NAPERVILLE, IL — Gary Tillman, 47, confirmed Tuesday that the zero-percent introductory APR he secured on a balance transfer in March 2018 expired fourteen months later, a development he described as “new information” upon reviewing his statement for the first time since the Obama administration.

Tillman, who transferred $6,400 from a previous card to lock in what he called “a permanent discount,” had been carrying a rotating balance at 24.99 percent APR for approximately eight years, generating an estimated $11,200 in interest charges on a debt he believed to be cost-free. He reportedly celebrated the original transfer by taking his family to a steakhouse.

“I remember thinking, this is it,” Tillman said. “I outmaneuvered the system. I was going to pay it down slowly and just coast.” He paused. “I did not pay it down.”

“Technically I have been paying twenty-five percent interest for eight years on a balance I thought was free. But on the bright side, I have the points.”

His financial advisor, Renee Okwu, 52, of Naperville, confirmed she had mentioned the promotional expiration window during their 2018 intake meeting. “I sent a follow-up email,” Okwu said. “And then another one in 2019. He replied to the second one with a thumbs-up emoji, so I assumed we were good.”

Tillman has since requested a rate reduction from the card issuer, been declined, and transferred the remaining balance to a new zero-percent promotional card, which expires in fourteen months.

At press time, Tillman had framed the new card’s welcome letter and was calling it a fresh start.