United States Dollar to Turkish Lira exchange rates aren't all the same.
The total cost you are charged by your bank or foreign exchange provider consists of a margin from the interbank mid-rate plus fees.
These margins and fees vary significantly for International Money Transfers and Travel Money transactions as shown below.
At 5.7789 USD/TRY is trading 0.6% above its 90 day average with range 5.5633 to 5.9261. ALERT: USD/TRY has risen to 14-DAY HIGHS. Updated: 08:01-AEDT21:01-GMT16:01-EST
Exchange rates can vary significantly depending on the transaction type (transfer, cash or card), currency pair and amount. The below table shows an example of total costs charged by FX specialists and banks for USD/TRY International Money Transfers. Costs are calculated against the current interbank mid-rate.
Example 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.
When determining the best time to make a foreign exchange transaction, in this case the USD vs TRY, you should pay attention to the recent market trends for both currencies.
United States Dollar (USD)
The US dollar has held its value this year despite a serious escalation in US-China trade tensions, mainly because the greenback is still considered a safer currency to own than most others. After grim employment data on June-7, the Dollar Index was up 0.5 percent on the year (it had fallen 2 percent from May’s 2-year high).
As in other parts of the world, interest rate cuts are now expected in the US following a drastic shift in economic forecasts. At least two Fed cuts are expected this year, with the first most likely to come in July.
Taking the blame for the economic downturn is US President Donald Trump, whose trade policies have set a ball rolling that could wipe $455bn from global output according to the IMF.
In the second half of April, the lira slipped to its weakest level in 6 months against the dollar, at ₺5.83. It was 11.5 percent lower than its strongest level from January, but was 21.5 percent higher than its 2018 low (2018 was a crisis year for the lira).
In April, Turkey described a reform package aimed at lifting the economy out of recession. The package included billions injected into banks, reduced tax exemptions, lower corporate tax rates and a crackdown on the shadow economy; however, ratings agencies did not see many positives in the plans due to inadequate details.
TradingEconomics.com sees the lira quoted 5 percent weaker against the dollar in April 2020, at ₺6.14.
Why can't I just get the USD/TRY market rate I see online or in the media?
The mid-rate is the rate you will see quoted online or the news. It is actually just the half-way point (hence mid-rate) between
the last rate at which the USD / TRY was traded (bought or sold) in the international markets.
All foreign exchange providers charge a fee for providing their service and this fee is usually contained within the exchange rate margin (or difference to the mid-rate).
Some providers such as Transferwise will quote you the mid-rate (or close to) and charge a separate percentage fee.
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.
