How to use the Currency Converter
- Enter the amount you want to convert.
- Choose the currency you have. Type a code such as USD, a name such as dirham, or a country such as Pakistan to find it fast.
- Choose the currency you want, or press the swap button to reverse the direction.
- Read the converted amount, the exchange rate both ways and when the rates were last updated. Tap a popular pair to load it.
Features
- Daily reference rates for world currencies
- Search by currency code, name or country
- Swap the direction in one tap
- Popular pairs with current rates
- Rates saved for 12 hours, with an offline fallback
- Shows exactly when rates were last updated
Where the exchange rates come from
This converter uses the free open-access feed from ExchangeRate-API, which publishes one set of reference rates per day. The page downloads the table of rates once, stores it on your device for up to 12 hours and does all the math locally. The amount you type is never sent anywhere; the only request is for the public rate table. If the service cannot be reached, the converter falls back to the last rates saved in your browser and tells you how old they are.
The rate you see versus the rate you get
The figures here are mid-market rates, halfway between the prices at which banks buy and sell a currency. Almost nobody exchanges money at exactly this rate. Banks, card networks, airport kiosks and remittance services add a margin, a fixed fee or both. Suppose, as an illustration, the reference rate is 1 USD = 280 PKR and a transfer service offers 274.40. That service is pricing the dollar 2% below the mid-market rate, so on 1,000 USD the recipient gets 5,600 rupees less, before any fee.
When you compare providers, look at the final amount the recipient receives, not the advertised fee alone. A “zero fee” offer with a weak rate can cost more than a small fee with a rate close to mid-market.
How cross rates work
The feed quotes every currency against the US dollar, and any other pair is calculated from two of those quotes. To convert euros to rupees, the converter divides the dollar-to-rupee rate by the dollar-to-euro rate. With illustrative rates of 1 USD = 0.92 EUR and 1 USD = 280 PKR, one euro is 280 ÷ 0.92 = about 304.35 PKR.
Reading currency codes
Every currency has a three-letter ISO 4217 code. Usually the first two letters are the country code and the third is the currency’s initial: USD is the United States dollar, GBP the Great Britain pound, PKR the Pakistani rupee and INR the Indian rupee. The euro, shared by many countries, is simply EUR. Codes beginning with X, such as XDR for the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights, are not national currencies. Searching by code avoids mix-ups between the many currencies called dollar, rupee, riyal or dinar.
Tips for travelers and senders
- When a card terminal abroad offers to charge you in your home currency, choose the local currency instead. The “convenient” option usually comes with a poor conversion rate.
- Reference rates are not updated while currency markets are closed at weekends, so Saturday and Sunday usually show Friday’s figures.
- Large transfers are worth comparing across two or three providers on the same day.
- For salaries quoted in another currency, the Salary Calculator breaks pay into monthly and hourly figures, and the Percentage Calculator shows how big a margin really is.
Rates shown here are for information only and may differ from the rate you are offered; this is not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
How often are the exchange rates updated?
The provider publishes new reference rates once a day. This page keeps a copy for up to 12 hours and always shows when the rates were last updated.
Why is my bank’s rate different from this one?
This tool shows mid-market reference rates. Banks and transfer services add a margin to the rate and may charge fees on top, so the rate you are offered is usually less favorable.
Is the amount I enter sent to a server?
No. The page only downloads the public table of rates, and the conversion is calculated in your browser.
Does the currency converter work offline?
Partly. If rates were loaded recently on this device, the converter uses that saved copy and shows a notice with its date. Without saved rates it needs an internet connection.
What is a cross rate?
A cross rate is an exchange rate between two currencies calculated through a third one, usually the US dollar. For example, EUR to PKR is the USD to PKR rate divided by the USD to EUR rate.