Currency Converter

How This Currency Converter Works

When you open the page, your browser downloads one small table of exchange rates. Every rate in that table is quoted against a single base currency, the US dollar. Converting between any two currencies is then simple division, done on your own device:

Example with made-up round numbers: if 1 USD buys 0.90 EUR and 1 USD buys 150 JPY, then 1 EUR buys 150 ÷ 0.90 = 166.67 JPY, and 250 EUR comes to 41,667 JPY. Yen has no minor unit in everyday use, so the result is shown without decimals. The converter also shows the inverse rate, so you can read the pair in both directions without swapping.

Your browser keeps the downloaded table for a few hours, so coming back to the page or changing the amount does not download it again. Nothing about your conversion is stored on our side.

Where the Rates Come From and How Often They Update

The main source is ExchangeRate-API, whose free open data covers more than 160 currencies and is refreshed once a day. If that service does not respond, the converter falls back to Frankfurter, an open service that republishes the euro reference rates of the European Central Bank. The ECB publishes those rates for around 30 currencies, usually around 16:00 Central European Time on working days, and not on weekends or TARGET holidays.

Because both sources update daily, these are daily reference rates. Currency markets trade around the clock on weekdays, so the price a dealer quotes you at a given minute can differ from the figure here. The result always shows the timestamp of the rate it used, and a warning appears if the converter has to fall back on rates saved earlier.

Why Your Bank or Card Rate Is Different

The rates on this page are mid-market rates: the midpoint between the price at which large dealers buy a currency and the price at which they sell it. Hardly anyone outside that wholesale market trades at exactly this price. What you actually get depends on who handles the exchange:

• Banks and exchange counters usually quote a buy rate and a sell rate with a spread around the mid-market rate, and may add a commission.
• Card payments abroad are converted at the card network's rate for that day, and your bank may add a foreign transaction fee on top.
• Dynamic currency conversion happens when a shop or ATM abroad offers to charge you in your home currency. The rate it uses is set by the merchant's provider and is often worse than paying in the local currency.
• Money transfer services may advertise a low fee but build part of their charge into the exchange rate. Compare the amount the recipient actually receives.

A mid-market rate is useful as a benchmark. Convert the amount here, then compare it with the amount your provider says will arrive. The gap is roughly what the exchange costs you.

Common Mistakes When Converting Currency

• Reading the pair backwards. "1 USD = 0.90 EUR" and "1 EUR = 1.11 USD" describe the same rate. Multiplying by the wrong one gives an answer that is off by much more than you might notice at a glance. Use the inverse rate line to double check.
• Mixing up decimal separators. In many countries 1.234,56 means one thousand two hundred and thirty-four. This tool reads a comma as a thousands separator when it is followed by groups of three digits, so type amounts with a dot for decimals to be safe.
• Treating a reference rate as a quote. No provider is obliged to give you the rate shown here. Use it to estimate and compare, not as the amount you will receive.
• Forgetting the fees. A good rate with a fixed transfer fee can cost more than a slightly worse rate with no fee, especially on small amounts.
• Looking at old numbers. On weekends and public holidays the latest published rate can be a few days old. Check the date in the result line.

Honest Limits of This Tool

• Fiat currencies only. Cryptocurrencies, gold, silver and other commodities are not included.
• Daily rates. Rates change once a day at the source, not minute by minute.
• No fees included. Results do not include spreads, commissions, card charges or transfer fees.
• Coverage depends on the source. If the converter is running on the backup source, only the currencies the European Central Bank publishes are available, and some pairs will show "no rate".
• Some currencies have more than one rate. Where a country has official and parallel market rates, the published reference figure may not match what people pay on the street.

These figures are mid-market reference rates, not what banks, card networks or transfer services charge. Check the final rate before sending money. This page is not financial advice.

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