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This document contains the answers to most questions that people have about our services.
If you have a question, please search this document before writing electronic mail to our staff. We are trying to provide a free service, and time that we spend answering questions that are already answered here is directly taken away from our efforts to upgrade these services.
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We at xe.com are committed to establishing our services in as many languages as possible. However, our company is based in Canada and our staff are English-speaking. We apologize, but we can only correspond in English.
For your convenience, we provide this translated assistance page. If your question or concern is not addressed on this page, and if you can correspond in English, then we will do our best to help you.
The XE.com Currency Services Team can be reached at <currency@xe.com>.
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XE.com's Universal Currency Converter ® made its debut in May of 1995, and was an immediate sensation. Not only was it one of the very first useful financial information services on the entire Web, it was actually one of the very first interactive Web services on the Internet. Today, it is independently ranked as the world's most popular Internet currency tool.
It has grown from supporting 12 currencies to supporting over 180. That's not only more currencies than anyone else we know of -- that's every single world currency that we know of. We have eagerly and continuously added free services, including our acclaimed Currency Update Service™, which sends currency rates by e-mail to many thousands of people every single business day. For a list of all of our free currency services, refer to our site map at:
As you explore the Internet, you will see lots of currency services. However, if you look closely, you discover that more Internet currency sites are powered by xe.com than anyone else. (Sometimes obviously, sometimes not.) In giving people the ability to customize our services, we also give people the unsupervised ability to place their own content side by side with ours. Please keep in mind that we cannot be responsible for other people's content.
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Note: If you need data for commercial purposes, such as for import into databases, accounting software, or web stores, we can provide it. See our XE.com Currency Data Feed Service.
We obtain our rates from a wide variety of sources. We use advanced proprietary systems to factor in available data from all sources and automatically detect errors in the individual feeds. This allows us to generate a highly reliable composite data feed that is much more timely and accurate than any of the individual feeds.
We strive to always include the latest available market data from live, real-time rate feeds containing data from foreign exchange markets all around the world. Because it's always daytime somewhere in the world, there is a good chance that a currency market somewhere is currently trading. Our sources are global, which means that data for a specific currency can be updated even when the markets of its home country are closed. Where a specific currency is not regularly traded, we use the most recent data available.
We are proud to incorporate data from Tenfore Systems as one of our preferred data sources.
We currently support every world currency of which we are aware. If you know of one we don't, please e-mail <currency@xe.com>.
The mid-market rates shown in our information services are neither "buy" rates nor "sell" rates. Mid-market rates are derived from mid-point between the buy and sell rates of large-value transactions in the global currency markets.
Since "buy rates" and "sell rates" include overheads and profit margins that are set independently by each foreign exchange provider, they will vary depending on who you're talking to, and will always be different than the mid-market rate.
For the guaranteed best buy and sell rates on your foreign exchange, sign up free for XE.com's XEtrade Discount On-Line Foreign Exchange Service.
An Example to Illustrate the Difference Between Buy Rates, Sell Rates, and Mid-Market Rates Like any non-centralized, widely distributed market, the currency market has different prices when you're buying and when you're selling. As an example of how this market operatives, let's consider a similar and familiar market: antiques.
Let's say you find an antique lamp in your house. You look up the value of the lamp on the Internet and find that on average, the market value of your lamp is $200.
So you take the lamp to the antiques dealer and they offer $180 for your lamp. Yes, it may be technically worth $200, but the dealer has to buy it for a little less than market value in order to stay in business. So they buy the lamp from you for $180.
So next you go home, only to find out that the lamp was an important heirloom that should not have been sold. So you head back to the market to buy back the lamp. Luckily, they haven't sold it. You see the lamp in the store window, but now the price tag says $220! The dealer has marked the lamp up from market value in order to stay in business. So they sell the lamp back to you for $220.
In this example, the antique dealer's buy rate was $180, and their sell rate was $220. The average of the buy rate and the sell rate is the market rate, which was $200. However, it is important to note that no trade actually occurred for this amount. With the lamp, as with currency, nobody trades at the mid market rate. Anyone who did would lose money.
Of course, different dealers might have charged different amounts. One might have offered to buy the lamp for $150, another for $190. But in no case can people buy at more than the market rate, or sell at less than the market rate, without going out of business in the long run.
The exact same thing is true when dealing with currencies. All currencies have a market rate, and different merchants will set different buy and sell rates depending on the money they want to make. When converting from one currency to another, you are always buying one currency and selling another, so you will always get the buy rate from one currency and the sell rate from the other.
The further the buy and sell rates are from the market rate, the more the transaction costs you. Some vendors are very far from the market rate, whereas we at XEtrade strive to save you money by making our rates as close as possible.
In summary, buy and sell rates are prices set by currency providers to stay in business.
When doing a conversion, our free currency information services always list the mid-market rate, since we can not know if you will be buying or selling a given currency. The mid-market rate is the most generally useful number, since it serves as a reliable, indicative value for the currency that is not weighted towards buying or selling.
And for your ease of use, our XEtrade service does not specifically reference buy and sell rates. We simply collect the information about your desired trade and quote you a price. This is specifically to avoid needless confusion.
You can use XE.com's XEtrade Discount On-line Foreign Exchange Service to do your foreign exchange at the best rates, guaranteed! There are no sign-up fees, no recurring costs, and no commissions. You can access XEtrade and get further information about it at the following URL:
Please note that the XEtrade service does not currently allow you to directly obtain bank notes (the physical currency itself). Also, please note that the rates offered through XEtrade will differ from the mid-market rates shown by our information services (as explained above).
Yes! XE.com offers a professional-grade currency data service that is available in a variety of formats (including XML) and designed for commercial use in accounting systems, custom software, e-commerce sites, and more. For more information, please see the following URL:
Yes! For information on advertising and sponsorship opportunities, please see the page at:
We have prepared extensive information on the Euro currency unit, which can be found at:
This Web page also contains links to several pages which answer, in detail, many questions you might have about this currency.
On January 1, 1999, the European Currency Unit (ECU or XEU) became the European Economic and Monetary Union Euro (EUR), or simply the "Euro". (See the above question.)
The ECU is no longer in existence, but the Euro is available in all of our services. If you can't find it, you may be using a customized version whose Webmasters have not included it. Try the master Universal Currency Converter ® at:
Please remember, we cannot assume responsibility for the content or functionality of customized versions of our services.
For information on the Euro currency unit, see the preceding question.
We do have support for over 180 currencies from over 250 geographical locations -- that is, every world currency of which we are aware. There is a very, very good chance that we do have the currency you are looking for. Try the "full" version of the Universal Currency Converter ® at:
If you know of a currency that we do not list, please e-mail us at <currency@xe.com>.
Yes! You do not need to ask us for permission to link. Linking to us is free, permissible, and encouraged. After you've linked to us, we encourage you to let us know by e-mailing us at <currency@xe.com>.
Permission is hereby given to you to link to any of our services at your discretion, provided you use the following HTML code method for the appropriate service. (If you wish to use alternate wording, we will probably say yes -- but please ask in advance by sending the proposed wording to <currency@xe.com>.) Find the service you wish to link to in the list below and insert the provided HTML code into your Web page.
To link to the XE.com Personal Currency Assistant™ pop-up window, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/pca/">XE.com Personal Currency Assistant</A>
Note: Some services, like Yahoo auctions, force all links to open in a new window. This causes an "orphaned" window to be displayed even after the PCA has loaded. If you see this happening, use the following linking method, which explicitly closes the calling window. Do not use this method unless you see orphaned windows being generated when you click on your PCA link.
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/pca/launchclose.cgi">XE.com Personal Currency Assistant</A>
NOTE: The Personal Currency Assistant will "pop-up" in a floating window, and will not cause the user to leave the linking page.
To link to the XE.com Universal Currency Converter ®, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/ucc/">The XE.com Universal Currency Converter</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/ucc/">XE.com's Universal Currency Converter</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/ucc/">XE.com Currency Converter</A>
To link to the XE.com Interactive Currency Table™, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/ict/">The Interactive Currency Table</A>
To link to the XE.com Currency Rate Monitor™ pop-up window, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/crm/">XE.com Currency Rate Monitor</A>
NOTE: The Currency Rate Monitor will "pop-up" in a floating window, and will not cause the user to leave the linking page.
To link to the XE.com Home Page, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/">XE.com: Free Currency Services</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/">XE.com Currency Services</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/">Free Currency Services by XE.com</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/">XE.com</A>
To link to the XE.com Currency Services Site Map, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/sitemap.htm">Free XE.com Currency Services</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/sitemap.htm">Free Currency Services by XE.com</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/sitemap.htm">Universal Currency Converter Services</A>
To link to the XE.com E-Mail Currency Update Service™, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/cus/">Get Free Currency Rates by E-Mail</A>
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<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/cus/">XE.com E-Mail Currency Update Service</A>
To link to the XE.com Travel Expenses Calculator™, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/tec/">XE.com Travel Expenses Calculator</A>
To link to the XE.com Tabular Travel Expenses Calculator™, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/tec/table.shtml">XE.com Travel Expenses Calculator</A>
To link to the XE.com Credit Card Charges Calculator™, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/ccc/">XE.com Credit Card Charges Calculator</A>
To link to the XE.com Foreign Exchange Charges Calculator™, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/fec/">XE.com Foreign Exchange Charges Calculator</A>
To link to our Information on the Euro Currency, use:
<A HREF="http://www.xe.com/euro.htm">Information on the Euro Currency</A>
Using the above link HTML will ensure that your users are always using the latest version of the our XE.com Currency services.
If you want to display one of our spinning currency logos, please see the next question below.
The spinning currency logo is a copyrighted trademark of XE.com, one we wish to become strongly identified with XE.com Currency services. We are therefore permitting only very specific uses of this logo. Unauthorized duplication or use of our logos, particularly to represent unrelated services, is a violation of international intellectual property laws and can result in severe penalties.
You are permitted to accompany a link to our site with our spinning currency logo by directly referencing it at our site -- not by copying it to yours. The approved usage follows:
Spinning logo with black background, 45 pixels high (view sample):
Spinning logo with black background, 20 pixels high (view sample):
Spinning logo with white background, 45 pixels high (view sample):
Spinning logo with white background, 20 pixels high (view sample):
Secure Page References: To use the graphic in https secure pages, just change the http:// part of the code to https:// (if you do not do this, your page may generate a warning that it contains non-secure elements). Don't use secure references unless your page is going to be https secure, as it will add a significant communications overhead both for our servers and your client's browser.
WARNING: No other use of the spinning currency logo is permitted. It is copyrighted intellectual property and a trade mark of XE.com. You are not permitted to duplicate it, distribute it, or alter it in any way. For more information, please refer to the Terms of Use.
Note: If you need data for commercial purposes, such as for import into databases, accounting software, or web stores, we can provide it. See our XE.com Currency Data Feed Service.
Yes. Subscribe to our E-Mail Currency Update Service™ a completely free service that sends you daily currency rate updates by electronic mail in the base currency of your choice. You can sign up for this free service at:
IMPORTANT: Use of the rates your receive is subject to our Terms of Use. Among other things, these Terms of Use specifically prohibit redistribution as well as use of the rates for any commercial purpose.
We are always concentrating on adding new languages and services. Remember, you can always keep track of our new services by regularly checking our home page at:
This functionality is now a part of our standard Interactive Currency Table, which is located at:
Our rates are a lot more up-to-date than most other sources, and do not include "buy" and "sell" margins. However, all others things being equal, different sources can still quote different values. Why? There are many currency markets all over the world, and like any other market -- precious metals, for example -- specific rates will vary from market to market. To continue this example, there are both New York and London metal exchanges: their prices generally follow each other, but are very seldom exactly the same. Which one is "right"? Both. Generally, published rates are indicative only. There's no guarantee you'll be able to get them locally, and they certainly won't include your financial institution's buy-sell profit margins.
Click here for more information on our rates.
Look carefully at the time zone. Chances are, the date or time is just displayed in a different time zone. For example, when it's 3:00pm in New York (time zone EST) it can be 8:00pm in London (time zone GMT). Furthermore, when it's 9:00 on October 3rd in New York (EST), it can be 2:00am on October 4th in London (GMT). While these times and dates may look significantly different, in fact they are exactly the same.
Different services can display dates in different time zones. In addition, third-party webmasters have the ability to customize many of our services to display data in their own time zones. Pay close attention to the time zones.
No. Furthermore, by using our services you are indicating your acceptance the Terms of Use -- accepting all liability and indemnifying us completely regarding any use you decide to make of any information from any of our services.
If you are asking this question, there is a significant chance that you are engaging in an action specifically prohibited under the Terms of Use Agreement. Remember, you are legally responsible for complying with the Terms of Use.
If you need data for commercial purposes, such as for import into databases, accounting software, or web stores, we can provide it. See our XE.com Currency Data Feed Service.
Troy Ounces. Due to a historical oddity, Troy Ounces are the standard of measure for precious metals and gemstones all around the world. Avoirdupois ounces are used for pretty much everything else, and are the "normal" ounces with which most people are familiar.
What's the difference? Troy Ounces are slightly heavier than Avoirdupois ounces. However, there are 12 Troy ounces in a Troy Pound, whereas there are 16 Avoirdupois ounces in an Avoirdupois pound -- so the Avoirdupois pound is actually heavier.
| Troy | Avoirdupois | |
| Used for... | precious metals and gemstones | everything else |
| One ounce weighs.. | 31.1035 grams | 28.3495 grams |
| Ounces in one pound... | 12 (twelve) | 16 (sixteen) |
| One pound weighs... | 373.242 grams | 453.592 grams |
Many people argue that oddities like this are an excellent arguments for universal adoption of the metric system.
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Yes! This service is completely free. Anyone is welcome to put a version of the converter on their own site. In fact, you can get started right away. Detailed instructions are available at:
Additional customization options are available for a fee. Follow the above link for details.
Most likely, you are using a faulty, unauthorized front-end for the converter. Use the official, current, multilingual front end at:
For obvious reasons, we cannot assume responsibility for the content or functionality of external, unauthorized front ends to the converter. Contact the administrator of the site containing the front end and inform him or her of your problems.
Many millions of people per month use the converter. Problems at our end are infrequent and corrected very quickly. Converter complaints are very rare and are almost always the result of factors beyond our control.
We support over 180 currencies from over 250 geographical locations -- that is, every world currency of which we are aware. There is a very, very good chance that we do have the currency you are looking for. Try the "full" version of the Universal Currency Converter ® at:
If you know of a currency that we do not list, please e-mail us at <currency@xe.com>.
With over 180 currencies, we list many currencies that are not heavily traded on international markets. In particular, it is difficult to find data for currencies from some parts of the developing world. We update our currency data as often as possible, and are always seeking ways to improve the timeliness of our rates.
However, keep in mind that currency data that appears old may actually be completely up to date. Why? Because currency values are set by market trades. If no trade occurs for a specific currency over a long period, then the current value is the last value, regardless of how old it is.
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Yes. Subscribe to the E-Mail Currency Update Service, a free service that sends you regularly free currency table updates automatically by electronic mail, in the base currency of your choice. See our subscription form for more information:
If you need help understanding your e-mail, please refer to our annotated sample mailout at:
Yes. Currency data is available in CSV and XML format via our XE.com Currency Data Feed Service.
It is not permissible to manually or automatically extract currency data from the Currency Update Service, or to use the Currency Update Service for commercial purposes. This is specifically prohibited by the Terms of Use Agreement which you must accept to use the XE.com site.
If you need data for commercial purposes, such as for import into databases, accounting software, or web stores, we can provide it. See our XE.com Currency Data Feed Service.
You must confirm your subscription, as directed, to be placed on the list. When you fill out the subscription form, you are immediately sent a confirmation request to the e-mail address that you specified. You must follow this simple confirmation instruction in the message in order to be added to the list. This process is required to minimize fraudulent subscriptions and subscriptions using incorrect e-mail addresses.
Confirm the e-mail address you supplied. In our experience, almost all people who experience this problem do not receive the confirmation instructions because they have specified an incorrect or invalid e-mail address.
If you have not received the e-mail message containing the confirmation instructions, double check that the e-mail address you specified was correct. If it was, check with your mail administrator to see if your Internet services has been experiencing any problems.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure you have configured any e-mail filters to accept messages from our xe.net and xe.com domains. It is very easy to inadvertently block legitimate e-mail from our company.If you have received the confirmation request and replied to it, but have not received the welcome message, then try replying again to the confirmation request. After replying, it usually takes less than half an hour to receive the welcome message. If you have resent your confirmation message but have still not received your welcome message, then contact <currency@xe.com> for assistance.
The rate table is indeed spaced in consistent columns and has the appropriate line termination data. You can see a sample mailout at:
You can see from this example that everything lines up quite nicely. If you're having trouble, it is likely because either your mail software or gateway is mangling the message. Often, people who report this problem are simply using a proportional font to view the message. Make sure you are using a fixed width font in your mail program.
Many thousands of people -- using all imaginable mail packages on all imaginable platforms -- get our mailout every day. Only a very few report this problem. In all cases to date, the problem has been at the user's end.
This feature is currently under development.
This feature is currently under development.
To change your subscription information, please unsubscribe as directed in your mailout and then resubscribe with your new information at:
Please do not write a message to our staff requesting them to change your subscription information! Since this service is free, we cannot expend human resources to duplicate functionality that is already available automatically.
However, if you do not have Web capability, let us know and we will send you out an e-mail version of the form.
If you want to unsubscribe from the Currency Update Service, please follow the simple instructions contained in your mailout describing the correct process. Unsubscription requests sent using the instructions contained in your mailout will be processed immediately, while requests sent directly to our staff may or may not be processed at all. In short, please use the instructions provided in your mailout to unsubscribe.
To summarize: for detailed instructions on how to unsubscribe, please refer to the section in your daily mailout entitled "UNSUBSCRIBING FROM THIS SERVICE". It contains personalized instructions that describe how you can cancel your subscription.
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The location of the Terms of Use has changed. The most recent version of these Terms of Use can now always be found at:
Use of this website is offered to you on your acceptance of these Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy and other notices posted on this website. Your use of this website or of any content presented in any and all areas of the website indicates your acknowledgment and agreement to these Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy and other notices posted on this website. If you do not agree to be bound by and comply with all of the foregoing, you may not access or use our currency information, services, or website.
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