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International Payment Cost Calculator

Compare two ways of getting paid from abroad, such as a wallet, a transfer service or a bank wire. See the fees, the exchange-rate markup and how much actually arrives.

Your numbers

In the sender's currency.

1 unit of the sender's currency in your currency. Use the rate shown on a search engine or xe.com today.

%

In the sender's currency.

%

How far the provider's rate is below the mid-market rate.

%
%

Better route

Route B

Extra you receive with it

43.47

Route A: you receive
870.09
Route B: you receive
913.56
Route A: total cost
5.43%
Route B: total cost
0.70%
At the mid-market rate with no fees
920.00
The math behind it

  1. Route A

    (1,000 × (1 − 3%) − 0) × 0.92 × (1 − 2.5%)equals870.09

  2. Route B

    (1,000 × (1 − 0.6%) − 1) × 0.92 × (1 − 0%)equals913.56

  3. Difference

    |870.09 − 913.56|equals43.47

When a client pays you from another country, you lose money in two places: the fees you can see, and the exchange-rate markup you usually can't. A provider with no fee can still cost more than one with a fee if its exchange rate is worse. This calculator puts both side by side.

How it works

Start with the mid-market rate: the real exchange rate halfway between buy and sell prices, the one shown on search engines. Any rate a provider gives you that is lower than this contains a hidden markup.

Each route first takes its percentage and fixed fees from the amount sent. What is left is converted at the provider's rate, which is the mid-market rate reduced by its markup.

The total cost compares what arrives with what would have arrived at the mid-market rate with no fees at all. It is the one number that makes different providers directly comparable.

A worked example

A client sends 1,000 at a mid-market rate of 0.92, so 920 would arrive with no costs. Route A charges 3% and a 2.5% rate markup: 970 converted at 0.897 gives 870.09, a 5.43% total cost. Route B charges 0.6% plus 1 and no markup: 993 × 0.92 = 913.56, a 0.70% total cost. Route B delivers 43.47 more.

Questions people ask

Where do I find a provider's exchange-rate markup?

Compare the rate the provider quotes you with the mid-market rate at the same moment. If the mid-market rate is 0.9200 and the provider offers 0.8970, the markup is 1 − 0.897 ÷ 0.92 = 2.5%.

Why don't you list PayPal, Wise or Payoneer fees directly?

Their fees depend on the country you are in, the currency pair, your account type and sometimes the amount, and they change several times a year. Entering the numbers from your own account's pricing page gives you an answer that is correct for you today.

Does the receiving fee matter too?

Yes. Some providers charge to receive a payment and again to withdraw it to your bank. Add both to the percentage and fixed fees for that route.

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