Compare GBP/USD Exchange Rates
The below table is a snapshot of the costs charged by FX specialists and banks when making an International Money Transfer from GBP to USD. The total costs are calculated against the latest mid-market rate.
Foreign Transfers - Best vs Banks
| Foreign Transfer Providers Ratings & Reviews | Receive USD($) | Exchange Rate | Fee GBP | Total Cost | Transfer Services | Transfer Speed | Deal Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  OFX exchange rates are highly competitive for global money transfers, great customer service. ^Zero transfer fees for BestExchangeRates customers. More▾ | 6,457.5 USD Best Overall | 1.2915 | £0^ | 0.72% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
 TorFX provide no fee transfers with good exchange rates and excellent customer service. More▾ | 6,454 USD 3.5 USD less | 1.2908 | 0 | 0.78% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
 Great rates and platform for personal, business and online sellers. Get local currency accounts in GBP, EUR, CAD, USD, AUD, NZD, JPY and CNY. More▾ | 6,478.5 USD 21 USD more | 1.2957 | 0 | 0.4% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
 Excellent rates and platform. Get local 'Borderless' accounts in GBP, EUR, USD, AUD, & NZD. More▾ | 6,470.68 USD 13 USD more | 1.3009 | £26 | 0.52% | Bank Transfers - Online | 1-2 days | |
 Money transfers made simple and cheap. Online, with app, or speak direct to dealers. More▾ | 6,451 USD 6.5 USD less | 1.2902 | 0 | 0.82% | Bank Transfers - Online & Phone | 1-2 days | |
Banks - Average Rate      Average rate from these selected Banks. Click icons to see each bank's individual rate and fee. More▾ | 6,258 USD 199 USD less | 1.2554 | 15 | 3.79% | Online, Branch, Bank Transfers | 2-3 days |
The below table shows a snapshot of the margins and possible savings when you order travel money online with a currency specialist rather than in-person from banks and currency kiosks.
Travel Money - Best vs Banks
| Travel Money Providers Ratings & Reviews | Amount USD($) | Exchange Rate | Fee GBP | Total Cost | Currency Services | Delivery/Collect | Deal Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Get great travel money rates from Travelex when you order online. More▾ | 1,271.6 USD Best Overall | 1.2716 | £0^ | 2.25% | Online order, Branch pickup, Home delivery | 2-3 days | |
Post Office Foreign Currency  | 1,246.6 USD 25 USD less | 1.2466 | 0 | 4.17% | 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▾ | 1,213 USD 59 USD less | 1.2271 | £10 | 6.73% | Branch | - |
GBP to USD mid-rate = 1.2976
Right now the GBP/USD market mid-rate is 1.2976 and represents ideally how many United States Dollar you can get for one British Pound Sterling.
This GBP/USD Converter calculates equivalent British Pound Sterling to United States Dollar amounts at the market mid-rate:
GBP / USD mid-rate converter
1.2976 United States Dollar
Compare how much you can save on
GBP/USD exchange rates for:
British Pound Sterling |
United States Dollar |
|---|---|
| 10 GBP | 12.98 USD |
| 100 GBP | 129.76 USD |
| 1,000 GBP | 1,297.60 USD |
| 2,000 GBP | 2,595.20 USD |
| 10,000 GBP | 12,976.00 USD |
| See more | |
British Pound Sterling |
United States Dollar |
|---|---|
| 7.7060 GBP | 10 USD |
| 77.06 GBP | 100 USD |
| 770.60 GBP | 1,000 USD |
| 1,541.20 GBP | 2,000 USD |
| 7,706.00 GBP | 10,000 USD |
| See more | |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Feb 2019 | 1.3048 | Latest | |
| 14 Feb 2019 | 1.2798 | 1 Week | +1.95% |
| 22 Jan 2019 | 1.2956 | 1 Month | +0.71% |
| 25 Aug 2018 | 1.2846 | 6 Months | +1.57% |
| 21 Feb 2018 | 1.3912 | 1 Year | -6.21% |
| 21 Feb 2017 | 1.2487 | 2 Years | +4.49% |
| 22 Feb 2014 | 1.6619 | 5 Years | -21.49% |
| 23 Feb 2009 | 1.4536 | 10 Years | -10.24% |
Why 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
20-February-19: Given Brexit uncertainties, 2018 wasn’t too bad of a year for the pound. Although it lost 7.5 percent of its value against the US dollar, it only lost 1.9 percent against the euro and gained nearly 3 percent against the Australian dollar.
In early 2019, the pound has been resilient, having gained several percent against most of the other G10 currencies despite UK politics being in a state of disarray and with all Brexit options still on the table. Sterling remains well down when compared with its recent history though: at the time of writing, against the US dollar it was 12 percent lower than levels prior to the UK’s EU referendum in June 2016.
Pound forecasts are futile given uncertainties over Brexit but estimates can be made for different outcomes. Currency analysts at HSBC said in February that sterling would be valued at levels near US$1.10 in the event of no-deal, near US$1.45 with a deal and at US$1.55 should Article 50 be revoked and Brexit cancelled. GBP/USD was quoted at US$1.305 at the time of this report.
United States Dollar (USD) - Market news and forecasts
26-January-19: 2018 was a reasonable year for the dollar. Measured by the US Dollar Index, the greenback appreciated by 4 percent, which was much better than 2017’s 10 percent loss. It was, though, something of a stuttering end to 2018 and the dollar has had mixed fortunes in early 2019.
In December, after lifting US interest rates to 2.25-2.5 percent, the Fed lowered its expectations for future hikes due to so-called “cross currents” (China, Brexit, trade wars etc.). Skepticism among analysts over future Fed hikes has for some time been the main reason for dollar pessimism for 2019, but now, there is also the prospect of a US economic slowdown to contend with.
“A slowdown in the economy is likely to weigh on USD particularly in the second half of this year,” a CIBC researcher said in January.
Of the same opinion was an expert at ING, who argued that the dollar is soon to “embark on a gradual long-term bearish trend.”
January’s extended US government shutdown also has dollar-negative ramifications. Not only is the shutdown likely to hit first-quarter GDP growth, disagreements within Congress bode poorly for the future of potentially inflationary fiscal spending.
