Some people invest in furniture, some in houses and some in expensive cars. But then you get people who’d rather ‘invest’ in experiences or travel opportunities. A new South African startup, Wunderlust, allows users to pay off flight tickets over six or twelve months.

According to its website, Wunderlust is a registered credit provider in SA, and will give users the option to pay off flight tickets before or even after their departure date. To apply for credit through its website, users would need to be over 18 years old and have a good credit score. Obviously, you’ll have to complete an application that will be screened by the company.

Wunderlust on credit

It’s an interesting concept, and we’re convinced middle-class South Africans will lap this up. It’s already challenging to travel outside of SA on a budget when you’re paid in rands. But people would have to manage their finances and budget well enough, as missing a payment isn’t really an option.

Failing to pay your instalments will result similarly to any other long-term credit scenario — you’ll simply be blacklisted, according to the site’s FAQs. You’ll also shell out for some additional costs, like an initiation fee (to set up your booking), a monthly admin fee and that annoying dash of interest, calculated between 10-27% based on the current ZA Repo Rate. This will depend on your credit profile, of course.

After you sign up on the website, you’ll be able to search for flights, apply for approval (this is where they do the credit check), and pay the deposit. After this, you’ll set up a debit order for your monthly payments. Instalments can be paid off before and after the departure date or even after your return date. Basically, you just have to pay it off sometime.

With Wunderlust, you’re not just paying for an aeroplane ticket — you’re paying for a service over a period of time. It has already partnered with big-name airlines like Qantas, Emirates and AirFrance for international flights, and Kulula for national flights.