What is the mid-market rate?

The midpoint between the buying and selling prices in the wholesale market — the rate with no margin attached. It is what search engines and financial sites quote, and no consumer provider gives it to you, but it is the only fair benchmark for comparing those who don't.

Which option should I use?

Compute the spread on each and take the smallest. Here that is the card at 2.75%, then the bank at 3.50%, then the commission-free bureau at 5.99%. The ranking is not predictable from how the pricing is advertised, which is why you have to compute it.

Currency Converter

Convert currencies using approximate rates.

100.00 EUR = 108.00 USD

Rate: 1 EUR = 1.0800 USD

Currency Guide

Exchange Rates and Spread

Exchange rate is the price of one currency in another. Banks and exchange offices offer different buy and sell rates (spread). Wide spread is the difference between buy and sell price, often 2-5%. TransferWise (Wise), Revolut, or Remitly often offer better rates than traditional banks. Always check total cost in PLN before the transaction.

Best Currency Rates

In Poland the best rates are offered by Revolut, Wise, and online exchanges (e.g., Kantorex). Avoid exchange at airports and hotels - there spread is highest (10-15%). For larger amounts negotiate the rate. Pay card in local currency (EUR, USD), NOT in PLN - banks often add hidden 3-5% spread.

International Travel

Before traveling to the USA, get USD at Polish exchange or ATM. In Eurozone EUR card works without commission (pay in EUR). In UK pounds cheapest online. Asia: local currency everywhere - EU exchanges offer poor rates. Crypto: 1% commission through Binance or Revolut.

"0% commission" was the most expensive option in the test

Currency conversion has one honest reference — the mid-market rate, the midpoint between what buyers and sellers are quoting. Everything else is that rate minus a margin. A bureau advertising no commission simply moved the commission into the rate, and in this comparison it charged nearly 6%.

How it works

Converts between currencies and shows the result against the mid-market reference.
Exposes the spread — the gap between the rate quoted and the true rate — as a percentage.
Makes options with different fee structures comparable, which is the only way to rank them.

spread % = (1 − offered rate ÷ mid-market rate) × 100

true cost = amount × mid-market − amount × offered rate

a stated fee and a widened spread are the same thing wearing different labels

Worked example

Converting 1,000 EUR to USD at a mid-market rate of 1.0850.

mid-market reference: 1,085.00
bank transfer at 1.0470 → 1,047.00, a 3.50% spread
"0% commission" bureau at 1.0200 → 1,020.00, a 5.99% spread
card charging 2.75% on the mid-market rate → 1,055.16

The bureau advertising zero commission is the worst of the three, costing 65 against the card's 29.84. On a 5,000 transfer that difference widens to 325 versus 149.

Reading the result

Always compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate for the same moment. That single division tells you the whole cost, and it is the number providers are least keen to display next to their own.
"No fees" and "0% commission" are claims about the fee line, not about the total. A provider can be entirely truthful about charging no commission while taking more than one that charges 3% openly.
Card conversion is often the cheapest of the everyday options, but decline dynamic currency conversion at the terminal. Being offered a charge in your home currency abroad means the merchant's provider is setting the rate, typically several percent worse.
Rates move, so a quote is only good for the moment it was given. For large transfers the spread matters far more than timing the market — 3% of the sum is a certainty, while the movement you are hoping for is not.

Common questions

What is the mid-market rate?: The midpoint between the buying and selling prices in the wholesale market — the rate with no margin attached. It is what search engines and financial sites quote, and no consumer provider gives it to you, but it is the only fair benchmark for comparing those who don't.
Which option should I use?: Compute the spread on each and take the smallest. Here that is the card at 2.75%, then the bank at 3.50%, then the commission-free bureau at 5.99%. The ranking is not predictable from how the pricing is advertised, which is why you have to compute it.