Don’t have your Nedbank ID yet?
Nedbank ID single sign-on gives you full digital access to Nedbank’s banking and lifestyle products and services on the Money app or Online Banking.
Log in
Log in to Online Banking or another one of our secured services.
Bank how and when you choose to, with the low fees or extra benefits you want.
Shop online or instore and earn rewards for it, with up to 55 days interest-free credit.
Buy foreign banknotes, transfer funds or shop globally with a travel card.
Great interest rates, with great flexibility and access to your money when you need it.
Personalised interest rates for affordable loans from R2,000 to R300,000.
Loan up to 100% of the property value or up to 105% if you are a first-time home buyer.
Choose a plan for yourself, family or build your own cover to suit your needs.
Get cover for your car, building, house contents, valuables and more.
Cover your bond, credit card, overdraft, loan and car repayments.
Choose a plan for yourself, family or build your own cover to suit your needs.
Take the right steps to achieve your financial goals with expert financial planning.
Plan for everything you own and owe, so your estate is in order when you’re gone.
Accounts
-
Everyday banking Safety, convenience and rewards
-
Youth banking For under 16s, or under 25s
-
Accounts -
Digital wallet Your phone is your bank account
-
Private Wealth The globally integrated account
-
Goal saving Easy access to interest earned
Credit cards
Digital banking
Switch to Nedbank
Fraud awareness
Forex
Rewards
Accounts
-
On demand Money available at any time
-
In 24 hours Cash in your hand the next day
-
In 32 days Funds ready within a month
-
End of term Investments left until maturity
Investment services
Share trading
Personal loans
Home loans
Student loans
Overdrafts
Vehicle finance
Solar finance
Life cover
Funeral cover
Short term insurance
Credit Life
Travel insurance
Is your business covered?
Secure Investments
Financial planning
Estate, wills & trust services
Nedbank Private Wealth
Speak to a financial adviser
Blog
Talk to us
Find us
- Login & Register
- Online Banking
- Online Share Trading
- NetBank Business
- NedFleet
- Nedbank Greenbacks
- Nedgroup Investments
- Nedbank ID
- Bank
- Accounts
- Credit cards
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Rewards
- Explore Bank
- Accounts
- Everyday banking
- Youth banking
- Accounts
- Digital wallet
- Private Wealth
- Goal saving
- See all accounts
- Get help choosing
- Family Banking
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- FAQ
- How-to guides
- Everyday banking
- MiGoals Premium
- MiGoals Plus
- MiGoals
- Discontinued accounts
- Youth banking
- Nedbank4Me
- Digital wallet
- MobiMoney
- Private Wealth
- Private Wealth Bundle
- Goal saving
- MyPocket
- American Express
- Amex Gold
- Amex Platinum
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Send and receive
- Rewards
- Save & Invest
- Accounts
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Explore Save & Invest
- On demand
- Club
- Money Market
- Stokvel
- In 24 hours
- JustInvest
- PlatinumInvest
- Tax-free Savings
- MoneyTrader
- EasyAccess Fixed Deposit
- PrimeSelect
- In 32 days
- Electronic 32Day Notice
- 32Day Notice
- End of term
- Tax-free Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Optimum Plus
- Platinum Fixed Deposit
- Fixed Deposit
- OptimumPlus
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Borrow
- Personal loans
- Home loans
- Student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Explore Borrow
- Personal loans
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Explore loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Home loans
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Explore home loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Track application
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Student loans
- Explore student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Insure
- Life cover
- Funeral cover
- Short term insurance
- Credit Life
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Explore Insure
- Life cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover life
- Funeral cover
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Credit Life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Get a call back
- Explore credit life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Plan
- Financial planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Explore Plan
- Financial planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Learn
- Blog
- Explore Learn
- Blog
- Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
- Explore Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
Use your credit card to build your credit score
Use your credit card to build your credit score
Staff writer
Posted 03/12/2021 Updated 08/08/2023 2 mins
Simple steps to improve your overall debt position, just by using your credit card.
You might not be aware that you have a credit score, which influences your ability to get affordable credit. Take 2 minutes to read up about it – it’s time well spent.
How much credit you use matters
One of the key measures that contributes to your credit score is your credit-use ratio. This measures how much of your available credit you are currently using. So, if your credit card limit is R10,000 and you are struggling to use less than R8,000 of this limit, this can have a negative impact on your credit score. A good rule of thumb is to use 30% or less of the credit you have available on your credit card.
It’s all in the timing
It may sometimes feel like maintaining a ratio of 30% or less is impossible. But here’s how you can get closer to that number, even if only temporarily.
The idea is to lower your debt ratio, which is the ratio credit bureaus use to measure your level of debt, when you get your monthly statement, which is usually on a set date every month. If you have a bit of extra money, you can also save on interest by making a double payment or paying more than the minimum amount.
Managing your debt is one of life’s responsibilities that you get better at the more you do it
The trick is to make an extra payment a couple of days before your payment due date. In other words, you would make your usual payment after receiving your statement, and then another payment just before the next statement is issued.
What this does, is lower your debt ratio at the time your statement is issued. This strategy does rely on you having enough to make double payments every month. But if you can afford that, it will save you interest in the long run while boosting your credit score.
Other strategies
There are a few other ways to improve your credit score. This next strategy is based on establishing a track record of consistently paying bills and managing your debt.
If you do not qualify for a credit card, get a secured or prepaid credit card. As the name suggests, you deposit your money into the card, which you can then use like a normal credit card. And when you do use the card, you then make monthly payments to restore the ‘credit’ on the card to the original balance.
Lastly, you can ask for your credit limit to be raised. Not only will you have more credit in case of emergencies, but a higher limit will lower your credit-use ratio.
Here’s how it works: If you had a R10,000 balance on a card with a R25,000 credit line, then your credit-use ratio would be 40% – too high for comfort. By doing nothing more than raising your credit limit to R30,000 or R35,000, your credit ratio drops to 33% or 29% respectively.
Whether you can raise your limit, of course, depends on your credit score and the bank’s assessment of your ability to pay back a larger amount – even if you’re never planning to use the full credit limit you are given.
Managing your debt is one of life’s responsibilities that you get better at the more you do it. Arm yourself with knowledge about debt, and your credit card will become a tool you can use to improve your life.
Nedbank has a variety of credit-card options. Find the one that best suits your personal circumstances.