Finance Guides for South Africans
Written with real-world experience in South African vehicle and asset finance. Every guide links to a free calculator so you can run your own numbers.
Vehicle & Asset Finance
Financing a Car for Uber, Bolt & E-Hailing in South Africa
How lenders treat e-hailing drivers as self-employed, the deposit, vehicle, mileage and licensing requirements, and the cover you actually need.
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What You Actually Finance: Car Price vs the Real Finance Amount
The price on the windscreen is not what you finance. The on-the-road costs, dealer extras and value-added products added to your car deal — and which you can decline.
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Balloon Payments in South Africa: How They Really Work
What a balloon payment is, why dealers push them, what they actually cost over a 72-month term, and the three ways out at the end — explained in plain language.
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What You Need to Qualify for Vehicle Finance in South Africa
Documents, income thresholds, credit profile and the affordability assessment banks run before approving car finance — explained by someone who processes these applications.
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Trading In a Car You Still Owe Money On
How settlement letters, trade-in values and negative equity work when you upgrade before your vehicle finance is paid off — and how to avoid rolling debt into the next deal.
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How to Use a Balloon Payment Calculator (Step by Step)
A walkthrough of the balloon payment calculator — what each input means, how to read the results, and the three scenarios worth running before you sign.
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How to Refinance a Balloon Payment in South Africa
When your balloon is due, your three real options — settle in cash, refinance with the same lender, or refinance elsewhere — and the true cost of each.
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How to Settle Your Vehicle Finance Early in South Africa
The early-settlement process under the NCA — the 90-day interest rule, the settlement letter, and how much you actually save by settling early.
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Interest Rates
Prime, Repo and Your Repayments: How SA Interest Rates Work
How the SARB repo rate sets the prime lending rate, what the May 2026 hike to 10.5% means for your instalments, and how prime-linked credit agreements reprice.
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Fixed vs Prime-Linked Interest Rates: Which Should You Choose?
How fixed and prime-linked rates work on South African vehicle finance and home loans, what the fixed-rate premium costs, and an honest framework for choosing.
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Home Loans
The Home-Buying Process in South Africa: Step by Step
The whole journey from getting your finances ready and making an Offer to Purchase, through bond approval, the three attorneys, transfer and registration.
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How Much Deposit Do You Need to Buy a House?
Whether you can get a 100% bond, how a deposit lowers your rate and repayment, and the upfront cash a deposit does not cover.
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The True Cost of Buying Your First Home in South Africa
Beyond the bond repayment: transfer duty, attorney fees, deeds office costs, deposits, First Home Finance subsidies and the monthly costs first-time buyers forget to budget.
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Bond Registration Costs Explained
What the bond registration attorney actually does, the LSSA tariff fee structure, deeds office costs, and the sundry disbursements that add up at registration.
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Personal Loans
Should You Consolidate Your Debt? A South African Guide
How consolidation works, the lower-monthly-higher-total trap, when it genuinely helps, and how it differs from debt review.
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What a Personal Loan Really Costs in South Africa
The NCA rate cap, initiation and service fees, credit life insurance, and why you compare total cost — not the monthly instalment.
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How to Qualify for a Personal Loan in South Africa
The affordability assessment lenders run, the documents you need, the credit-profile thresholds, and what to do if you're declined.
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Personal Loan Red Flags: What Not to Sign in South Africa
The clauses, fees and pressure tactics that signal a personal loan offer is bad news — and how to walk away before you sign.
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Personal Loan vs Credit Card: Which Is Cheaper in South Africa?
When a personal loan beats a credit card, when the credit card wins, and the breakeven calculation that tells you which to use for your situation.
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Credit & Insurance
How to Improve Your Credit Score Before Applying for Finance
A practical 90-day plan to strengthen your South African credit profile before a vehicle or home loan application — what banks actually look at, free credit reports, and the myths to ignore.
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Credit Life Insurance: What It Covers and What It May Cost
How credit life insurance works on South African loans — NCA premium caps, retrenchment cover, and your legal right to substitute your own policy instead of the bank's.
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