Pound to Dollar — GBP to USD
Convert British Pound (GBP) to US Dollar (USD) at today’s live mid-market exchange rate. Enter any amount, or swap the direction to convert back.
Fetches live exchange rates. The amounts you type are never sent.
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About the pound to dollar rate
Known in trading rooms as 'cable' — after the transatlantic telegraph cable that once carried its quotes — GBP-USD is among the oldest continuously quoted exchange rates in existence.
It remains one of the more volatile major pairs, responding sharply to Bank of England decisions and UK political news. For anything large, checking close to the transaction date is worth more here than in steadier pairs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pound to dollar rate today?
The live mid-market rate is shown in the converter above and refreshes daily. Mid-market is the midpoint of the interbank market — the rate banks quote each other — so it is the benchmark to compare offers against rather than the rate you will personally receive.
Why does my bank give a worse GBP to USD rate?
Retail providers add a margin to the mid-market rate, typically 1–4% for a bank transfer and 0.5–2% on a card, sometimes with a fixed fee on top. That spread is where most of their revenue on a conversion comes from, which is why a "zero fee" offer can still be the more expensive one.
How do I convert USD back to GBP?
Press the swap button in the converter above. The reverse rate is shown beneath the result at all times.
How often is this rate updated?
The providers refresh roughly once a day, and the exact timestamp is shown under the converter. That is appropriate for budgeting and comparing offers, but it is not a live trading feed.
Why is this pair nicknamed cable?
The name dates to the transatlantic telegraph cable that carried the sterling-dollar rate between London and New York in the nineteenth century. The nickname stuck long after the cable did.
Is sterling more volatile than the dollar?
Generally yes. The dollar is the world's reserve currency and tends to be bought during uncertainty, while sterling reacts more sharply to domestic political and economic news, so most of this pair's movement usually comes from the sterling side.