Currency Tips & Guides
Practical articles to help you estimate real-world costs and avoid hidden fees.
Mid-Market Rate vs. Your Bank/Card Rate: A Clear Comparison
10 November 2025
Learn why the mid-market rate is a benchmark and how banks/cards arrive at the final figure you actually pay, including spreads and network rules.
How Online Currency Converters Work (and Why Rates Differ)
10 November 2025
A practical walkthrough of mid-market rates, provider markups, refresh intervals, and why your card or bank rarely matches the ‘headline’ rate.
Travel Card Tips in the UAE: Avoiding Hidden FX Costs
9 November 2025
How to minimize FX leakage on trips: enable no-fee accounts where possible, avoid dynamic currency conversion, and watch ATM fees.
USD→AED: Real-World Fees to Expect (Cards, Transfers, Cash)
9 November 2025
A practical checklist of where fees creep in for USD→AED—cards, bank transfers, remittances, and cash counters.
How Often Should Rates Refresh? Staleness, Caching & Volatility
8 November 2025
Converters balance freshness and stability; providers may also widen spreads during volatile windows.
Speed vs. Cost in International Transfers: Finding the Right Balance
8 November 2025
Faster routes often cost more. Understand cut-off times, rails used, and when it’s worth paying for speed.
Fees Checklist Before You Transfer Money
7 November 2025
A pre-transfer checklist that surfaces all the ways costs can appear—so you’re not surprised later.
Benchmarking Your FX Provider: A Simple 3-Step Method
7 November 2025
Use the mid-market rate as a benchmark, record the applied rate, and calculate the effective spread.