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USD to GBP — compare your quote with the mid-market rate

US Dollar → British Pound

USD → GBP is a dense corridor for both remittance and travel. UK high-street banks tend to be 1–2% over the mid; FX brokers can get inside 0.5%.

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Recipient gets at the mid-market rate
752.00GBP
For 1,000 USD · 1 USD = 0.7520 GBP
Enter the rate you were quoted above to see the gap from the mid-market rate.
Spot mid source: fallback · Indicative only

About the USD/GBP pair

This page shows today’s wholesale USD/GBP mid-market rate beside the rate a bank, broker, or kiosk has quoted you. The result is the gap between the two, as a percentage and an amount, in four tiers: under 0.3%, 0.3–1%, 1–3% and over 3% of the amount. The mid-market rate is the rate banks trade at, not a rate you can transact at directly — providers add their margin on top, and that margin is the gap RateCheck shows.

Who sends money on this route

Dollars are sent to sterling by US firms paying UK contractors and agencies, by American families supporting students at British universities, and by people relocating to the UK who bring savings across for deposits and rent.

There is also a steady flow of pensions and investment income paid to UK residents from US sources, and US tourism to London and Scotland.

What moves USD/GBP

The Federal Reserve and the Bank of England set the two policy rates. Sterling has often carried a higher rate than the dollar, so changes in that gap drive the pair.

US jobs, inflation and Fed decisions matter on one side. On the other, UK consumer price inflation, wage growth from the labour market report and the Bank's rate decision are the releases that move the pound.

GBP/USD is one of the most traded pairs, but sterling is more sensitive to domestic politics and fiscal news than the dollar, so it can move sharply on UK events.

How to read a quote

Because the market convention quotes dollars per pound, a USD to GBP quote is often shown as the reciprocal. Either way, the mid-market rate is the wholesale midpoint and the customer rate sits on the worse side of it, with the gap forming the provider's margin.

Retail banks commonly build a few per cent into the rate on international transfers; specialist providers are often under one per cent. Compare the pounds delivered per dollar, not the headline fee.

Common questions

How far is my USD/GBP quote from the mid-market rate?+
Compare the rate you've been quoted with the live mid-market USD/GBP rate — the wholesale rate banks trade at. RateCheck shows the gap as a percentage and an amount, in four tiers: under 0.3%, 0.3–1%, 1–3% and over 3% of the amount.
How much do banks and brokers charge to convert US dollar to British pound?+
Retail bank margins on international transfers are commonly a few per cent; specialist providers are often under one per cent. The margin is built into the exchange rate, usually on top of any fixed transfer fee, and is rarely shown separately. RateCheck shows it as the gap between your quote and the mid-market USD/GBP rate.
Is the mid-market USD/GBP rate the rate I'll actually get?+
No. The mid-market (interbank) rate is the wholesale reference; providers add their margin on top. It's the rate the gap is measured from, not a rate you can transact at directly.
Why is the rate I am quoted written as GBP/USD when I am sending dollars?+
The market convention is to quote sterling first, as dollars per pound. Providers converting dollars to pounds may show that figure or its reciprocal. Dividing one by the number switches between the two.
Do UK banks charge to receive a dollar transfer?+
Many UK accounts receive sterling free of charge, but some apply a fee to incoming international payments, and dollars arriving unconverted are exchanged at the receiving bank's own rate.
Is sterling more volatile than the dollar?+
Sterling tends to react more strongly to UK-specific news, including budgets, elections and Bank of England commentary. That makes it one of the livelier major currencies against the dollar.

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