How to read USD to GBP
USD to GBP is the number of GBP (British Pound) that 1 USD (US Dollar) buys. The opposite direction is GBP to USD.
The European Central Bank publishes its reference rates against the euro, so USD to GBP is a cross rate, derived from the two published figures for USD and GBP. The rate for this pair is (GBP per EUR) ÷ (USD per EUR).
Who converts USD to GBP
Dollars into pounds is a pair that travellers, students, expatriates and businesses use constantly. Americans visiting London or Edinburgh, UK residents buying from US websites, people moving between the two countries and companies with customers on both sides all convert this pair. Sterling is among the most traded currencies, so quotes are widely available and the gap between the reference rate and a good provider's rate can be small.
Facts about this pair
- USD is ISO 4217 code 840 and GBP is code 826; 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 GBP is rounded to 2 decimal places.
- The reverse pair is the reciprocal: the GBP to USD rate is 1 divided by the USD to GBP rate, apart from rounding.
The US Dollar and the British Pound
| Detail | US Dollar | British Pound |
|---|---|---|
| ISO code | USD | GBP |
| Symbol | $ | £ |
| Central bank | The Federal Reserve System | The Bank of England |
| Minor unit | cent, 1/100 of the main unit | penny (plural pence), 1/100 of the main unit |
| Used in | The United States and its territories, and it is official or widely used in some other economies such as Ecuador and El Salvador | The United Kingdom, plus the Crown Dependencies and some overseas territories |
It is the most widely held reserve currency, and many commodities, including crude oil, are priced in it. Sterling is one of the oldest currencies still in use.
Getting a fair rate on USD to GBP
For larger transfers, ask a bank or specialist transfer service for the exact amount of pounds that will arrive, not just the rate, because fees are sometimes taken out of the sent or the received amount. Dividing pounds received by dollars sent gives your effective rate to compare with the reference rate on this page.
Britain is largely card-driven, and contactless payment is accepted almost everywhere, so a card with a good foreign exchange rate usually does more of the work than cash. If you need to pay a UK landlord or university, ask whether they accept dollars directly or only pounds, and whether they quote a fixed pound amount, so that you know the exact figure before you send.
A pound is divided into pence, and prices may be quoted in pence in some contexts, such as fuel or small items. Make sure you are converting pounds, not pence, before you enter an amount.
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 USD to GBP mean?
It is the number of British pounds you receive for one US dollar. Multiply a dollar amount by the rate to get the pound amount.
Is the dollar to pound rate here a live price?
No. It is the European Central Bank reference rate for the latest working day, with its date shown. It is not a tick-by-tick quote and not a price you can trade at.
Why do I get fewer pounds than the page shows?
Providers earn money by adding a margin to the mid-market rate or by charging a fee. The amount shown here has neither, so real transactions usually return a little less.
Can I see how the rate moved recently?
Yes. The chart above covers about the last month of published reference rates, with text giving the lowest, highest and latest values and the percentage change.
More currency pairs
Other pairs on this site, each with its own latest rate and notes:
- GBP to USD: the same exchange read the other way.
- USD to EUR: another way to spend USD.
- USD to JPY: another way to spend USD.
- USD to CAD: another way to spend USD.
- USD to MXN: another way to spend USD.
- USD to AUD: another way to spend USD.
- USD to INR: another way to spend USD.
- USD to PHP: another way to spend USD.
- All currency pairs: the full list.
- Currency converter: choose any two of the supported currencies.