[ThePythonicCow]

If you're transferring a balance, look for a card that has a 0% APR for at least a year. And ask to have any fee waived ...

That doesn't seem reasonable. There is no way that anyone can honestly loan me money for year for zero fee, zero interest.

Something got lost in the translation here.

[bornred]

Remember that if you make purchases on the same card, your payments will be credited toward the balance with the lowest interest rate. So the 0% balance will drop with each payment, but the 10+% balance will rise with every purchase.

You need to be very careful with these things.

[Dr. Sivana]

That doesn't seem reasonable. There is no way that anyone can honestly loan me money for year for zero fee, zero interest.

They are counting on you to either buy a lot of stuff with said card, earning them transaction fees, exceeding the one year term through changed circumstance or neglect, or being more likely to get other services from them that get the big money (mortgage, etc.). And of course, most people don't ask to have the transfer fe waived.

I read somewhere that credit card companies spend $300 for every customer they get. I believe cell phone companies also spend egregious amounts.

[nascent skeptic]

Fwiw, I think it may have something to do with banks repositioning their balance sheets with certain types of assets (in the form of credit lines to more reliable borrowers) that don’t necessarily need to produce income to have the desired effect on the balance sheet.