How this number is made
A conversion is an amount times a rate. The rate is how much of the second currency one unit of the first buys on the wholesale market. The number a airport desk or a card issuer gives you is that rate minus their margin.
- Pick the two currencies. If both are in the European Central Bank set, the rate field fills after the page loads.
- For dirham, riyal, naira, and the other codes marked on the list, type the rate yourself. This page will not invent one.
- Edit the rate if you already have a quote. Your number wins over the feed.
Formula
Converted = amount × rate. Inverse = 1 ÷ rate.
Worked example
100 US dollars at a rate of 0.88 is €88.00. The inverse, about 1.1364, is how many dollars buy one euro. A card that takes 2% more than the mid-rate would not give you €88.
Questions
Why doesn’t this match my bank?
Banks publish a buy rate and a sell rate around the mid-market rate, then sometimes add a fee. This page is the middle, not either side of their spread.
Is the rate live every second?
No. The European Central Bank publishes once each bank business day. Weekends and holidays keep the previous fixing. Markets move after that.