Borrowing
Loans and Credit Options for People with Bad Credit in South Africa
This comparison found no trustworthy direct loan that promises approval because of a weak credit record. Capitec, Nedbank and Letsatsi remain ordinary credit assessments. CreditBar and Kredio say a lower credit score is not an automatic rejection. That is still an assessment, and approval is not guaranteed.
A registered credit provider does not have to approve you. Being under debt review restricts new credit. This page does not describe a way around an affordability assessment. Each card shows the date that product was checked.
Why these cards are not bad-credit specialists
Capitec and Nedbank personal loans assess a credit profile and affordability. The published product pages say not to advertise them as bad-credit loans that are approved. A past arrears record can mean a decline or a higher lawful cost. It is not evidence that the bank has a specialist bad-credit product.
Letsatsi’s debt consolidation and credit-repair pathway is a related product. It is not a verified offer of borrowing for blacklisted applicants. Credit repair adverts that promise to delete an accurate record are a separate warning: use the bureau dispute process for wrong information.
CreditBar and Kredio are included only because their own pages say a lower score can still be assessed. They do not offer a no-credit-check loan, and they do not say a person under debt review will be approved. Loans without a payslip are not a category on this page. Some providers accept other income evidence, such as bank statements. That still leaves the affordability assessment in place.
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.
Ordinary credit, not a bad-credit specialist
No specialist bad-credit loan was confirmed. A provider that considers a lower score still has to assess the application.
Capitec
Personal Loan (credit-profile assessed)
General-purpose credit
Not a specialist bad-credit product. Approval is not guaranteed.
- Amount
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- 12–84 months
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Example initiation R1,207.50.
- Monthly service fee
- Example R69/month.
- Credit insurance
- Required credit-life cover.
Eligibility. Credit profile and affordability assessed Acceptance of a weak credit record is not verified.
- Established published loan product
- Personalised assessment
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
CreditBar
Online Short-Term Loan (imperfect-credit applicants considered)
Direct credit provider
Applications with an imperfect credit history may be considered, subject to assessment. Approval is not guaranteed.
- 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. Full credit and affordability assessment; lower score not automatic rejection An imperfect credit history may be considered, subject to assessment. Approval is not guaranteed.
- Lower credit score not automatic rejection
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Kredio
Online Personal Loan (low credit score considered)
Direct credit provider
Applications with an imperfect credit history may be considered, subject to assessment. Approval is not guaranteed.
- 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. Provider states lower credit score is not automatic rejection; full affordability checks An imperfect credit history may be considered, subject to assessment. Approval is not guaranteed.
- Consideration of imperfect-credit applicants
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Letsatsi Finance
Debt Consolidation / Credit Repair
General-purpose credit
Not a specialist bad-credit product. Approval is not guaranteed.
- 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 checks and affordability apply Acceptance of a weak credit record is not verified.
- Offers debt-management pathways
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Nedbank
Personal Loan (credit-profile assessed)
General-purpose credit
Not a specialist bad-credit product. Approval is not guaranteed.
- 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
- Initiation fee applies.
- Monthly service fee
- Monthly service fee applies.
- Credit insurance
- Provider accepts qualifying own cover.
Eligibility. Income, credit profile and affordability assessed Acceptance of a weak credit record is not verified.
- Online illustrative repayments and transparent cost components
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Compare selected products
Choose up to three. This view does not rank a cheapest or best product, and it does not estimate an instalment.
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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
Your credit report
Ask the credit bureau for your own file and dispute information that is wrong before you pay anyone to “clean” it.
Affordability
Income, living expenses and existing instalments all count. A job on its own is not an approval.
Distress
If current agreements are already unaffordable, talk to a registered debt counsellor. New credit can breach a debt-review arrangement.
What a weak record does not change
Interest, initiation fees, service fees and credit life still have to be disclosed in a quotation. This page does not contain a separate “bad credit” rate for Capitec or Nedbank, so no such rate is shown.
Several applications in a short period are visible to the next provider. A decline is information. It is not a reason to move to an unregistered lender.
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
Do any listed providers explicitly accept bad-credit applicants?
CreditBar and Kredio say a lower credit score is not an automatic rejection. Applications with an imperfect credit history may be considered, subject to assessment. Capitec, Nedbank and Letsatsi do not publish that statement. None of them guarantees approval.
Can I get a loan while under debt review?
New credit is restricted during debt review. This page does not list a provider as willing to lend in that situation.
Why was I declined if I have income?
Expenses, existing debit orders and the bureau file sit next to income. The provider does not have to say yes.
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.
Short-term loans
Smaller amounts and shorter contracts.
Emergency loans
The same short products, read as a once-off bill.
Debt consolidation
One new loan in place of several. Not debt review.
Student loans
Bank study loans and the NSFAS loan scheme.