Currency Converter

How It Works

Enter an amount, pick two currencies, done. The swap button (↔) flips them if you need to go the other direction.

Compare mode lets you check one amount in up to 10 currencies at once - good for figuring out which country your money goes furthest or comparing prices from different sites.

Rates here update daily, usually accurate within 1-2% of what you'd actually get.

Exchange Rates Explained

The Basics

Exchange rate = how much one currency costs in another. So 1 USD = 0.85 EUR means every dollar gets you 85 euro cents.

Rates change every day. Sometimes every minute. Here's what moves them:

Economic data - jobs reports, GDP numbers, inflation stats. When the US economy looks strong, dollars usually get more expensive.

Central bank moves. Interest rate changes especially. If the Fed raises rates, people want dollars to earn that higher interest, so dollar strengthens.

Politics - elections, new policies, trade deals, or the lack of them. Brexit hammered the pound for years.

Stuff happening - wars, pandemics, financial crises. When things go sideways people run to USD or JPY.

Market speculation too. Traders betting billions on what happens next, which actually makes it happen.

Mid-Market vs What You'll Actually Pay

The rates here? They're mid-market rates - the real wholesale rate banks trade with each other. When you exchange cash in real life you pay more.

How much more depends on method. Credit card with no foreign fee usually adds 1% or less. ATMs abroad are 1-3% markup plus your bank might charge $3-5. Bank wires run 3-5%. Airport booths? 8-15% (total scam).

So this calculator says 100 USD = 85 EUR, but you'll actually get like 83-84 EUR after everyone takes their cut.

How Rates Are Written

USD/EUR = 0.92 means 1 dollar = 92 euro cents. First currency is always 1, second is what you get.

Flip it backwards and you get EUR/USD = 1.087 - same info, different angle. Some people think in dollars per euro, others in euros per dollar, whatever makes sense to you.

Currency Pairs People Actually Use

USD/EUR gets traded more than any other pair. Huge economies, tons of businesses doing conversions daily. Most liquid pair on the planet.

USD/GBP - pound usually runs higher than the dollar, somewhere around $1.20-1.40 per pound depending on when you look.

USD/JPY uses bigger numbers. One dollar = roughly 110-150 yen. Japan exports so much to the US this one's heavily watched.

EUR/GBP matters for EU-UK trade post-Brexit. Pound's typically a bit stronger.

USD/CNY - with China making half the stuff the world buys this gets serious attention.

Safe Haven Currencies

When the world's freaking out about wars, pandemics, crashes, whatever - certain currencies get stronger because investors pile in.

USD is the main one. Most liquid currency, backed by the biggest economy. When chaos hits, everyone wants dollars.

Japanese yen and Swiss franc also work as safe havens. Low interest rates, stable governments, not going anywhere.

Meanwhile Australian dollar, Brazilian real, South African rand - these get hammered when panic hits. Riskier economies, export-driven.

Commodity Currencies

Some currencies basically track commodity prices. Canada exports tons of oil and gas, so when oil prices go up the Canadian dollar usually strengthens. Australia ships iron ore, coal, gold - Aussie dollar follows those prices. New Zealand's all about dairy and agriculture. Norway's another oil play.

Not a perfect correlation but reliable enough that traders watch commodity prices to predict where these currencies are headed.

Don't Get Ripped Off on Exchange Rates

For Travelers

If you're traveling, use a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees for your purchases. Capital One and Discover don't charge them. Lots of travel cards don't either. You'll get within 1% of the mid-market rate plus you get fraud protection if your card gets stolen.

For cash hit an ATM once you land. Yeah your bank charges $3-5 per withdrawal but that beats losing 8-15% at an airport exchange booth. Just withdraw larger amounts less frequently.

Skip these entirely: Airport exchange desks (8-15% markup, total scam), hotel front desks (7-12% markup), those currency booths in tourist areas (5-10% markup). Also never do a cash advance on your credit card - they charge 5% upfront AND start charging interest immediately, even if you normally pay in full.

Dynamic Currency Conversion - Always Say No

When paying with card abroad the terminal sometimes asks if you want to pay in USD instead of euros (or whatever local currency). Or 'see the charge in your home currency.'

Always refuse. Always pick local currency.

Example: bill is €100, real rate is about $109. DCC offers to charge you $115 for 'convenience.' That convenience cost you $6 which is a 5.5% markup that the merchant or processor keeps. The screen makes it look helpful but you're just agreeing to pay more.

ATMs do this too - always pick 'without conversion' or 'local currency.'

For Big Transfers

Sending $50k to buy property abroad or paying an overseas supplier? Don't use your regular bank.

Banks charge 2-4% markup plus $25-50 wire fee. On $50k that's $1,000-2,000 lost to fees.

Use Wise or OFX or CurrencyFair instead - they charge 0.3-1% with the fees shown upfront. Same $50k transfer might cost $150-500. You save over a grand.

For amounts over $10k definitely compare a few services. Some let you lock in a rate if you need the transfer done later.

When Exchange Rates Matter Most

Buying something expensive abroad? Car, property, whatever - a 5% rate swing is thousands of dollars difference on big purchases.

Freelancing internationally? If you bill clients in foreign currency your income bounces around with exchange rates. Could get paid 10-15% more or less depending on rate moves between when you invoice and when they pay.

Studying abroad for a year - parents sometimes lock in rates months ahead so they know exactly what they're paying. One year of tuition plus living costs can vary by thousands if rates swing.

Retired overseas and living on a fixed USD income in Mexico or Thailand? You watch rates obsessively because when the dollar weakens everything costs more - rent, food, all of it gets more expensive in dollar terms.

Small business importing stuff? Your profit margin can disappear if your currency weakens against your supplier's currency. A 10% move might eat your entire profit.

Mistakes People Make

Not telling your bank you're traveling

You land in Rome, try to buy lunch, card gets declined. You're standing there looking stupid while the waiter watches you try three different cards. All declined because your bank saw foreign transactions and panicked.

Fix: Set a travel notification in your bank app before you leave. Takes 30 seconds. Some banks (Capital One, Discover) don't even need this but most do.

Exchanging back and forth

You convert $1,000 to €920 before your trip (2% fee). Get back with €500 leftover. Convert back to dollars, get $490 (another 2% fee). Should've gotten $543. You lost $53 to double conversion fees - almost 10%.

Better: only convert what you'll actually spend. Use cards when possible so you don't have leftover cash. If you've got €50 left just keep it for next time or eat the small loss - don't convert it back and throw more money away.

"No Commission!" signs

'No commission!' signs are hilarious. Sure they don't charge commission but they build a massive spread into the exchange rate itself. You pay 8% in markup hidden in the rate but hey, no commission, so it looks like a deal.

Always ask what their exchange rate is and check it against mid-market rate on your phone before exchanging anything.

Using the wrong card abroad

Many credit cards charge a 3% foreign transaction fee on every purchase. Spend $5,000 on your trip? That's $150 in unnecessary fees.

Get a no-foreign-fee card before traveling. Plenty of options with no annual fee. You're literally leaving money on the table otherwise.

Common Questions

Are these rates current?

Rates update once daily from the Frankfurter API (which pulls from European Central Bank). Good enough for planning and budgeting but not for active forex trading.

Why's my bank's rate different?

Banks add markup to make money. These are mid-market rates - the real rate banks trade at with each other. You pay 1-5% more depending on whether you're using ATM, credit card, or wire transfer.

Which currency is strongest?

Kuwaiti Dinar usually has the highest value per unit, around $3.25. But 'strongest' is kind of a meaningless question. What actually matters is whether a currency's getting stronger or weaker vs others.

Do weekends affect rates?

Forex markets close on weekends so rates don't really move Saturday and Sunday. All the action happens weekdays when London, New York and Tokyo markets are open.

How often should I check rates for travel?

Check once while planning to get a rough budget. Check again the week before you leave. Unless there's major economic news or a crisis, rates don't swing wildly day to day.

Should I order foreign currency before my trip?

Only if you want a tiny amount ($50-100) for taxi or tips when you land. Your bank charges 1-3% markup and needs 1-2 weeks to order it anyway. Everything else? Just use ATMs abroad. Better rates, way easier.