Where do these exchange rates come from?
They are the European Central Bank’s euro foreign exchange reference rates, delivered by the free Frankfurter API. The ECB publishes them once each working day, around 16:00 Central European Time. Cross rates between two non-euro currencies are calculated through the euro.
Are these the rates my bank will give me?
No. These are reference (mid-market) rates: the midpoint between what the market will buy and sell a currency for. Banks, card networks, exchange booths and transfer services add a margin, usually between 0.5% and 5%, so you receive less. Use the margin and fee boxes, or enter your own rate, to see the real cost.
How often are the rates updated?
Once per working day, in the afternoon in Europe. At weekends and on TARGET holidays the latest rate is the previous working day’s, so a Sunday conversion uses Friday’s rate. The banner above the converter always shows the date of the rate in use.
Why is a rate from another site slightly different?
Different sources use different timing (a daily fix versus a live market price), different sources of data and different rounding. Reference rates are one fixed snapshot per day, so they will not match a live price that moves all day.
What does the margin setting do?
It reduces the rate by that percentage, the way a provider marks it up. On $1,000 using the 2026-11-02 reference rate of 0.89158, a 3% margin turns 891.58 EUR into 864.84 EUR, a hidden cost of 26.75 EUR.
Why does a fixed fee matter more on small amounts?
A fixed fee is a bigger share of a smaller amount. With a $10 fee and a 1% margin, converting $100 costs 10.9% in total, but converting $5,000 costs only 1.2%.
What is dynamic currency conversion, and should I use it?
It is when a card terminal or ATM abroad offers to charge you in your home currency instead of the local one. The rate it uses usually includes a large markup, so it is normally cheaper to decline and pay in the local currency.
Which currencies are supported?
The 30 currencies in the ECB reference set: the euro plus the Australian, Canadian, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and US dollars, the pound, yen, Swiss franc, Chinese yuan, Indian rupee, Korean won and others. Many currencies (for example the UAE dirham or Saudi riyal) are not in that set. For those, use the "own rate" option with a rate from your bank.
Can I use this for trading or a contract?
No. These are indicative daily reference rates for planning, budgeting and travel. For trading, invoicing or anything legally binding, use the rate your bank or platform quotes at the time of the transaction.