About the Currency Converter
This currency converter uses the European Central Bank's published daily reference rates to convert an amount between roughly 28 major world currencies. Rates are fetched once and cached in your browser for several hours, so every conversion after the first is instant, and each result shows exactly when the underlying rate was last updated so you know how current it is.
How to use the Currency Converter
- 1
Enter the amount you want to convert.
- 2
Choose the currency you are converting from in the 'From' dropdown.
- 3
Choose the currency you want the result in using the 'To' dropdown.
- 4
Read the result and the exact exchange rate used, shown with the date the rate was published.
What people use it for
Budgeting for travel
Convert your home currency into the local currency of your destination to get a realistic sense of prices before you go.
Checking an online purchase
See roughly what a price listed in a foreign currency costs in your own before committing to a purchase, ahead of whatever your card issuer eventually charges.
Comparing international quotes
Bring quotes or invoices from suppliers in different currencies onto a common footing before comparing them.
Why this is a reference rate, not your actual rate
The European Central Bank publishes a reference rate once each business day at around 16:00 CET, based on a regular concertation procedure among central banks across Europe. It is a benchmark, not a live trading price — real currency markets move continuously throughout the day, and by the time you use this tool the true market rate may have shifted slightly. Banks and card networks add their own margin on top of a reference rate like this one, commonly 1% to 4%, plus in many cases a separate foreign transaction fee, so the amount you actually receive or pay when a card is charged in a foreign currency will differ from the figure shown here.
How a conversion between two non-USD currencies is actually computed
Exchange rate data is typically published relative to a single base currency rather than for every possible pair directly. This tool fetches all rates relative to the US dollar once, then computes any other pair, say Euros to Japanese Yen, by first dividing the amount by the Euro rate to find its dollar equivalent, then multiplying by the Yen rate. This two-step calculation is mathematically identical to a direct EUR-to-JPY rate and is how most currency conversion tools and financial systems handle arbitrary currency pairs from a single data source.
Tips
- The rate shown is cached for a few hours in your browser, so refreshing repeatedly will not fetch a newer rate within that window.
- For a large or time-sensitive transfer, always confirm the actual rate your bank or transfer provider will apply — it will differ from this reference rate.
- Some currencies, particularly several Gulf and African currencies, are not covered because the European Central Bank does not publish a reference rate for them.