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Types of short-term loan

Most of these names describe the same product from different angles. A payday loan, a same-day loan and a one-hour loan can be one loan under three headlines, and the difference that matters is not the name but the amount, the term and what it costs by the end. Start with the page closest to your situation, then take the numbers to a calculator.

Loan types 18

Payday loans in South AfricaShort-term credit repaid on the next paydayShort-term loans in South AfricaCredit repaid over one to six monthsOnline loans in South AfricaApplying for credit entirely onlineQuick loans in South AfricaGetting through the application process fastInstant loans in South AfricaAn automated, immediate lending decisionCash loans in South AfricaSmall cash credit, including branch-based lendersSame-day loans in South AfricaPayout timing within the same business dayEmergency loans in South AfricaBorrowing to cover an urgent, unplanned costSmall loans in South AfricaBorrowing a small amount, R500 to R2 000Personal loans in South AfricaLarger, longer-term unsecured personal creditUnsecured loans in South AfricaCredit granted without collateralLong-term loans in South AfricaCredit repaid over more than six months1-hour loans in South Africa: what is real and what is notThe "1 hour payday loan, no credit check" search, answered honestlyNo credit check loans in South AfricaSearching for credit without a bureau checkPaperless loans in South AfricaApplying without physical documentsFirst-time loans in South AfricaBorrowing for the first timeRepeat loans in South AfricaTaking a further loan with the same or another lenderSalary advance in South AfricaAdvancing part of a salary already earned

Loans by area 12

Loans in JohannesburgBorrowing while living in JohannesburgLoans in Cape TownBorrowing while living in Cape TownLoans in DurbanBorrowing while living in DurbanLoans in PretoriaBorrowing while living in PretoriaLoans in GqeberhaBorrowing while living in GqeberhaLoans in BloemfonteinBorrowing while living in BloemfonteinLoans in PolokwaneBorrowing while living in PolokwaneLoans in SowetoBorrowing while living in SowetoLoans in GautengBorrowing while living in GautengLoans in Western CapeBorrowing while living in the Western CapeLoans in KwaZulu-NatalBorrowing while living in KwaZulu-NatalLoans in Eastern CapeBorrowing while living in the Eastern Cape

Why so many names for one product

South African short-term credit is a small number of legal products described by a large number of marketing terms. The National Credit Act recognises short-term credit — up to R8 000, repayable within six months — and sets the maximum interest, initiation fee and service fee that may be charged on it. A lender may call that a payday loan, an instant loan or a cash loan without changing a single one of those caps.

So the useful question is never "which name do I want". It is what you can repay, over how long, and what the total comes to. Each page below answers those three for one framing of the question, and every rand figure on all of them comes from the same statutory arithmetic.

Read the total, not the instalment

Two loans with the same monthly figure can differ by hundreds of rands over the term, because on short-term credit interest is charged on the full original amount every month and each extra month adds another service fee and VAT. The instalment tells you whether it fits your month. Only the total tells you what it cost.

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Sources and last checked

Page last checked 10 August 2026. Statutory caps and lender terms change — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the provider or the National Credit Regulator. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.