Exchanging money almost always costs more than the exchange rate alone suggests. A bank, exchange office, or payment app may show an attractive rate, then take a percentage fee, a fixed fee, or both, and the amount that actually arrives is smaller than the converted figure you first saw. This calculator shows all three numbers side by side, so you know exactly what an exchange costs before you commit to it.
Use it whenever you send money abroad, convert savings into another currency, or pay for something priced in a foreign currency. Enter the amount, the rate you are actually offered, and the fees the provider charges. The calculator shows the converted amount before fees, the total fees, and the amount received. Nothing is hidden inside a single total.
What the two fees mean
Most exchange fees come in two parts. The percentage fee is a share of the converted amount: the more you exchange, the more you pay. A 2% fee on 100 is 2, but on 10,000 it is 200. The fixed fee is a flat amount charged on every exchange, whatever its size, for example 10 per transfer. Small exchanges feel the fixed fee most, because it takes a bigger share of a small amount, while large exchanges feel the percentage fee most.
Some providers charge only one of the two. If yours charges no fixed fee, enter 0 for the fixed fee; if it charges no percentage fee, enter 0 for the fee percentage. If a provider claims to charge no fees at all, check the rate it offers against the market rate: the cost is often built into a weaker rate instead. This calculator cannot see that hidden margin, so always enter the rate you are actually offered, not a rate quoted elsewhere.
How the calculation works
The calculation has three steps. First, the amount is converted at the rate you enter: converted amount equals amount times rate. Second, the total fee is worked out from that converted amount: total fee equals converted amount times fee percentage divided by 100, plus the fixed fee. Third, the fee is taken away: amount received equals converted amount minus total fee.
With the default figures, 1,000 at a rate of 3.75, a 2% fee, and a fixed fee of 10, the steps are: converted amount = 1,000 x 3.75 = 3,750.00; total fee = 3,750.00 x 2 / 100 + 10 = 85.00; amount received = 3,750.00 – 85.00 = 3,665.00. The fee takes 2.27% of the converted amount in this example, more than the headline 2%, because the fixed fee adds to it. That gap is exactly what this calculator exists to show.
The total fee must stay below the converted amount. If the fees you enter add up to the converted amount or more, there would be nothing left to receive, and the calculator will not produce a result. Keep the fee percentage and the fixed fee within the size of the exchange, and enter a rate greater than zero.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the amount you want to exchange, in the currency you are sending from.
- Enter the exchange rate the provider actually offers you: how many units of the new currency you get for one unit of the old currency.
- Enter the fee percentage and the fixed fee exactly as the provider states them. Use 0 for either one if it does not apply.
- Click Calculate exchange fee. The calculator shows the converted amount before fees, the total fees, and the amount received.
Worked example
Start with 1,000, a rate of 3.75, a fee of 2%, and a fixed fee of 10. Click Calculate exchange fee and the results are: converted amount before fees 3,750.00, total fees 85.00, and amount received 3,665.00.
Try a fee-free check: 500 at a rate of 1, with a 0% fee and a fixed fee of 0. The results are 500.00, 0.00, and 500.00. The full amount arrives, which confirms that the fee fields, not the rate, are responsible for any shortfall. Then try a larger exchange with the same fees: 10,000 at 3.75 with 2% and 10 gives a converted amount of 37,500.00, a fee of 760.00, and an amount received of 36,740.00. The fixed fee is now a tiny share of the total, which shows why comparing providers on the percentage fee matters more as the amount grows.
What this calculator does not do
This calculator does not fetch live exchange rates. The rate you enter is the rate used, so the results are only as good as the rate you type in. If you enter a market rate instead of the rate your provider offers, the results will overstate what you receive.
It also does not include taxes, receiving-bank charges, or intermediary fees that may be taken after the exchange, and it does not compare providers or recommend one. It answers one question only: given an amount, a rate, and two fees, what arrives? Use that answer to compare providers on equal terms, by entering each provider’s real rate and real fees and comparing the amount received.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does this calculator use live exchange rates?
No. It uses only the rate you enter. Enter the rate your provider actually offers you, including any margin built into it, and the results will reflect the real exchange. A market rate copied from elsewhere will overstate what you receive.
What is the difference between the percentage fee and the fixed fee?
The percentage fee grows with the size of the exchange, because it is a share of the converted amount. The fixed fee stays the same on every exchange, whatever its size. Providers often charge both, and the fixed fee hurts small exchanges most while the percentage fee dominates large ones.
Why is the total fee more than the fee percentage suggests?
Because the fixed fee is added on top of the percentage fee. In the default example, a 2% fee plus a fixed fee of 10 comes to 85.00 on a converted amount of 3,750.00, which is 2.27% of the converted amount, not 2%.
Can the fees be more than the converted amount?
The calculation needs the total fee to be smaller than the converted amount, because there must be something left to receive. If the fees you enter reach or pass the converted amount, the calculator will not produce a result. Lower the fees or check that the rate and amount are entered correctly.
Should I enter the market rate or the rate my provider offers?
Enter the rate your provider offers. A provider that advertises no fees often makes its money from a weaker rate, and only the offered rate captures that cost. Compare providers by entering each one’s real rate and real fees, then comparing the amount received.
What do I enter if my provider charges no fixed fee?
Enter 0 for the fixed fee. Likewise, enter 0 for the fee percentage if your provider charges no percentage fee. Either field can be 0, and the calculation still works.
Can I use this calculator when buying gold priced in another currency?
Yes. Enter the gold price as the amount and the exchange rate between the two currencies, plus the fees your payment provider charges, and the calculator shows what the purchase costs in your own currency. It does not fetch gold prices, so the gold price itself must come from the seller or a price source.