C
Credit
Credit Score
Your financial reputation boiled down to a number between 0 and 999. The higher you go, the more likely lenders will approve you and give you a better interest rate. Build it by paying on time, don't tank it by missing payments or taking on too much debt.
Usage Examples
"Bongani's credit score was 580 when he checked — poor. He paid down his store card balances from R15,000 to R3,000 and didn't miss a single payment for 12 months. His score jumped to 710. That bump meant Capitec offered him 21% instead of 28%."
"Thandi's score was 720, which got her decent rates everywhere — FNB approved her at 19% APR within 48 hours. Her friend Andile, with a 580 score, got rejected by the same bank then approved by Wonga at 36% APR. Same product, vastly different outcomes."
"Nomsa used a credit score simulator and saw that settling her outstanding debts would push her from 650 to 750. That 100-point jump would save her roughly 3-4% on interest rates across all her products. Enough reason to push hard to settle."