely used in other parts of the world.

It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to use the chip-and-signature function with your Chase Slate® until U.S. merchants begin installing EMV-capable payment terminals. Some already have, but wide acceptance of chip cards isn’t expected until we get closer to the October 2015 EMV deadline.

Why we love the Chase Slate®

It’s great news that the Chase Slate® is now coming chip-enabled, but there’s so much more to love about the card. If you’re trying to pay off high-interest debt on another credit card, the Chase Slate® is one of the best balance transfer options on the market.

With it, you’ll get an APR of 0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 16.49% - 25.24% Variable APR. That’s over a year at 0% to make your balance disappear faster. But what’s more, the card also waives its balance transfer fee if you move your debt onto it within 60 days of opening your account. This is a very hard deal to come by and could save you big bucks if you’re transferring a large balance.

Also, the Chase Slate® charges an annual fee of $0.

Nerd note: If you decide to do a balance transfer, it’s critical that you make your payments on time. Missing one could cause your 0% deal to be canceled, which means you’d have to start paying interest on your balance right away.

Looking for rewards? Here two other chip-enabled cards to consider

The Chase Slate® is great if you’re planning to do a balance transfer, but it doesn’t offer any other type of rewards program. If you’re looking to rack up points or cash back, here are two other chip-enabled cards from Chase to consider:

Chase Freedom®

The Chase Freedom® is one of the best cash-back cards on the market. With it, you’ll earn 5% cash back in rotating quarterly bonus categories (up to $1,500 spent per quarter) and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. In recent years, 5% categories have included popular retailers such as Amazon.com, grocery stores, gas stations and wholesale clubs. This means that the Chase Freedom® has something to offer nearly every type of shopper!

To sweeten the pot a little bit, the card will also get you started with a signup bonus: Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Since it charges an annual fee of $0, it’s definitely a good one to keep around.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you’re more interested in travel rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a great pick. With it, you’ll earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on travel and dining out and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Generally, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card points are worth $.01 apiece, but if you redeem them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, that value goes up by 25%.

However, you can also transfer your points to participating frequent traveler programs at a 1:1 ratio. If you’re an experienced travel hacker, there’s the potential to get a lot of value out of each point.

When it comes to a signup bonus, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a generous one: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Finally, it charges an annual fee of $95. Happy swiping!

EMV credit card image via Shutterstock

Information about the Chase Slate® has been collected independently by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the issuer of this card.