Imagine you’re in a tight fix, say, your boiler unexpectedly spoiled, and the repair had you wiped out. You’ve already maxed your credit card for the month. No savings to dip your hands into or an emergency fund to fall back on. Your rent is due in five days while your paycheck doesn’t get paid for 12 more days. You need cash – fast.

One option you can take to raise the money for your rent is to take out a payday loan.

• A payday loan is a short term, unsecured loan you can take out with the expectation to repay with your next paycheck.
• You can use Payday loan online services to get fast cash to handle emergencies and unexpected expenses.
• Use short term loan comparison websites like moneezy.com to discover deals from lenders.

What is a payday loan?

A payday loan is essentially a short term, unsecured loan you take out against your next paycheck.

Think of it as a cash advancement which you pay back once your paycheck comes in. As a short-term loan, you repay the debt within a couple of weeks, usually not more than four weeks.

The loan amount is typically small, usually not more than R8000 depending on the lender, and other personal economic factors. A payday loan is intended to provide emergency cash to tide you till the next paycheck drops. However, the annualized interest rates on these types of loans are often high. You’ll find some lenders charge up to 400 per cent of the initial loan amount.

How does a payday loan in South Africa work?

The payday loan application is simple, fast, and straightforward. You don’t need to sign a ton of paperwork, nor your creditworthiness scrutinized before your application is approved. Many lenders also support online applications via their websites, which is easy, fast and simple.

Here are the typical steps to get a payday loan:

Step 1: Go to a payday loan lender’s website to complete their payday loan online application.

Step 2: Decide how much money you need and when you want to repay.

Step 3: Fill in personal information in the online application, such as your name, valid contacts and employment information.

Step 4: Wait for the lender to verify your income. Usually, this doesn’t require more than an hour.

Step 5: Obtain your loan directly into your verified bank account once your loan application is approved.

As you can see, the loan application process is simple. Which means you don’t have to worry about a long, tedious process to get your loan approved.

How is payday loan in South Africa different from other loans?

First, the product, a online payday loan with instant approval, is offered by payday lenders, financial companies that advance cash to customers without asking for collaterals.

Second, you can take out a online payday loans with no credit check and instant approval in South Africa regardless of your credit card score. Whether you have bad credit ratings or no credit ratings at all payday lenders can still advance you some cash.

The loan amount is usually small compared to other types of loans. You can request a cash advance for as little as R500. Though, the maximum amount is capped at R8000 for most lenders. Repayment period is normally up to 6 months, but you can choose it yourself, depending on how much you intend to borrow.

That said, what’s the eligibility requirement for a Payday loan?

Eligibility for a cash advance is usually set by the lender; though in Southern Africa, it is regulated by the NCR. Therefore, you may want to check each lender’s requirements to be sure you qualify before applying.

Note that these criteria are set by the lenders to ensure you’re able to repay the loan. And, also as a form of responsible lending best practices put in place to protect you from ruining yourself financially. The credit providers are also obligated to conduct proper affordability assessments before granting credit.

These requirements are not set to discriminate or exclude you from getting the loan, but to protect those individuals who cannot afford to pay back the loan and are at risk of financial difficulties.

Here are some of the general requirements you must fulfill to qualify for a Payday loan:

• Must be 18 and above – Lenders expect you to be at least 18. This way, they are sure you’re fully informed and able to take responsibility for your financial position.
  But, regardless of your age, whether 18 or 50, you can apply for and get approved for a quick cash advance.
• Must have a proof of income – You must have some guarantees that you can repay the loan. A proof of income or a bank account summary is usually sufficient to pass this requirement.
• Active South African bank account – you must have an active bank, credit union or prepaid card account.
• South African residence – you must be a resident in South Africa and a valid address.
• Valid cellphone number and email address – During the application process, you’ll be asked to provide an active mobile number and email. This is needed to be able to inform you when your application is approved.
• SA ID number – Some lenders can also require you to provide your SSN and/or your TIN. This is also to secure that you will be able to repay the loan to the lenders and to verify your identity.
  The contacts are used to verify your information; plus, to keep in touch with you throughout your loan term.

If you meet all the requirements above, you can go ahead to apply for a Payday loan.

However, it is essential to keep in mind that satisfying all requirements doesn’t necessarily mean you’d get approved for the loan. It merely means your application can now be considered.

For instance, some online lenders require additional verification. The process involves checking your credit file and conducting an affordability assessment to be sure you can afford to repay the loan when approved.

Most customers, after getting approved for a Payday loan, soon find out they still need to apply for additional credits. Now, the question is:

Is it possible to apply for another Payday loan after getting approved for one?

This depends on the individual lender, as well as your economic situation. Therefore, it might be good to check the eligibilities on the individual lender websites. Normally you first have to show that you’re capable of repaying both the loans.

Another important thing you need to know when applying for a Payday loan is how much it costs in money terms.

How much does it cost to take a Payday loan online in South Africa?

There are quite a few fees required to pay in order to be able to have a loan. Most of the providers have following fees, which are regulated by the South African NCR:

• Initiation fee: levied on every transaction. Max. R150 + 10% of any loans exceeding R1000
• Monthly interest: max. 5% of loan
• Service fee: max. R50 per month

In case you want to extend the loan, the borrower does not incur an additional initiation fee the months you cannot pay. However, several roll-overs might affect your credit rating. Also you have to pay for both the monthly interest and the service fee meanwhile in that period.

Another option when you cannot afford to pay back a certain month, is to refinance your loan(s). This might be easier in South Africa, than in other countries, as the payday lenders do not perform credit checks. However, you have to pay a new, additional initiation fee.

To prevent yourself from being involved in a bad cycle with additional fees and costs, it is essential that you are sure you will be able to repay the loan, before you decide to take a loan.

How to find the cheapest Payday loans?

Each Payday loan lender calculates how much to charge you differently. Thankfully, there are online payday loan comparison sites you can use to compare deals from different providers.

Though, at the center of the calculations for each lender are two terms you should familiarize yourself with the annual percentage rate (APR) and total payable cost.

APR is the total interest and cost you would have paid for your loan in a year. It calculates the cost of borrowing money for 12 months — a term, significantly longer than Payday, which is typically 30 days. APR is developed to calculate interest rates for long term loans, which makes it particularly unsuitable when calculating the interests for short term loans, and might appear a lot higher than the APR of a long term loan.

As mentioned earlier, a payday loan is a short term loan, with a low loan amount. Therefore, it might take a shorter time to repay the loan compared to a long term loan, with a much greater loan amount.

To get a clear picture of how much you’d pay for a loan, look at the ‘total payable cost.’ It's precise, accurate and provides you with the actual cost of the loan, and takes the repayment period into account.

Are there risks involved in taking a Payday loan?

As with every other credit facility, you’re advised to conduct your due diligence and be sure you are well-informed about the particular loan you are applying for before signing the dotted lines.

That said, Payday loans, just like other short-term loans, have high-interest rates and short repayment terms. Hence, be sure you can repay the loan before applying.

Here are some advantages of a Payday loan:

• Payday loans are a fast, hassle-free way to get cash when you’re caught short before the next paycheck arrives.
• You don’t have to queue in the bank hall when applying for the loan.
• No lengthy, tedious paperwork to complete.
• You get instant feedback on your loan application status usually within the same day.

Finally, applying for a quick loan is a pretty fast way to get cash to tide you over, sort an emergency even if you have bad credit or no credit rating at all.