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.

In practice, when I travel I don't ever convert any on-the spot purchase. For me, worrying about a price difference of 7%, or 10%, or even 30% in USD for a meal, or a museum entrance, or a bus ride nearly any other similar purchase is sweating the small stuff. And I try not to sweat small stuff.

My brain would much rather focus on how good that gelato tasted, or the joy in my wife's eye when she sees gets something she has her eye on, and not spend mental energy trying to figure out if the gelato was $1.07, or $1.20, or $2, or the larger purchase was $100, or $107, or $120.

In short, If I want to buy something, I buy it.

It's not necessarily about "sweating the small stuff." I actually find it interesting to compare prices in different countries. We just got back from Australia and the difference for some regular everyday items was astounding to me. And nothing would stop me from buying and eating wonderful gelato!

I find it interesting, too. And for us it's not "sweating the small stuff" when we're talking about which day to schedule the repaving of the driveway or re-do the roof tiles or even which 3 weeks to spend traveling to England. I realize our concerns are different from most travelers to Europe, but I still like to know how much I'm spending on things and plan accordingly, or make plans that best suit my budget.
There are sometimes enormous price differences between the USA and other countries. Here, a great plumber costs 20€ an hour, whereas in the USA I'd have been lucky to get one for less than $90 an hour. On the other hand, try to find a cheap lipstick here for under 25€ or a nice piece of fish for less than 25€ a kg. I'm not in the "if I want something I buy it" camp. I'm in the camp that follows exchange rates and compares prices before I just "buy it."
And no, I don't go around with my head buried in my cell phone checking these things. Half the time I don't even know where my cell phone is. I do check exchange rates almost daily, though. They can make a big difference to me, even though I'm not "fussy" about spending money as a general rule.

I also don't convert back to US dollar every purchase. I see no reason to. But this person seems to want to be able to.