Currency converter
Convert between USD, HKD, CNY, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD and SGD. It pulls ECB reference rates, shows you the result and the date that rate belongs to—so you walk into opening or funding an account with a number in your head.
What this converter is doing
It pulls the reference rates published by the European Central Bank (ECB) and converts the amount you enter from one currency into another. It re-fetches the latest rate when the page opens and whenever you change the amount or a currency, and it prints the date that rate belongs to underneath the result. If a live rate can't be fetched, a manual box appears so you can type in a reference rate and keep going.
- It uses the reference price: the ECB reference rate is roughly the market mid-rate—a clean baseline with no spread baked in.
- What you actually get is a little less: the rate your bank, card scheme or exchange gives you carries a spread, and a card abroad adds a currency-conversion fee, so the real conversion usually comes out below this.
- The date matters: the ECB updates on business days; on weekends and holidays you're seeing the previous business day's figure.
What you see is a mid-rate conversion, just so you have a sense of scale. When you actually exchange money, go by whatever rate your bank, Wise or exchange gives you at the time.
How to use it, and lose less
Before a large exchange, glance at the mid-rate here, then compare it with what your bank quotes—the gap is the spread, and once you can see it you're harder to overcharge. For a currency like the yen, watch whether a quote is "per 1 yen" or "per 100 yen". To understand why your executed rate differs from this, read exchange rates and the spread; if you regularly receive and pay in several currencies, the Wise multi-currency account is worth a look. Once the rate's sorted, run a card purchase through the foreign-card currency-conversion fee calculator to see what spending abroad adds on.