SOLmate Blog

No more queueing at the garage for electricity. Your meter number plus any phone equals a prepaid token in about three minutes — and if the app charges you nothing for it, a year of top-ups costs exactly what the electricity costs. Here's the whole process.

A standard EFT costs a few rand and takes 1–2 business days; an instant payment lands in minutes and costs several times more. Here's how both actually work, when the speed premium is worth paying — and when it's money down the drain.

Monthly fees, ATM fees, deposit fees, "immediate payment" premiums, SMS charges — South African bank statements hide a dozen different fee types. Here's what each one means, how to find yours, and how to compare any two fee tables in ten minutes.

Lost your card, waiting for one, or never wanted one? In South Africa you can get cash at supermarket tills and ATMs with nothing but your phone. Three routes, exact fees, and the one-hour rule that protects your money.

There is no single "best" money transfer app — but there are six checks that separate a good one from an expensive mistake: licence, upfront quote, fee model, payout methods, documents and support. Here's the full checklist.

Banks average 9.5% per transfer, digital channels 3.65 — and the biggest cost usually hides in the exchange rate, not the fee. Five ways to send money from South Africa, compared honestly.