favorite app for converting US $$
 

Hello,

Does anyone have a favorite app for converting US currency while visiting England, Spain, and Germany? I am sure any 3 year old knows the answer to this question, however at 75 years of age with my first cell phone I have no idea! Thanks, Jan.

Why do you need a special app? The exchange rate is soooooo easily found. Look at xe or just google it with instantaneous results.

You only have two foreign currencies to deal with so you can easily just memorize the exchange rate after googling them.

You don't need an app. You check the daily exchange rate and do the math, or let your computer or your cell phone do it for you.

If you do want an app try XE Currency. It is easy to use.

http://www.xe.com/apps/

I suspect jan is looking for an app to help her know how much something cost in USD then the price is in the local currency.

eg, if a meal cost 16 pounds, what is that in dollars (=20)

or a gift she sees in Germany or Spain costs 18.67 euros, what is that in dollars (=20)

Since both the pound and the euro are in the low 1's for exchange rate, for me it's easier just to start to think in the local currency. at 1.07 to 1, for all intents & purposes it's simpler just to round off 1 euro (where tax is included) = 1 dollar + tax.

Thanks everyone for the information. J62 was correct. I wanted an easy way to understand the cost of a meal or gift in USD. The reference to XECurrency is great. Also glad to know the exchange rate will be easy to work with ! Jan

Oando is another one.

https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

I don't use an "app". I print out small hard-copy charts to show the exchange rate before leaving home and tuck them in my wallet. You can make these using Oando as mentioned above.

You do realize, I hope, that the cost of a meal or a gift, or anything else, in USD, is going to change daily. Probably not much, but it's worth checking daily.

Tell us, J62, how did YOU do those conversions? With an app or from memory?

For things that I'm only going to use for a short time, I prefer to save a link to a web page on my home screen (Android phone) rather than install an app. (Sometimes the web page isn't designed to adjust to the smaller screen size, and then this doesn't work.) The advantage is that you don't end up cluttering your phone with apps that you forget to uninstall when you get home. The web pages usually have more options than the apps, anyway.

The advantage of the XE app is you can use it without using data. It may not have the very latest exchange rate as a result, but it will be close enough. It works with my phone in airplane mode, so with everything turned off. An important consideration when travelling if ou don't have an international data plan. Not everywhere will have WiFi available to log in to a webpage and check a price.

Hi jct,

No need to use these newfangled gadgets.

Do it the old fashioned way.

Ask, "How much is that in real money".

((I))
At the moment the Euro is almost = the USD.
The GBP is about $1.25

I recently installed the XE app on my phone and love it. Back in the dark ages I used the paper cut outs and kept a copy in my bag or pocket. That worked fine then. I gave that up and just started figuring it out in my head based on an approximation, but sometimes I want to know the exact cost and the app is great for that.

Another vote for the XE app. I have it on my phone and consult it regularly. Very easy to use.

The "exact cost" changes all the time but does it honestly vary by more than a few cents from day to day?

AND, if you are using a credit card, and may people do, that "exact cost" is going to depend exactly when that charge clears through the CC-issuer and its bank.

No WONDER when I go to Europe so many people are buried in their phones and here I thought they were all checking their mail when they are actually checking the cost of something.

i simply type into my browser (chrome) url bar "16 gbp in usd"

and google tells me the answer faster than opening up any app or website.

For the euro mental math is much easier.

1. My local sales tax rate is ~7%
2. In Europe, tax is included in the posted price
3. so, at the current exchange rate of 1.07:1, that = exactly 1 for
1. Mental math says if it cost 25 euros, that's equal to $25.

If you need a more precise answer than that to make in informed purchase decision, then an app may be helpful.

J62 - just curious what do you do when the exchange rate for the euro is not at $1.07?

And yes, use of the term "exact cost" was imprecise." I realize that time and even charges by one's bank effect the amount. But that would be the same if I did it in my head or using the app.