Century loans: is it legit? Requirements, costs and calculator
Yes: Century is a registered credit provider, NCR registration NCRCP20790 (we last checked its terms on 2026-10-01). Century loans (Century Personal Loan): R 500 – R 8 000 over 5 days – 6 months. The figures below come from the provider’s terms.
Century is not taking applications through RandScout right now
What it costs
Example: R1,000 over 30 days, total repayable R1,292.22 including interest (0.16% per day), initiation fee and service fee incl. VAT.
The maximum annual rate above is the ceiling, not what everyone pays. What you are offered depends on the amount, the term and what the provider makes of your application.
Century loan calculator
This works out the most a loan may cost under the National Credit Act. Century's own maximum rate is 58.4%, so its quote may be lower, never higher.
R2 000.00 may cost you at most R472.38
This is a short-term loan under the National Credit Act (up to R8 000, repaid within six months). Interest is capped at 5% a month — 60% a year.
- Interest
- R98.63
- Initiation fee
- R265.00
- Service fee (R60 × 1 month)
- R60.00
- VAT on the fees, if the lender adds it
- R48.75
- The most it may cost
- R472.38
- The most you may repay in total
- R2 472.38
If this is not your first short-term loan this calendar year, interest is capped at 3% a month: R59.18 instead of R98.63.
Credit life insurance, if the lender requires it, comes on top and is capped separately. Many offers cost less than the maximum: the provider must show you the full cost in a quote before you sign.
Is Century a registered credit provider?
Yes. Century is registered with the National Credit Regulator under NCRCP20790. You can look the number up on the National Credit Regulator register. If a provider is not on that register, it may not lend to you, whatever it says. A registered lender never asks for a fee before it pays out a loan.
We last checked Century’s terms on 2026-10-01.
Century loan requirements
Century lists these requirements:
- South African citizen
- Valid identity document
On top of its own list, Century must check that you can afford the repayments: it looks at your income, your existing debt repayments and your living costs, and at your record with the credit bureaus. Lending to someone who clearly cannot afford it is reckless lending under the National Credit Act.
How to apply for a Century loan
- Check whether Century is open to you: answer a few questions on RandScout. It takes about two minutes and does not touch your credit record. If Century fits your answers, it appears in your results.
- Open the offer and apply on Century's own website. Have your ID, your bank details and proof of income ready.
- Century runs an affordability assessment and checks your credit record, as every registered lender must under the National Credit Act.
- Read the pre-agreement statement and quotation: the amount, the term, every fee and the total you repay. Accept only if the total fits your budget.
- If you accept, the money is paid into your bank account, and Century usually collects the repayment by debit order on the agreed date.
Who Century may suit
- You need R 500 – R 8 000 and can repay it within 5 days – 6 months.
- Your income is paid into a bank account on a predictable date.
- You have checked that the repayment still fits after your other debit orders and living costs.
If you need more, or longer to repay, compare personal loans from registered providers instead. A short loan repaid on time costs far less than one that rolls over.
Alternatives to Century
- CreditBar loans: R 500 – R 5 000 over 7 – 61 days. Rates and the full cost of credit are shown by the lender before you sign.
- Jabulani Money loans: R 500 – R 4 000. Rates and the full cost of credit are shown by the lender before you sign.
- CrediWise loans: R 500 – R 4 000 over 5 – 35 days. Rates and the full cost of credit are shown by the lender before you sign.
- LendPlus loans: R 500 – R 4 000 over 5 – 35 days. Rates and the full cost of credit are shown by the lender before you sign.
- Prime Loans: R 500 – R 4 000 over 5 – 35 days. Rates and the full cost of credit are shown by the lender before you sign.
Every provider we list is on our list of credit providers, with its registration number.
Questions about Century loans
Is Century legit?
Century is a credit provider registered with the National Credit Regulator under NCRCP20790. You can check the number yourself on the NCR register at ncr.org.za. RandScout is not Century and is not a lender.
How much can I borrow from Century?
Century lends R 500 – R 8 000 over 5 days – 6 months. What you are offered follows from its affordability assessment, so it may be less than you ask for, especially on a first loan.
How long do I have to repay a Century loan?
Century offers terms of 5 days – 6 months. The shortest period in which you repay the loan in full is 5 days. A shorter term costs less in interest and fees; a longer one lowers each repayment.
What does a Century loan cost?
Example: R1,000 over 30 days, total repayable R1,292.22 including interest (0.16% per day), initiation fee and service fee incl. VAT. The maximum annual rate is 58.4%; what you are offered depends on the amount, the term and your application.
Can I get a Century loan with a poor credit record?
Century decides that itself and does not publish a rule we could quote. Every registered lender checks your credit record and may not lend if you cannot afford the repayments. RandScout shows Century only when your answers fit who it lends to; if they do not, we show providers that may consider you.
Does Century do credit checks?
Yes. Before it lends, Century must check your record at the credit bureaus and whether you can afford the repayments — the National Credit Act requires it of every registered lender. A provider that promises a loan without any check is not following the Act.
Does checking on RandScout affect my credit score?
No. Our questions do not run a credit check and leave no record at a credit bureau. Century checks your credit record only when you apply with it.
Compare Century with other providers of payday loans, small loans and quick loans.
Who we are and what a loan can cost
RandScout is a loan comparison service and lead generator. We are not a lender or credit provider and take no part in the decision. Lenders and loan-matching services may pay us when you open their offer.
Short-term loans from lenders registered with the National Credit Regulator are capped by law: interest of up to 5% a month on a first loan and 3% a month on later loans in the same year, an initiation fee of up to R165 plus 10% of the amount above R1 000 (never more than R1 050), and a monthly service fee of up to R60. VAT may be added to the fees. Longer loans have their own legal caps.
Repayment terms of the providers we list run from 5 days to 2 months.
Each lender shows its exact rate, fees and total cost before you sign. Compare them and borrow only what you can repay on time.