How to read GBP to USD
GBP to USD is the number of USD (US Dollar) that 1 GBP (British Pound) buys. The opposite direction is USD to GBP.
The European Central Bank publishes its reference rates against the euro, so GBP to USD is a cross rate, derived from the two published figures for GBP and USD. The rate for this pair is (USD per EUR) ÷ (GBP per EUR).
Who converts GBP to USD
Pounds to dollars is used by UK residents who travel to or shop in the United States, by exporters, by people with US-based income and by investors in American assets. The pair is sometimes called cable among traders, a nickname that goes back to the telegraph cable that once carried the rate across the Atlantic. For everyday users the main question is how far a pound budget stretches in dollars.
Facts about this pair
- GBP is ISO 4217 code 826 and USD is code 840; the three letter codes are what the converter and the ECB use to tell currencies apart.
- Both currencies are written with 2 decimal places in ISO 4217, so a result in USD is rounded to 2 decimal places.
- The reverse pair is the reciprocal: the USD to GBP rate is 1 divided by the GBP to USD rate, apart from rounding.
Prices in the United Kingdom include value added tax, while American shelf prices exclude sales tax. When a British shopper compares a UK price with a US one, a straight conversion makes the American price look lower than the final bill will be. Add the local tax to the converted figure for a fair comparison.
The British Pound and the US Dollar
| Detail | British Pound | US Dollar |
|---|---|---|
| ISO code | GBP | USD |
| Symbol | £ | $ |
| Central bank | The Bank of England | The Federal Reserve System |
| Minor unit | penny (plural pence), 1/100 of the main unit | cent, 1/100 of the main unit |
| Used in | The United Kingdom, plus the Crown Dependencies and some overseas territories | The United States and its territories, and it is official or widely used in some other economies such as Ecuador and El Salvador |
Sterling is one of the oldest currencies still in use. It is the most widely held reserve currency, and many commodities, including crude oil, are priced in it.
Getting a fair rate on GBP to USD
Many UK travel cards and some current accounts charge no fee on foreign spending, while others add a percentage. Check your card terms and compare its effective rate with the reference rate here to see what the card really costs.
Before a trip to the United States, check whether your bank charges for using a debit card abroad and whether there is a daily limit on ATM withdrawals. Americans tip often in restaurants and for services, and sales tax is added at the till, so the amount you pay is higher than the sticker price. Converting a realistic daily budget with this page gives you a better plan than converting prices one at a time.
A figure such as dollars per pound is above one when sterling is worth more than a dollar. Make sure you know which direction a quote is written in before comparing two sources.
Where the rate comes from
The rate loads in your browser from Frankfurter, which republishes European Central Bank reference rates. They are published on working days for information only, and a bank is not obliged to deal at them. If the service cannot be reached the page shows no number, except a rate saved in your browser within six hours, marked as cached. How the rates work is explained on the currency pairs page. Nothing here is financial advice.
FAQ
What does GBP to USD mean?
It is the number of US dollars you receive for one British pound. Multiply a pound amount by the rate to get dollars.
Why is GBP to USD called cable?
Traders use that nickname because the rate used to be transmitted by a telegraph cable under the Atlantic. The name is still common in trading circles.
Is the pound rate here the one my travel card uses?
Not necessarily. Card networks and issuers use their own rates and fees. This page shows the mid-market ECB reference rate for comparison.
How do I check the recent trend?
The chart above shows the last month of published rates, and the text under it lists the lowest, highest and latest values with the percentage change.
More currency pairs
Other pairs on this site, each with its own latest rate and notes:
- USD to GBP: the same exchange read the other way.
- GBP to EUR: another way to spend GBP.
- AUD to USD: another route into USD.
- EUR to USD: another route into USD.
- CNY to USD: another route into USD.
- JPY to USD: another route into USD.
- CAD to USD: another route into USD.
- EUR to GBP: a related pair.
- All currency pairs: the full list.
- Currency converter: choose any two of the supported currencies.