Currency Exchange Fee Calculator
See the true cost of bank/airport currency exchange (margin + fee)
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Currency Exchange Fee Calculator is built for seeing the true cost of bank/airport currency exchange (margin + fee) — fast, free, and private. You supply Amount to Convert ($), Mid-Market Rate (1 USD = ?) and Offered Rate (1 USD = ?) to Currency Exchange Fee; the answer follows at once. The answer from Currency Exchange Fee arrives with its working attached. Currency Exchange Fee suits budgeting and planning checks. No account is needed for Currency Exchange Fee. The browser does the arithmetic. Looking for currency exchange fee calculator or currency exchange margin? Currency Exchange Fee covers both. Run Currency Exchange Fee twice to find the driving input. No sign-up or email — Currency Exchange Fee answers as you type.
What the defaults give
$1,000 at an offered rate of 0.89 returns 885.00 after a $5 fee.
At the mid-market rate of 0.92 the fair value is 920.00, so 35.00 is lost — 3.8% of the amount converted.
The formula
Fair value = amount × mid-market rate
Received = amount × offered rate − flat fee
Loss = fair value − received
Rate margin % = (mid − offered) ÷ mid × 100
Two separate charges are being combined. The margin is hidden inside the exchange rate and scales with the amount; the flat fee is visible and does not. At $1,000 the margin costs $30 and the fee $5; at $100 the margin costs $3 and the fee still $5, which nearly triples the percentage loss.
Worked examples
$1,000, 0.92 mid, 0.89 offered, $5 fee → 885.00, lost 35.00
$1,000, 0.92 mid, 0.89 offered, no fee → 890.00, lost 30.00
$2,000, 0.92 mid, 0.91 offered, no fee → 1,820.00, lost 20.00
$500, 1.35 mid, 1.30 offered, no fee → 650.00, lost 25.00
$100, 0.92 mid, 0.89 offered, $5 fee → 84.00, lost 8.00
$1,000, 0.80 mid, 0.78 offered, $10 fee → 770.00, lost 30.00
Where the worst rates live
Airport kiosks and hotel desks typically run 8% to 15% off mid-market, because the customer is captive and the volumes are small. High-street banks sit around 3% to 5%. A card with no foreign transaction fee is usually within 1%, and a mid-market transfer service is close to zero plus a small fixed charge.
The comparison changes with amount. At $100, a $5 fee is 5% on its own, so a no-fee card wins easily. At $5,000, the same fee is 0.1% and the rate margin dominates — which is why large transfers should be judged on the spread and small ones on the fee.
Reading the loss correctly
This is a cost, not a market movement. If you convert at 0.89 and the rate later moves to 0.89, you have still lost the margin permanently. Chasing a better rate for a small amount is usually pointless: a 1% improvement on $200 is $2, less than the fare to reach a better counter.
Always ask for the rate and the fee separately before handing over money. A quote of "no commission" with a 6% spread is more expensive than a 2% spread plus a flat $3, and only the second one is honest about what it charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do I lose changing $1,000 at 0.89 instead of 0.92?
About $35 including a $5 fee, which is 3.8%. The rate difference alone accounts for $30 of it.
What is a mid-market rate?
The midpoint between buy and sell prices on wholesale markets, with no retail markup. It is the fair-value benchmark used here.
Are airport exchange desks really that expensive?
Usually 8–15% off mid-market, against 3–5% at a high-street bank and around 1% for a no-fee card. The gap is largest on small amounts.
Should I judge a exchange by the fee or the rate?
Both, but by amount. Small sums are dominated by the flat fee; large transfers are dominated by the spread, so compare the total loss as a percentage.
Is a zero-commission quote cheaper?
Not necessarily. A 6% spread with no commission costs more than a 2% spread plus a flat $3. Ask for the rate and fee separately.
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