Borrowing
Compare Short-Term Loans in South Africa
A short-term loan is credit meant to be repaid over a short period. The instalment can look manageable because the term is short. The initiation fee, on a micro loan or any small amount, can still be a large share of what you receive.
A short repayment window can create a high monthly burden even when the amount borrowed is small. A missing fee is missing, not zero. Each card shows the date that product was checked.
How a short-term loan differs from a longer personal loan
A personal loan often runs for several years. The products on this page are published as shorter contracts: a few months, a single month, or a window counted in days. Absa’s Instant Loan and FNB’s Temporary Loan are counted in days, so they are not shown as a clean month range.
Some products charge interest. Standard Bank Budget Flex and the FNB example are described as 0% interest with fees still applying. A zero interest line is not a free loan.
Wonga is included because the provider publishes a short-term loan. This comparison did not capture an amount or a price, and the site was on a maintenance notice when it was reviewed. Those gaps stay blank.
CreditBar publishes R500 to R5 000 over 7 to 61 days. CashGist publishes R500 to R4 000, and Kredio publishes R500 to R8 000. Crediwise, LendPlus and PrimeLoans confirm short-term lending in their own terms, without a captured amount, term or price. None of those prices is shown as a rate you will be offered.
Compare providers
Each card uses the product published for this page. A product that also appears under another heading is still the same product. A missing fee is not shown as zero.
Short-term products
A short contract can make a fee a large share of a small amount. A fee that is not shown has not been confirmed. It is not zero.
- Amount
- R1 500 – R8 000
- Repayment
- 1–6 months
The provider quotes up to 5% a month for a first loan, and 3% a month for a repeat loan in the same year. That is not an annual rate, and you may not be offered that rate.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Credit protection required; replacement policy permitted.
Eligibility. 18+, SA ID; R1,500 monthly income; proof of income; bank account
- Published small-loan range
- 1–6 month repayment options
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R350 – R8 000
- Repayment
- Up to 35 days
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- R80 to 10% of principal excluding VAT.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm pre-agreement.
Eligibility. 18+; available through supported Absa channels; affordability check
- Small cash amounts
- Digital/ATM channels
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R500 – R4 000
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. 21+; SA ID; steady income last 3 months; bank access
- Digital application
- Advertised R500–R4,000
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R500 – R5 000
- Repayment
- 7–61 days
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. 18+; SA ID; income/bank statements; affordability and credit checks
- R500–R5,000
- Online application
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. Online account; identity and affordability checks
- Express online application and disclosure before acceptance
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R100 – R10 000
- Repayment
- A single short repayment
The provider describes this as 0% interest. Fees can still apply. It is not a free loan.
- Initiation fee
- Provider example R63.25 incl VAT on R500.
- Monthly service fee
- Provider example R0; other scenarios check.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. FNB active transactional account 6+ months; SA citizen 18+; credit/affordability check
- No interest in example
- Existing-customer digital access
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R500 – R8 000
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. 18+; SA ID; steady income; latest bank statement; credit and affordability assessment
- R500–R8,000
- Online assessment
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. SA ID; bank statements; phone; credit and affordability checks
- Online application
- Debit-order options
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Letsatsi Finance
One-month loan
Direct short-term lender
A short repayment window, not a long personal-loan term.
- Amount
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- A single short repayment
Confirm the interest with the provider.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. Income documentation, credit and affordability checks
- Explicit one-month borrowing product
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R500 – R7 000
- Repayment
- 2–6 months
Confirm the interest with the provider.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. SA ID; latest payslips and bank statements; affordability and credit checks
- Published amount and term range
- Branch/call options
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R500 – R50 000
- Repayment
- 1–12 months
Confirm the interest with the provider.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. SA citizen, 18–65; income deposited electronically; digital access criteria
- Borrow R500–R50,000
- 1–12 months
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. Online profile; identity and affordability assessment
- Online application
- Quotation before signing
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- R750 – R10 000
- Repayment
- 2–4 months
The provider describes this as 0% interest. Fees can still apply. It is not a free loan.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Personalised monthly fee.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. Eligibility depends on customer and supported spending
- 2–4 month term
- No interest
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Confirm the interest with the provider.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. Credit and affordability assessment; provider details to verify
- Online short-term credit
- Fee disclosure before acceptance
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
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Illustrative repayment calculator
Type your own amount, annual rate and fees. The result is an illustration, not a provider quotation. It assumes equal monthly instalments. It does not price a loan counted in days, a student interest-only period, or a fee that was left blank.
What to check before you apply
Amount and term
Use the published range only where both ends were captured. Letsatsi’s one-month loan has no published amount.
One debit or several
A 35-day or one-month product is a single repayment window. A 2–6 month loan is a series of instalments. They are not the same cash-flow test.
Repeating the loan
Taking a new short-term loan to repay the last one turns a once-off gap into a permanent debit order.
Interest, fees and the total you hand back
Read interest, the initiation fee, any service fee and credit insurance together. Absa’s Express Loan quotes a monthly interest figure and also says credit protection is required. The provider’s “monthly interest rate (APR)” wording is ambiguous, so this page does not relabel it as an annual APR.
FNB’s worked example shows an initiation fee on a R500 temporary loan and R0 service fee in that example. Other amounts can differ. Nedbank and Letsatsi still need a quotation before a total can be compared.
Consumer protection
A registered credit provider must assess affordability and give a pre-agreement quotation. These cards are not that quotation. Interest, initiation fees, service fees and credit life insurance are set out by the provider for the agreement you are offered.
Registration numbers are not shown as verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register, including cancelled and lapsed entries. Early settlement, arrears and default consequences depend on the contract and the National Credit Act.
Personal information you submit on a provider’s own site is their responsibility under POPIA. WiT Money does not take loan applications on this page. Information Regulator
How WiT Money compares these products
Each category keeps its own products. A short-term amount is not copied onto a student loan, and a bank study loan is not described as NSFAS funding. Empty fees and amounts stay blank.
Nothing is sorted as cheapest, best or easiest to get. The default order is alphabetical by provider, then product. A listed name is not a recommendation. No provider is paying for a placement. The button opens the provider’s homepage.
Bad-credit products stay ordinary credit assessments. The Standard Bank student loan without surety stays closed to new applications. NSFAS stays a public scheme, and its bursary is separate from the loan scheme.
Questions readers ask
Is a micro loan cheaper because the amount is small?
Not by itself. A rand fee on a small loan is a high percentage of the amount you receive. Compare the total you repay with the total you receive.
Are all of these single-payment loans?
No. Budget Flex is described as 2–4 months. Letsatsi’s short-term loan is 2–6 months. Instant Loan, Temporary Loan and the one-month loan are short single windows, and some of those terms are counted in days rather than whole months.
Will a short term always be approved quickly?
No funding-speed claim is treated as fact on this page. An affordability assessment still applies.
Sources
Page updated 29 October 2026. A source date is the day WiT Money checked that page, not a promise the institution has not changed it since.
- National Credit Regulator
National Credit Regulator · checked 28 October 2026
- National Credit Act 34 of 2005
South African Government · checked 28 October 2026
Related borrowing pages
Personal loans
Longer unsecured loans, with their own amounts and terms.
Emergency loans
The same short products, read as a once-off bill.
Debt consolidation
One new loan in place of several. Not debt review.
Bad credit
No specialist approval product was verified.
Student loans
Bank study loans and the NSFAS loan scheme.