In this article we take a look at National Australia Bank exchange rates and examine how NAB international services compare to other options available to you.
If you plan on travelling internationally, sooner or later you will have to deal with foreign exchange rates. For most people, including customers of National Australia Bank (NAB), the very term evokes confusion. However, with minimal effort you can get a basic understanding of NAB exchange rates and all foreign exchange rates. Once you understand the concepts you’ll be able to exchange the currency easily and independently, without help from an agent or a financial advisor. Most importantly:
- Find the correct exchange rate
- Do currency conversion using the exchange rates
- Compare NAB exchange rates with FX specialist exchange rates available in Australia
National Australia Bank AUD Exchange Rates
This table shows NAB exchange rates for foreign transfers and travel money. The percentages with the rates show how much margin the bank is charging compared to the market mid-rate. The table is updated hourly, for the latest comparison goto our comparison calculators for NAB Foreign Transfers and Westpac Travel Money.
Understanding NAB Exchange Rates
Before we proceed to calculate the NAB exchange rates, let’s understand the factors that determine the exchange rates. Three major factors affect the exchange rate. They are:
- The currency you want to buy/sell
- The type of transaction – whether you wish to buy or sell
- The product you prefer – cash, travel cards, IMT (International Money Transfer)
Let’s now consider these in detail.
Currency
While travelling abroad, you will be more concerned about how much foreign currency would your AUD fetch. As you probably know, this depends on the currency you wish to buy. See the table below:
NAB exchange rate Source: https://www.nab.com.au/personal/international/foreign-exchange-rates#/rate
As you can see, the value of 1AUD differs when converted to other currencies. For instance, 1AUD will fetch you 0.9245CAD, whereas the same 1AUD will fetch you only 0.5464GBP. This might be a bit confusing at the first glance. But, you need to know the rate of only the currency you’ll need for your travel. Hence, if you are travelling to Canada, you need to check the rate of the CAD alone. Similarly, for a trip to New Zealand, you need to check the rates of NZD only.
Transaction type
Once you have found the correct currency, the next step is to find the rate relevant to your need. It is important to remember that banks charge different rates for different transactions. The buying rate would differ from the selling rate.
For buying cash, you will have to refer to this chart. It means one AUD will fetch you 0.7243USD in cash.
If you were looking to sell some leftover money from your travel, you’ll need to refer to the table below:
So, if you are selling your foreign currency, say USD, 0.7969USD will fetch you 1AUD. As you can see, this rate is slightly different from the buying rate.
Products you need
We have already discussed that the exchange rate depends on the product you wish to buy/sell. For instance, if you were buying a NAB travel card, the cost for various currencies would be:
We have already seen the rates for hard cash in the tables elsewhere. When you compare, you’ll see that the rates differ according to the product you prefer.
MT/TT
As well as NAB exchange rates, NAB Internet Banking can also be used for IMT and you can easily send money around the world in no time. In addition, this facility offers you the option of locking in your exchange rates day or night during a week.
Calculating Currency Conversions
Now that we have understood the factors that affect exchange rates, it is time to do some calculations and find out how it works in real life situation.
How much foreign currency will my Australian dollars fetch?
If you want to know how much amount of foreign currency will X amount of Australian dollars buy, here is the calculation:
Australian Dollars with you * Exchange rate = Foreign Currency you will receive
For example, if you have 2000AUD and want to buy USD at the rate of 0.7243USD, then your home currency will fetch 1484.6USD (2000*0.7243=1484.6)
What is the cost to buy a fixed amount of foreign currency?
There might be situations when you know you need exactly X amount of foreign currency. In that case, you can use the following formula to calculate the amount of AUD it will cost you:
The cost in Australian Dollar = the amount of currency you want to buy / exchange rate
So, if you need 1500 GBP, while the exchange rate is 0.5451, then you’ll have to spend 2751.78AUD (1500/0.5451=2751.78)
What is the cost if you send money overseas?
As explained above, if you know the exact amount of money you want to send oversees, the calculation to be used is the same as buying travel money (The cost in Australian Dollar = the amount of currency you want to buy / exchange rate).
What is the calculation while receiving currency from overseas?
For receiving money from overseas, use the following formula:
Foreign currency received/exchange rate = the amount of Australian Dollar you receive.
So, if you received 2000 GBP through a bank transfer, with an exchange rate of 0.6062, then the amount of AUD you’d receive would be 3299.24 (2000/0.6062=3299.24)
In short, it can be said that for converting AUD into foreign currencies and vice versa, the general rule will be:
- Convert AUD into foreign currency by Multiplying it by the exchange rate
- Convert foreign currency into AUD by dividing it by the exchange rate
Once you understand this fundamental idea, the rest becomes easy. However, remember that the actual amount you’ll receive will depend on the type of product too. So, if you buy a travel card, opt for IMT or exchange AUD for foreign currency in cash, there would be slight differences in the cost. Furthermore, you should always try to do currency exchange from branches than airports. Airports are generally costly when it comes to currency exchange.
National Australia Bank Foreign Transfer Rates & Fees - Compared
Foreign Transfers - Compare National Australia Bank 
| Foreign Transfer Providers Ratings & Reviews | Receive USD($) | Exchange Rate | Fee AUD | Total Cost | Transfer Services | Transfer Speed | Deal Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Australia Bank (nab) International Money Transfers  | 6,839.92 USD Compare | 0.6855 | 22 | 4.67% | Online, Branch, Bank Transfers | 2-3 days | |
  OFX exchange rates are highly competitive for global money transfers, great customer service. ^Zero transfer fees for BestExchangeRates customers. More▾ | 7,104 USD $264 more | 0.7104 | 0^ | 0.99% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
 TorFX provide no fee transfers with good exchange rates and excellent customer service. More▾ | 7,101 USD $261 more | 0.7101 | 0 | 1.03% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
 Great rates and platform for personal, business and online sellers. Get local currency accounts in GBP, EUR, CAD, USD, AUD, NZD, JPY and CNY. More▾ | 7,146 USD $306 more | 0.7146 | 0 | 0.4% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
Banks - Average Rate        Average rate from these selected Banks. Click icons to see each bank's individual rate and fee. More▾ | 6,841 USD $1.08 more | 0.6855 | 15 | 4.65% | Online, Branch, Bank Transfers | 2-3 days |
National Australia Bank Travel Money Rates & Fees - Compared
Travel Money - Compare National Australia Bank
| Travel Money Providers Ratings & Reviews | Amount USD($) | Exchange Rate | Fee AUD | Total Cost | Currency Services | Delivery/Collect | Deal Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Get great travel money rates from Travelex when you order online. More▾ | 697.30 USD Best Overall | 0.6973 | $0 BPay, Card 0.72%-1% | 2.82% | Online order, Branch pickup, Home delivery | 2-3 days | |
 Order over 60 currencies at best online rate and collect at over 130 locations across Australia. More▾ | 697.10 USD $0.2 less | 0.6971 | $0 BPay, Credit Card 1% | 2.84% | Online order, Branch pickup | 3-5 days | |
 Get better rates when you order online (via Travelex) for pickup at your local AusPost branch. More▾ | 692.40 USD $4.9 less | 0.6924 | $0 BPay, Card 0.72%-1% | 3.5% | Online order, Branch pickup, $10 fee for orders under $1000 | 2-3 days | |
Banks - Average Rate Average rate from these selected Banks. Click icons to see each bank's individual rate and fee. More▾ | 677.67 USD $20 less | 0.6860 | 10 | 5.55% | Branch | - | |
National Australia Bank (nab) Foreign Currency | 672.41 USD $25 less | 0.6792 | 10 | 6.28% | Branch | - |
I lived overseas in France for 18 months, and had to withdraw and send from my National Australia account often. Wish I had switched earlier as the rates were not very good
I was using my NAB account to send money home but found much better rates at OFX through this website thx!