How to read a repayment schedule
What to check before signing a Hong Kong loan: principal, flat rate, APR, fees, number of payments, and total repayment. The only example used is the site’s HK$20,000 illustration.
Find the core figures first
On any schedule, find the principal, how the rate is written, every fee, the term, the amount of each payment, and the total you repay. If one is missing, do not compare by the monthly figure. A longer term can shrink the payment and increase the total.
The only example to set beside it on this website is principal HK$20,000, monthly flat rate 0.052%, 12 months, no handling fee, monthly interest HK$10.4, interest over the year HK$124.8, total repayment HK$20,124.8, APR 1.15%. A different amount or term will not produce HK$124.8 of interest.
Keep both the flat rate and the APR
A monthly flat rate is a simple ratio on the original principal. APR states the time value of interest and other amounts that must be included, using the statutory method. It is usually higher than twelve times the flat rate. The law requires a money lender’s APR not to exceed 48%. Forty-eight percent is the ceiling, not the quote on your page.
If the document states only a monthly rate, and not the APR and the total, ask for both before you consider signing. A number added in conversation has to be in the version you sign, not left in a chat.
See who receives each fee, and when
A handling fee, an administration fee, or any other name you pay should appear on the schedule. An interest-free description with a large fee is understood by subtracting principal from everything you pay. The example’s “no handling fee” belongs only to the example. If your document lists a fee, your document governs.
A fee should not move to a personal account before approval. If it exists, the loan document should state how it is paid. If it is not stated, do not pay it.
The last payment and early repayment are often skipped
Some schedules use the same amount every time. Others adjust the last payment. Read the last payment. Do not assume it matches the first. Find the early-repayment paragraph separately: how interest runs to the repayment date, and whether an extra amount applies. The website example is not a payoff statement.
Late interest should appear in the document, not for the first time on a collection call. If you cannot find the paragraph, ask before you sign.
A secured schedule has to be read with the sale clause
On a second mortgage or owner loan, the schedule is only half the cost. The other half is how the security is enforced and whether the flat can be sold. Showing the family only the schedule, and not showing a solicitor the security terms, means the product has not been read.
A personal loan does not charge a flat, and the total on the schedule still has to fit your income. Either product can be declined. Keep a copy before you sign. Hotline 3622 2934 can help you check whether a document came from this firm. It cannot read the document for you.
Related enquiries
Related guides
Before you read
Warning: you have to repay your loans. Don’t pay any intermediaries.
China Prestige Capital is a licensed Hong Kong money lender, licence 1848/2025. Enquiry and complaint hotline: 3622 2934. We are not a bank and not an SFC-licensed corporation. We do not take deposits or provide securities or asset-management services.
Under the Money Lenders Ordinance, the APR must not exceed 48%. The HK$20,000 example on this site is illustrative only: monthly flat rate 0.052%, APR 1.15%, 12 months, no handling fee, monthly interest HK$10.4, total repayment HK$20,124.8. Your rate, amount, and term are assessed individually and confirmed in writing.
Sending an enquiry, or reading an article, is not an approval. A second mortgage or owner loan is secured on property. Default may lead to enforcement and sale. Obtain your own legal advice before signing any security document.
