Finance without the spin
Every article here is built on numbers we have actually calculated, not on promises. If the result is inconvenient - for the bank, for the market or for us - we still publish it. Because that is what decides how much you really pay.
Worth reading before you decide
Starting with the mistake that most often costs people the most money: confusing the interest rate with the real cost of a loan.
APR or interest rate? Which number really tells you what you will pay
A "0%" loan with a PLN 1,000 fee has an APR of 21.83% - twice as expensive as an honest offer at 10%. We show you how to work it out in a minute.
How a bank really calculates your borrowing capacity
DSTI, the 2.5 pp buffer from Recommendation S (Rekomendacja S) and the credit card you never use that still knocks PLN 66,000 off your borrowing capacity.
Overpay your loan or invest? Let's do the maths honestly
Overpaying is an investment with a guaranteed return, no risk and no Belka tax (Poland's 19% capital gains tax). A deposit would need to pay 9.58% gross to beat it.
Compound interest from scratch: why time matters more than the amount
Ania paid in PLN 60,000, Bartek PLN 180,000. At retirement it is Ania who has PLN 92,435 more. The whole difference comes down to ten years.
Early loan repayment: the bank must give you back part of the fee
CJEU ruling C-383/18 and Art. 49 of the Consumer Credit Act: if you repay early, the bank refunds a proportional part of the fee. But only if you ask for it.
Fixed or declining instalments? Let's work out what convenience costs
Declining instalments save PLN 110,539.41 in interest but cut your borrowing capacity by PLN 109,498.25. There is a third way that beats both options.
BIK: how to check and improve your credit history
No history in BIK (Poland's credit bureau) is not a clean slate but a blank page - and then the bank has nothing to judge you by. The 192-631 point score, demystified.
Payday loans: why an APR of 1000% is not a typo
PLN 1,000 for 30 days with a PLN 220 fee is an APR of 1,023.86%. Even a payday loan fully within the legal limits has an APR of 310.20%. We don't earn from them, so we tell it straight.
A mortgage step by step: from borrowing capacity to the notarial deed
Nine stages and realistic timelines. Plus a table of the extra costs around the loan: for a PLN 600,000 flat that is PLN 18,172 - 29,826 on top of the down payment.
Down payment: how much you really need and where to get it
A 10% down payment instead of 20% on a PLN 600,000 flat costs PLN 85,683 in extra interest. And a cash loan to fund the deposit sets you back another PLN 47,315.
Debt consolidation: when it makes sense and when it just moves the problem
The monthly payment drops from PLN 2,230 to PLN 926, but the cost goes up by PLN 13,264. The same debt over 36 months gives you relief for PLN 818. The term alone makes the difference.
Credit card: how to avoid paying interest
PLN 5,000 repaid at a 3% minimum payment takes 12 years and PLN 5,045 in interest. The same amount at a fixed PLN 250 a month - 25 months and PLN 1,133.
Loan insurance: when it protects you and when it only raises the APR
The same PLN 8,000 premium gives an APR of 11.66% or 11.35% - depending on how the bank adds it on. In the worst case you pay PLN 1,618 in interest on the policy.
Loan agreement: 9 places to look before you sign
A mandatory PLN 15 monthly fee raises the APR by 0.63 pp and the cost by PLN 1,440. Plus 14 days to withdraw and a proportional refund of the fee.
Inflation and your loan: why your payment gets cheaper without getting smaller
An instalment of PLN 2,216.97 in year 25 has the purchasing power of PLN 938.10. Total payments of PLN 665,092 in nominal terms are PLN 445,458 in today's money.
Leasing or a loan for a company car?
Leasing has a monthly payment PLN 329.93 lower and a real cost PLN 3,590.05 higher. Both numbers are true - they answer two different questions.
The PLN 100,000 company car limit from 2026
A combustion-engine car at PLN 150,000 net gives you PLN 8,550 less tax shield over 48 payments, or PLN 178.13 a month - with the same monthly payment. Who it affects and what happens to contracts signed before 2026.
How to read a leasing offer
Three offers for the same car: the lowest payment (PLN 2,405) hides an 8.50% interest rate and a real cost PLN 15,010 higher. And "total payments 106%" can mean 2.36% or 6.21% a year.
Buying out a leased car: low or high buyout, company or private
A 35% buyout instead of 1% cuts the monthly payment by PLN 923.75 but adds PLN 6,659.59 in interest and leaves PLN 52,500 to pay at the end. And why a private buyout ties you down for tax purposes for six years.
You've read it. Now run your own numbers
A guide explains how it works. A calculator plugs in your amount, your interest rate and your repayment period.
APR calculator
Enter the interest rate, fee and insurance - and see the one number you can fairly compare.
Calculate APRBorrowing capacity calculator
A model following the logic of Recommendation S - with the buffer, DSTI and the burden of card limits.
Check your capacityCompound interest
A chart, a year-by-year table, Belka tax and inflation. See what time does to your money.
Open the calculator