Blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with small amounts of styrene-co-acrylonitrile (SAN) were prepared by melt blending, and cold crystallization of these mixtures was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry. The results suggest that SAN interacts with the amorphous phase of PET, as observed by variations in the glass transition temperature and in the morphology of the blends, analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The addition of 1% SAN promoted a significant reduction in the crystallization rate of PET, in a manner similar to that of an antinucleating agent. However, the crystallinity of the PET/SAN blends was comparable with that of neat PET; hence, mechanical properties were only slightly affected. Kinetic parameters were determined using Avrami theory; Avrami plots presented a nonlinear behavior at the end of crystallization, indicating that cold crystallization proceeds in two stages. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012