Currency Converter
Convert between 13 major currencies using the daily reference exchange rate, updated once a day.
Fetching exchange rate…
Estimate calculated from the numbers you entered. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice — always consult a qualified professional before making significant financial decisions.
What this currency converter calculates
This tool converts an amount between two currencies using the daily reference exchange rate, across 13 major currencies — the US dollar, euro, British pound, Japanese yen, and more. Unlike the site’s other calculators, an exchange rate isn’t a fixed number you can quote in advance: it moves every business day. That’s why this tool pulls a fresh rate from an external data source each time you use it, instead of showing you a stale number.
The formula
Converted amount = Original amount × Exchange rateThe exchange rate tells you how many units of the target currency equal one unit of the currency you’re converting from (for example, 1 USD = 0.93 EUR). Multiply your original amount by that rate and you get the equivalent amount in the other currency, based on the day’s reference rate.
An example
Say today’s rate is 1 USD = 0.93 EUR. Converting $100 gives you €93.00. That rate changes every business day, so the same amount can produce a slightly different result tomorrow.
Common mistakes when using exchange rates
- Treating the reference rate as the rate you’ll actually get: as explained above, your bank or a money-transfer service will almost always add a markup on top of the reference rate.
- Relying on an old rate: rates move every business day, so a screenshot from a few weeks ago may already be stale — sometimes significantly so for more volatile currencies.
- Ignoring flat fees: on top of the rate markup, many currency exchanges and international transfers charge a flat fee, which this calculator doesn’t account for.
Frequently asked questions
Where do this calculator’s exchange rates come from?
From daily reference exchange rates pulled through the free, public Frankfurter API. Rates update about once a day on business days — this isn’t a live, second-by-second market feed.
Can I use this result to exchange money at a bank?
Not as an exact figure. Reference rates are a useful starting point, but any bank, currency exchange, or online platform you actually use will apply its own rate — usually a bit worse than the reference rate — plus a fee. Always check the rate the provider shows you at the time of the actual transaction.
Why does the exchange rate change every day?
Because currencies trade on global financial markets, and their relative value shifts constantly based on supply and demand, each central bank’s interest rate decisions, inflation, and each country’s economic and political situation, among other factors. The daily reference rate is a snapshot of that market at one particular moment.
What’s the difference between the reference rate and the rate my bank offers?
The reference rate is the interbank midpoint rate, with no commercial markup added. Banks and exchange services add their own spread on top of that — anywhere from a small percentage to several percentage points depending on the provider and currency — plus flat fees in some cases. That’s why the amount you actually receive is almost always a bit less than what this tool calculates.
What happens if the calculator can’t fetch an exchange rate?
That usually means a temporary connection issue with the external data source. When that happens, the calculator tells you clearly and gives you a button to retry, instead of showing a made-up or outdated rate.
What actually moves this number
Specific levers, and roughly what each one is worth. Not “save more” — the things that change the figure above by an amount you can measure.
Get a no-foreign-transaction-fee card before you travel
The typical 3% fee on $4,000 of travel spending is $120, for a card application you can do in ten minutes. It is the highest-return preparation available for a trip.
Always decline the offer to be charged in dollars
Dynamic currency conversion lets the merchant's processor set the rate and add 3-7%. Paying in local currency lets your card network convert at close to the mid-market rate. The local-currency button is often the less prominent one.
Withdraw larger amounts, less often
Flat ATM fees are per transaction, so four withdrawals cost four times one. Balance that against how much cash you are comfortable carrying, and skip the airport counter beyond a small arrival buffer.
Measure any offer against the mid-market rate
Check the reference rate before exchanging anything, then compute the gap as a percentage. A counter advertising "no commission" at 10% below mid-market is charging you 10%.
What this calculator does not cover
Every calculator simplifies, and the useful thing is knowing exactly where. These are the specific gaps between this estimate and your real situation:
- Rates shown are reference rates, not the rate any consumer service will give you. The gap between the reference rate and your actual rate is the spread, and it is where most of the cost hides.
- It does not include your card issuer's foreign transaction fee, commonly around 3%, or an ATM operator's charge.
- It cannot account for dynamic currency conversion — the offer to be charged in dollars at a foreign terminal — which typically adds a 3% to 7% markup chosen by the merchant's processor.
- Rates move continuously. A figure from earlier today is a reference point, not a quote you can transact at.
For anything that turns on an exact figure, use the primary sources below or a qualified professional. How these limits are decided and disclosed is described in the editorial standards.