How the currency exchange rate calculator works
The rate comes from Frankfurter, a free service that republishes the European Central Bank's daily reference rates. When the page opens, or when you change a currency, your browser asks for the latest rate for that pair and the daily rates for the last 30 days. The page then multiplies your amount by the rate. Only the two currency codes travel to the service; the amount you type stays in your browser.
The ECB publishes euro foreign exchange reference rates: each one is an amount of a currency per 1 euro. A pair that starts with the euro is the published figure itself, a pair that ends with the euro is the reciprocal of it, and a pair between two other currencies, such as the US dollar and the Indian rupee, is a cross rate worked out through the euro. The result is a reference rate close to the mid-market, the point between what a seller and a buyer would pay, with no fee or margin added.
How to use the converter
- Type an amount. A single dot or comma is read as the decimal separator (
12.50or12,5). Thousands can be grouped with commas, dots or spaces in groups of three (1,250.50,1.250,50,1 250); when both a dot and a comma appear, the last one is the decimal separator. Indian grouping such as12,34,567works too. An amount that could be read two ways, such as1,500or1.500, or that is grouped wrongly, such as1,5000, is rejected with a message instead of guessed: write1500or1.5. - Pick the From and To currencies. Each option shows the code, the name and the symbol.
- Read the result. The rate, the inverse rate and the rate date appear under it.
- Use the swap button to reverse the direction. The page then loads the rate for the opposite pair.
- Check the chart. It shows the daily reference rates, marks the low, the high and the latest value, and gives the same facts in words and in a table.
Mid-market rate vs what your bank charges
The number on this page is the mid-market rate. It is the benchmark that banks, card networks and transfer services all start from, but you rarely get it. A provider earns money in one or both of two ways: a visible fee, and a margin built into the rate. A service that advertises no fees can still take its cut through the margin.
As an illustration only: if a provider adds a 2% margin to the mid-market rate, then an amount that the reference rate would turn into 1,000 units of the other currency delivers 980 units, before any separate fee. The percentage here is an example, not a quote from any provider.
| Where you convert | How the cost is built | What to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Often a transfer fee plus a margin on the rate | Units received for the amount sent |
| Card payment abroad | The card network's rate, plus a foreign transaction fee at some issuers | The statement amount against this page |
| ATM withdrawal | Network rate, issuer fee and sometimes an ATM operator fee | Cash received against this page |
| Airport or street exchange booth | Buy and sell rates with a wide spread, sometimes a commission | The posted rate against this page |
| Online transfer service | A fee, a margin, or both, stated at checkout | The final amount delivered |
| Paying "in your own currency" at a shop | The merchant's provider chooses the rate | The charged amount against this page |
To find the rate you really got, divide what arrived by what you sent. Compare that figure with the reference rate: the difference is the price of the service.
Reading the one month chart
The chart plots one point for each day the ECB published a rate. Weekends and some holidays have no point, so the line skips them. The vertical axis does not start at zero, which makes small moves look larger than they are, so read the percentage change in the text under the chart before drawing a conclusion. The low is marked with a square, the high with a triangle and the latest value with a circle, each with a label, so the chart does not depend on colour.
Supported currencies
The ECB publishes reference rates for these 30 currencies. Any pair of them can be converted.
| Code | Currency | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
AUD | Australian Dollar | A$ |
BRL | Brazilian Real | R$ |
CAD | Canadian Dollar | C$ |
CHF | Swiss Franc | CHF |
CNY | Chinese Yuan | CN¥ |
CZK | Czech Koruna | Kč |
DKK | Danish Krone | kr |
EUR | Euro | € |
GBP | British Pound | £ |
HKD | Hong Kong Dollar | HK$ |
HUF | Hungarian Forint | Ft |
IDR | Indonesian Rupiah | Rp |
ILS | Israeli New Shekel | ₪ |
INR | Indian Rupee | ₹ |
ISK | Icelandic Krona | kr |
JPY | Japanese Yen | ¥ |
KRW | South Korean Won | ₩ |
MXN | Mexican Peso | MX$ |
MYR | Malaysian Ringgit | RM |
NOK | Norwegian Krone | kr |
NZD | New Zealand Dollar | NZ$ |
PHP | Philippine Peso | ₱ |
PLN | Polish Zloty | zł |
RON | Romanian Leu | lei |
SEK | Swedish Krona | kr |
SGD | Singapore Dollar | S$ |
THB | Thai Baht | ฿ |
TRY | Turkish Lira | ₺ |
USD | US Dollar | $ |
ZAR | South African Rand | R |
Some popular currencies are not on the list, including the Pakistani rupee, UAE dirham, Saudi riyal, Russian rouble, Nigerian naira, Egyptian pound, Vietnamese dong and Bangladeshi taka. The ECB does not publish a reference rate for them, so this converter cannot show one.
Limits and common mistakes
- It is not a live quote. The rate changes once per working day, at around 16:00 Central European Time. Market prices move all day.
- It is not an offer. Nobody has to deal at a reference rate, and the page does not sell currency. It is information, not financial advice.
- Mind the direction. USD to INR is INR per 1 USD. The opposite pair is the reciprocal, not the same number.
- Watch the date. Over a weekend the page shows Friday's rate. If the service is unreachable you get a message and a retry button, never a guessed number.
- Rounding. Results use the minor-unit decimals of ISO 4217 for each currency: whole units for yen, won and Icelandic krona, and two decimals for all others, including the Hungarian forint and Indonesian rupiah, which are rarely shown with decimals in daily life. Very small results get more digits so they do not round to zero.
If you have used the page before, a rate saved in your browser within the last six hours may be shown when the service cannot be reached. It is labelled as cached, with its date, so you can judge it.
Data: Frankfurter, which republishes European Central Bank reference rates. The rates are provided for information only.
Popular currency pairs
These pages cover the pairs people convert most, with notes on who uses each pair and how to avoid overpaying:
- USD to INR
- USD to PHP
- USD to KRW
- USD to EUR
- USD to GBP
- USD to BRL
- USD to CNY
- USD to TRY
- USD to JPY
- USD to CAD
- USD to MXN
- USD to AUD
- AUD to USD
- EUR to USD
- GBP to USD
- CNY to USD
- JPY to USD
- CAD to USD
- EUR to GBP
- GBP to EUR
The currency pages index lists them all.
FAQ
Where do the exchange rates come from?
From the European Central Bank's daily reference rates, served by the free Frankfurter API. The date of the rate is shown with every result.
Is this the live exchange rate?
No. The ECB publishes one reference rate per working day, around 16:00 Central European Time. Live market rates move all day and can differ from it.
Why is my bank's rate worse than the rate here?
This page shows the mid-market rate with no fees. Banks and transfer services add a margin, a fee, or both, so you receive somewhat less of the other currency.
Why is there no rate for the Pakistani rupee or UAE dirham?
The ECB does not publish reference rates for them, and this converter only shows numbers that come from that data. Pages for unsupported currencies would have no honest rate to show.
Does the converter work offline?
No, it needs a connection to fetch the rate. If the request fails you see an error and a retry button. A rate saved in your browser in the last six hours may be shown, marked as cached with its date.
Is my amount sent anywhere?
No. The conversion happens in your browser. The request to the rate service contains only the two currency codes and a date range.
What does the date next to the rate mean?
It is the working day for which the ECB published that rate. On weekends and holidays the latest published date is older than today.
Can I rely on this for a large transfer?
Use it as a benchmark. For a large transfer, ask the provider for the exact amount that will arrive and compare it with the reference rate.