Currency Converter
Convert between major world currencies using approximate market rates.
MCA Yachtmaster Ocean, MNZ Coxswain (restricted)
Offshore sailing instructor and maritime educator with 30 years of blue-water passages. Author of coastal navigation guides for NZ waters.
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About the Currency Converter
Currency exchange is one of the most exploited areas in travel finance, with travellers losing billions annually to unnecessarily poor rates and hidden fees. The "mid-market rate" (also called the interbank rate or spot rate) is the true exchange rate at which banks trade currencies with each other — it is the rate shown on Google, XE.com, and this calculator. Every consumer-facing exchange product charges a spread above this rate, ranging from 0.5% (Wise card, Monzo abroad) to 10–15% (airport bureaux de change, traditional high street bank foreign transactions).
The practical cost of exchange rate spread is substantial. A traveller exchanging £1,000 to Euros for a holiday loses: approximately £5–8 via Wise (0.5–0.8% fee, no hidden spread), £15–25 via Revolut or Starling (free within limits, then 0.5–1%), £25–35 via a Post Office bureau de change, £40–70 via a high street bank, or £80–150 at an airport bureau de change. For a holiday budget of £1,000, the difference between the best and worst options is over £140 — a free night in a mid-range hotel or two return city-break flights.
Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) is a widespread practice where merchants offer to charge in your home currency rather than the local currency — always decline this. DCC almost always uses an inflated exchange rate (often 3–8% worse than the card network rate) and the merchant keeps the spread as profit. The only exception is if your card charges foreign transaction fees — but modern fee-free travel cards (Starling, Monzo, Wise) make DCC universally a bad deal for UK travellers.
Tips to improve your result
- 1.
The best way to access foreign currency for UK travellers in 2025: use a Starling Bank debit card, Monzo card, or Wise card (physical or virtual) at ATMs abroad or for card payments. All three offer the mid-market rate with zero or minimal fees. Avoid "no commission" bureau de change — they make their money on the spread, not the commission.
- 2.
Always withdraw cash in the local currency at your destination rather than exchanging at UK airports. Airport bureaux de change typically offer rates 10–15% worse than the mid-market rate, compared to 0.5–1% for a fee-free card at a local ATM.
- 3.
Avoid airport ATMs with "no fee" signs — they often compensate by offering poor exchange rates. Use bank ATMs (not independent operator ATMs) for better rates and higher reliability. In some countries (Japan, for instance), 7-Eleven ATMs are specifically recommended for foreign card users.
- 4.
For large amounts (over £5,000), consider a foreign exchange specialist broker (Equals Money, moneycorp, OFX) rather than your bank. For a £50,000 property deposit in Europe, a 1% better rate saves £500 — well worth a phone call.
- 5.
The rates in this calculator are reference rates embedded at the time of last update and will diverge from live rates. For planning purposes (budgeting a trip months in advance), use the mid-market rate and add a 5% buffer for exchange rate movement and conversion costs.