Currency Exchange For Travel Calculator

Work out currency exchange for travel instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Currency Exchange For Travel Calculator

The real cost of exchanging money is the spread plus any fee. A 3.2% spread on 800 costs about 25 in hidden margin — far more than the visible 4.50 fee — which is why comparing effective rates rather than advertised fees matters.

Formula

Exchange cost

provider rate = interbank x (1 - spread); received = (amount - fee) x provider rate

Worked example

With the default values below, Currency Exchange For Travel Calculator returns Amount received of $899.41. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Amount to exchange: 800
Interbank rate: 1.168 rate
Provider spread: 3.2 %
Fixed fee: 4.5

Results

Amount received: $899.41
Effective rate: 1.12426 rate
Total cost of exchanging: $29.96
Cost hidden in the spread: $25.46

Step by step

1Values used
2Exchange cost
3Amount received= 899.41
4Effective rate= 1.12426 rate
5Total cost of exchanging= 29.96
6Cost hidden in the spread= 25.46

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the spread widest?

Airport bureaux, often 8-12%. High street bureaux are 3-5%, and multi-currency cards and fintech providers 0.3-1%.

Should I let the merchant convert abroad?

No. Dynamic currency conversion typically adds 3-6% on top of your card's own rate. Always choose to be charged in the local currency.