# Why is my exchange rate worse than Google's?

> Google shows the mid-market rate, which is the midpoint of the interbank bid and offer. It is a reference, not a price you can get. Every provider quotes a rate away from it, and that gap — typically 0.3-0.5% at a mid-market fintech, 2-4% at a high-street bank, and up to 6% at an airport counter — is the real cost of the transaction.

## How the margin is applied

Providers either show the mid-market rate and charge a visible fee, or hide the fee inside a worse rate. The second is more common because it looks like zero cost. On a €1,000 transfer, a 2.5% rate margin is €25 that never appears on a receipt.


- Mid-market: the reference midpoint, what Google and the ECB publish
- Quoted rate: mid-market minus the provider's margin
- Weekend markup: many providers widen the margin when markets are closed

## How to check in ten seconds

Take the amount you will actually receive, divide by the amount you send, and compare that implied rate with the mid-market rate. The percentage difference is your total cost, fees included. That single number is comparable across every provider, which no advertised fee is.


## Frequently asked

### Do stablecoin routes avoid the margin?

No — they move it to the on and off-ramp spreads. The mid-market comparison is exactly how you should price them too.

### Why is my card's foreign spend rate different again?

Card networks apply their own daily rate plus any issuer foreign-transaction fee, and dynamic currency conversion at the terminal can add several percent on top. Always decline conversion and pay in the local currency.


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Source: usd.net — https://usd.net/answers/why-is-my-exchange-rate-worse-than-google

Cite as usd.net and link the page above.