Free currency converter

How exchange rates work

An exchange rate is just the price of one currency expressed in another. When you see a quote like USD/EUR, the first currency is the base (the one you’re converting from) and the second is the quote (the one you’re converting into). The rate tells you how many units of the quote currency one unit of the base currency buys. Flip the pair and you flip the math, which is why the Swap button here gives you a different-looking number for the same trade.

The figure this converter shows is the mid-market rate — also called the interbank rate. It’s the midpoint between the price buyers are willing to pay and the price sellers are asking, and it’s the same reference number you’ll see on financial news and in Google results. Rates move constantly during market hours because supply and demand shift: interest-rate decisions, inflation data, trade flows, and political news all push currencies up and down against each other. For everyday conversions, a rate refreshed once a day is more than precise enough — major currencies rarely move more than a fraction of a percent inside a single day.

Mid-market vs. the rate you actually get

Here’s the part most people miss: almost nobody trades at the mid-market rate. Banks, airport kiosks, card networks, and money-transfer apps all add a spread — a markup baked into the rate — and sometimes a flat fee on top. The mid-market number is the honest baseline; the rate you’re actually charged sits a little below it (when you’re buying foreign currency) or above it (when you’re selling), and the gap is the provider’s profit. A typical retail markup runs anywhere from under 1% with a good online service to 5% or more at an airport exchange desk. The bigger the gap between this converter’s rate and the deal in front of you, the more you’re paying for the convenience.

How to use this converter

1. Type the amount you want to convert into the Amount box.
2. Pick your starting currency in the From dropdown and your target in the To dropdown.
3. Read the converted figure — it updates as you type, no button to press.
4. Glance at the strip of chips below to see the same amount in every other supported currency at once.
5. Use the Swap button to reverse the pair, and check the “updated” date so you know how fresh the rate is.

A worked example

Say you want to convert 1,000 USD to EUR and the mid-market rate is 0.92 — that’s a sample figure for illustration, not today’s live rate, which you’ll see in the tool above. At mid-market, 1,000 USD becomes 920 EUR. Now imagine you change that money through a desk that adds a 3% markup. Instead of 0.92 you’re given roughly 0.892, so your 1,000 USD turns into about 892 EUR. That 28-euro difference is the spread — money you’d never see itemized as a “fee,” but you paid it all the same. Run the same trade through a provider charging 1% and you’d keep about 911 EUR. Knowing the mid-market baseline is the only way to see those numbers clearly.

Common mistakes

• Assuming you’ll get the mid-market rate. The number here is the reference, not a quote. Treat any real-world offer as worse until proven otherwise.
• Double-converting fees. A booth advertising “0% commission” often hides its cut in the rate itself, so you pay twice if you don’t compare. Always check the effective rate, not just the headline fee.
• Ignoring weekend and holiday staleness. Currency markets largely close on weekends and major holidays, so a Saturday rate is really Friday’s close. For a big transfer, that lag can matter — wait for markets to reopen if the timing is tight.
• Forgetting card foreign-transaction fees. Many cards add 1–3% on overseas spending. A card without that fee usually beats exchanging cash.

Related tools & guides

Moving money abroad rather than just pricing it? Our guide to the best apps for transferring money compares speed, fees, and the rates services like WorldRemit actually give you. If you’re tracking value rather than spending it, the precious-metals price tool covers gold and silver, and the inflation calculator shows how purchasing power changes over time. For payment math, mortgages, and more, browse all of our free calculators. This converter is a planning tool, not financial advice — for tax or formal accounting, use the official rate for the date in question.