PayPal exchange rates at a glance
When you use the PayPal to make a foreign transfer the total cost will depend on how you pay, but generally you will be charged between 4%-7% percent of the total amount being converted depending on how you pay.
When you use a debit/credit card to pay for your transfer you will be charged an extra 3% when you load your PayPal wallet.
How is the PayPal exchange rate calculated?
The base foreign exchange rate at which PayPal obtains foreign currency is determined by 3rd party financial institutions, and are adjusted regularly based on market conditions. The exchange rate that PayPal then provides you also includes a processing fee above the base rate.
The exchange rate provided by PayPal is fixed for each currency and does not change for small or large amounts.
If you use your credit card to send a payment, you can usually opt to use your credit card provider’s conversion rate instead of PayPal's.
If you choose to use MasterCard or Visa’s exchange rate, the applied conversion rate will be shown on your credit card statement, and not at the time of the transaction.
When you use the PayPal App in the US to send a payment to a different currency, you will be using Xoom, a PayPal Service.
Sending money to United States can be an expensive business, more so if you aren’t even aware of all the hidden fees. Money transfer companies and banks profit by charging you fees and a normally hidden margin on the exchange rate.
Using your Bank to make international wire transfers to India can be especially expensive – often 5% to 10% worse than using a foreign exchange specialist to send to United States bank accounts or pay a US dollar invoice.
