What is a payday loan?

Payday loans are unsecured small-sum short-term loans typically for a few hundred dollars. The average payday loan is around $280 for a period of 10 days.

Payday loans are specifically designed to help customers with one-off, unanticipated expenses. A payday loan is not a form of “revolving” credit that keeps a customer in a permanent debt position.

The lender will typically lend up to a specified percentage of a customer’s net pay for a period of 1-14 days, ending on the payday. The borrower writes a post-dated cheque for principle plus interest and fees, dated on the next payday.

To qualify for a payday loan, a customer must be employed and have a bank account.