GBP to USD mid-rate = 1.2589
Right now the GBP/USD market mid-rate is 1.2589 and represents ideally how many United States Dollar you can get for one British Pound Sterling.
You can calculate equivalent British Pound Sterling to United States Dollar currency amounts (at mid-rate) below. Then select the transaction type to compare the best exchange rates available for GBP to USD transfers or buying USD travel money.
GBP / USD Converter
1.2589 United States Dollar
Compare how much you can save on
GBP/USD exchange rates for:
| USD Country Guides | ||
|---|---|---|
 United States |  East Timor |  Ecuador |
 El Salvador |  British Virgin Islands |  US Virgin Islands |
 Caribbean Netherlands |  Turks And Caicos Islands |  Zimbabwe |
British Pound Sterling to United States Dollar (GBP-USD) - 10 Year History
The below table shows the historic variation in the GBP/USD exchange rate over the last 10 years. The percentage change is the difference from the date shown to present. This lets you decide if the current rate is in your favour. You can also view our various charts of GBP versus other currencies : GBP historical charts.
| Date | Exchange Rate | Period | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 2018 | 1.2589 | Latest | |
| 09 Dec 2018 | 1.2719 | 1 Week | -1.02% |
| 16 Nov 2018 | 1.2840 | 1 Month | -1.95% |
| 19 Jun 2018 | 1.3173 | 6 Months | -4.43% |
| 16 Dec 2017 | 1.3324 | 1 Year | -5.52% |
| 16 Dec 2016 | 1.2474 | 2 Years | +0.92% |
| 17 Dec 2013 | 1.6270 | 5 Years | -22.62% |
| 18 Dec 2008 | 1.5177 | 10 Years | -17.05% |
Best Rates for GBP/USD Transfers and Travel Money
The total transaction cost you will be charged is the margin from the mid-rate offered by your foreign exchange provider plus any fixed or percentage fees. These margins and fees will vary significantly for International Money Transfers and Travel Money transactions.
You can see a sample of the margins from mid-rate in the table below which shows an example of the costs charged by FX specialist and the average bank rate when sending money transfers from GBP to USD.
Compare GBP to USD Foreign Transfers vs the Banks
| Foreign Transfer Providers | Amount USD($) | Exchange Rate | Fee GBP | Total Cost | Transfer Services | Transfer Speed | Reviews | Deal Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 TorFX provide no fee transfers with good exchange rates and excellent customer service. More | 6,210 USD Top Provider | 1.242 | 0 | 1.34% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days |  | |
 OFX exchange rates are highly competitive for global money transfers, great customer service. ^Zero transfer fees for BestExchangeRates customers. More | 6,213 USD $3 more | 1.2426 | £0^ | 1.29% | 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 | 6,022 USD $188 less | 1.2079 | 15 | 4.33% | Online, Branch, Bank Transfers | 2-3 days |
The below table shows an example of the margins and possible savings when you order travel money online with a currency specialist versus the average bank, kiosk or post office rate to buy foreign cash.
Compare GBP to USD Travel Money Exchange Rates vs the Banks
| Travel Money Providers | Amount USD($) | Exchange Rate | Fee GBP | Total Cost | Currency Services | Delivery Speed | Reviews | Deal Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Get great travel money rates from Travelex when you order online. More | 1,230 USD Top Provider | 1.23 | £0^ | 2.3% | Online order, Branch pickup, Home delivery | 2-3 days | | |
 | 1,206.3 USD $24 less | 1.2063 | 0 | 4.18% | Online order, Branch pickup, Home delivery | 2-3 days | | |
Banks - Average Rate Average rate from these selected Banks. Click icons to see each bank's individual rate and fee. More | 1,174 USD $56 less | 1.1875 | £10 | 6.73% | Branch | - |
OrderWhy can't I just get the GBP/USD market rate I see on Google or in the Media?
The GBP/USD mid-rate is the rate you will see Quoted on Google or the News, nobody except the largest banks and businesses can get exchange rates close to this mid-rate. It is actually just the theoretical half-way point (hence mid-rate) between the last rate at which the GBP / USD was traded (bought or sold) in the international markets.
Getting a good market rate is mainly about timing however the transaction margin you end up being charged can be considerably reduced by around a few percent (of total amount being exchanged) for travel money and possibly over 5% to 6% when sending money. The exact potential savings depends on the currencies being exchanged and the amount you are transferring and if you are willing to shop around.
The closer your final exchange rate is to the market GBP/USD midrate the better deal you are getting.
Our real-time foreign transfer and travel money/cards comparison calculators make shopping around easy and help you calculate how much you can save.
The three things you need in order to get a good GBP to USD exchange rate
- Know the latest GBP/USD market mid-rate. The closer your final exchange rate is to this real market rate the better deal you are getting. You should also judge how the current rate compares to the historic rate over the past 10 years.
- Compare your Bank's transaction costs
to several
licensed FX providers, remember to compare
the exchange rate margins as well as the various types of fees. We make that easy to do with our calculators for Foreign Transfers and Travel Money transactions. - Review up-to-date Currency News and Forecasts for both the and currencies, if available.
Currency news and forecasts for British Pound Sterling and United States Dollar
Whenever you are researching a particular exchange rate you are actually interested in two currencies as the value of a currency must always be quoted relative to a second currency.
So it follows that if you are determining the best time to transact, in this case the GBP vs USD, you should pay attention to both British Pound Sterling and United States Dollar news and forecasts.
British Pound Sterling (GBP) - Market news and forecasts
10-December-18: UK politics was in a state of disarray in December and a no-deal Brexit was looking ever more likely. As a result, sterling struck a 20-month low against the dollar ($1.251) and a 3-1/2-month low against the euro (€1.1). Against each of its peers, sterling had been worth 17 percent more prior to the UK’s EU referendum in June 2016.
The Bank of England has predicted a shocking 25 percent loss in the pound’s value in the event of a “disorderly” no-deal Brexit, under which there will be serious border delays and a marked loss of confidence in Britain’s financial institutions.
In the more likely event of a milder, “disruptive” no-deal Brexit, under which goods face tariffs but flow somewhat easily, sterling still loses 15 percent, the BoE believes.
How likely is no-deal? It’s highly likely unless Prime Minister May achieves a time-limited backstop; British MPs will not accept much else. This will be difficult for May to achieve — EU negotiators have already said that their previous offer was the last and only offer — and little time remains, with Brexit scheduled for March-29.
United States Dollar (USD) - Market news and forecasts
14-December-18: Against a basket of currencies, the US dollar struck an 18-month high in mid-December after negative political and economic developments weighed on rest-of-the-world currencies. At the time of writing, the dollar was showing trade-weighted appreciation of 6 percent for 2018 and was on course to gain in 10 of the year’s 12 months.
The dollar had strengthened to levels near $1.13 against the euro, which suffered due to disappointing eurozone economic data and Brexit-related uncertainties.
Brexit allowed the dollar to gain handsomely against the pound in 2018. On December-11, GBP/USD traded below 1.25 for the first time since early 2017.
The economic slowdown in China has also helped the dollar by creating safe haven flows into the US. The dollar has yet to reach the magic 7-yuan level but remains close to it, at levels near 6.9.
For 2019, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley are both bearish the greenback. The banks remain skeptical over future Fed interest rate hikes and point to a possible US economic downturn in the second half of the year.
Scotiabank is forecasting EUR/USD at $1.30 by 2019 year-end, indicating a potential 13 percent decline in the dollar’s buying power.
