practical tips

DebiCheck Mandate: What Your Bank Is Asking You to Approve, and When to Decline

DebiCheck Mandate: What Your Bank Is Asking You to Approve, and When to Decline

A DebiCheck request is your bank asking you to confirm a new debit order once, before the first collection. What to check, how long you have to answer, and why declining is not the same as cancelling.

Proof of Residence in South Africa: What Counts, and How to Get One With No Bill in Your Name

Open an account

Proof of Residence in South Africa: What Counts, and How to Get One With No Bill in Your Name

A proof of residence is a recent document with your name and home address on it. Here is what counts in South Africa, who accepts what, and what to do when no bill is in your name.

Garnishee Order on Your Payslip: What It Means, the 25% Limit and How to Get It Reduced

Garnishee Order on Your Payslip: What It Means, the 25% Limit and How to Get It Reduced

A garnishee order lets a creditor take part of your pay through your employer. We follow one worker's payslip back to the court: what the words mean, the 25% limit and how an order gets reduced.

Can You Reverse a Debit Order? DebiCheck, the 60-Day Rule and Where Each Bank Puts the Button

Can You Reverse a Debit Order? DebiCheck, the 60-Day Rule and Where Each Bank Puts the Button

Most debit orders can be disputed within 60 calendar days, but a DebiCheck you approved usually can't. What changed in April 2026, how stop, dispute and cancel differ, and where each big bank puts the button.

Mashonisa Loans in South Africa: What They Really Cost, the WhatsApp Trap, and Your Legal Options

Mashonisa Loans in South Africa: What They Really Cost, the WhatsApp Trap, and Your Legal Options

A mashonisa charges R30 to R50 a month on every R100. What that costs against the legal maximum, why WhatsApp lenders ask for a fee first, what the law says about your ID or SASSA card, and where a legal small loan comes from.

Micro Loans in South Africa: What a Micro Lender Can Legally Charge, in Rands

Micro Loans in South Africa: What a Micro Lender Can Legally Charge, in Rands

A micro loan's price is capped by law. The maximum a micro lender can charge on R2,000 to R8,000, worked out in rands, how to check a lender on the NCR register, and why a loan shark can't keep your ID or SASSA card.

How to Improve Your Credit Score in South Africa: Naledi's Six-Month Plan, and What Actually Works Fast

How to Improve Your Credit Score in South Africa: Naledi's Six-Month Plan, and What Actually Works Fast

Turned down for a phone contract, Naledi pulled all four credit reports, found one wrong line, fixed it for free, and then did the boring things. What moved her score in weeks, what took months, and how to build a score when your file is empty.

Loans Without a Bank Statement or Payslip in South Africa: What the Law Actually Asks For

Loans Without a Bank Statement or Payslip in South Africa: What the Law Actually Asks For

Registered lenders must verify income — but a 2018 court ruling scrapped the rigid three-payslips-or-three-statements list. What lenders can accept instead, why cash earners get stuck, and how to read the ads that promise no statement and no credit check.

Which Banks Have PayShap and How to Switch It On

Which Banks Have PayShap and How to Switch It On

Every bank live on PayShap in one table, the switch-on pattern that is the same everywhere, and your honest options if your bank — or your wallet — isn't on the network.

ITC Check and "Blacklisting" in South Africa (2026): What They Really Mean, How to Check for Free, and Your Honest Loan Options

ITC Check and "Blacklisting" in South Africa (2026): What They Really Mean, How to Check for Free, and Your Honest Loan Options

"ITC" is a bureau's old name and "blacklisting" is a myth. Here is what is actually on your credit report, how long each entry lasts, the three free exits, and why "guaranteed loans for blacklisted" are a warning sign.

How to Check Your Credit Score in South Africa (2026): Free Routes to All Four Bureaus

How to Check Your Credit Score in South Africa (2026): Free Routes to All Four Bureaus

The route map for checking your credit score in South Africa: your free annual right under the NCA, what you'll need, step-by-step routes to TransUnion, Experian, XDS (Splendi) and Consumer Profile Bureau, which bureau to check first, what score apps really show, and how to spot a fake "ITC check".

Credit Bureaus in South Africa (2026): The Full List, Your Free Report, and How to Dispute an Error

Credit Bureaus in South Africa (2026): The Full List, Your Free Report, and How to Dispute an Error

South Africa has 53 registered credit bureaus, not four. Who they are, which ones lenders actually query, where the data comes from, how to get your free report from each, and how to dispute an error in 20 business days.

S

SOLmateYour digital wallet