Registered lenders that lend R2 000
These are the short-term lenders we list that lend R2 000 to a new customer, with the amounts and terms they publish. CreditBar (NCRCP23238) lends R500 to R5 000 over 7 to 61 days. Jabulani Money (NCRCP22362) lends R500 to R4 000. CrediWise (NCRCP22496), LendPlus (NCRCP17814) and Prime Loans (NCRCP20937) lend R500 to R4 000 over 5 to 35 days.
Each one runs its own assessment, so being on this list does not mean a lender will approve you. Four short questions on our page on small loans show which of them take applicants in your situation before you apply anywhere.
What R2 000 until payday may cost
A loan of up to R8 000 repaid within six months is short-term credit. On a first such loan in a calendar year interest may be at most 5% a month, and the initiation fee and the monthly service fee are capped as well. With VAT, R2 000 may cost at most R419.78 over 14 days and R472.38 over 30 days.
Many offers cost less than the maximum. The lender must show you a pre-agreement quotation with the total you repay in rand before you sign; that number is the one to compare, not the speed of the payout.
Time the repayment to your payday
A payday loan is repaid by a debit order on the date you agree. Choose the day your salary is in your account, not the day it is paid by your employer: a salary paid on the 25th that reaches your bank on the 26th leaves a debit order on the 25th to bounce, and a failed debit order usually costs a bank fee and a penalty from the lender.
Borrowing later in the month costs less, because the term is shorter. If you need the money on the 10th and you are paid on the 25th, ask for a 15-day term rather than a month.
What you need to apply
An SA ID, a bank account in your name and proof of income. Most short-term lenders ask for your latest three months' bank statements, which you can download as a PDF from your banking app; some also ask for a payslip. Our guide on a loan without a payslip explains when statements are enough.
The lender also checks your credit record and the debit orders already on your account. If other loans take most of your salary, the answer may be a smaller amount or a decline, whatever the advert promised.
Before you borrow R2 000
Ask whether the bill can wait until payday. A landlord, a school or a municipality told before the due date often agrees to a short payment arrangement, which costs nothing. Some employers also advance part of the month's salary and take it from the next pay.
Borrow the gap, not a round number. If R1 200 covers it, a R2 000 loan costs more and leaves less of your next salary. And if you would need a new loan next month to repay this one, a registered debt counsellor is a safer call than a second loan.
Never pay to get a loan
A registered lender adds its initiation fee to the loan and never asks you to pay anything before it pays out. The National Credit Regulator calls upfront payments unlawful. Check the lender's NCR number on the regulator's register, never share your banking PIN or OTP, and read our guide on loan scams for the other warning signs.