My Currency Converter and Rates 7.5 review: calculate money exchange when offline

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Whether buying a croissant in Paris or haggling over souvenirs in Bali, you must know if you are getting a fair price. Here's an app that helps you convert currencies when traveling abroad, even without Wi-Fi.

My Currency Converter and Rates app review
My Currency Converter and Rates app review


As its name implies, My Currency Converter and Rates is an app that helps you calculate currencies. Using a currency converter app is vital for international travelers to ensure they are not getting tricked into paying too much for goods and services.

Of course, you can search the internet to calculate the local exchange rate. However, due to expensive international data fees, you might only have limited access to the internet, thus restricting you from searching online for the current exchange rate.

Another option is to memorize the country's exchange rate and perform calculations each time you want to buy something. However, this requires you to do the math and may be impractical when navigating through the maze of an unfamiliar city.

Even if your iPhone is offline, you can use My Currency Converter and Rates to convert currencies. Best yet, you don't have to memorize any exchange rates or be a math genius.

There are other options, including the feature-rich calculator PCalc, which can also convert currencies. PCalc has a comparatively more complex interface, though, as it's meant to be used for many options.

For just going on an overseas trip, you may opt for My Currency Converter and Rates to keep things simple.

My Currency Converter and Rates -- features

This app is effortless to use because it works like a basic calculator. Select two currencies you want to convert, punch in the digits, and press enter.

Exchange rates are updated automatically when your device connects to the internet. If your device is offline, it will show you when the exchange rates were last updated.

The app shows the last time the rates were updated, favorite currencies, and rate trend charts
The app shows the last time the rates were updated, favorite currencies, and rate trend charts


Since this app will not update the exchange rates when away from the internet, the rates may be outdated if you are offline for an extended time. However, you would still have a ballpark figure of the exchange rates, even if you don't have Wi-Fi for a few days.

The app speeds up your calculations because it converts as you type. This instant calculation is helpful when ordering food in a buzzy cafe or haggling with a street vendor.

It supports over 150 currencies, even including cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. You can add countries to your list of favorites, so you don't have to scroll down a long list of countries every time you calculate the exchange rate.

If you want to see the rate trend for a currency, you can tap the graph icon on the top right of the screen.

Depending on your use case, you can set it to show one, two, or three decimal points. In addition, you can tap on the large green button to invert currencies quickly.

My Currency Converter and Rates -- things to keep in mind

When using this app, be aware that the exchange rates you see in this app may not match the local bank's exchange rates or even what your credit card charges. This difference is because the app shows the current exchange rate, while local banks likely use rates that they can profit from.

Knowing this can help you decide whether an exchange rate is fair when changing money with local banks and money exchange centers.

The free version of My Currency Converter and Rates is ad-based, and you can use it on your iPhone and iPad. To remove ads, you can download My Currency Converter and Rates Pro by paying a one-time fee of $1.99, which is a steal considering the high cost of travel fees.

My Currency Converter and Rates Pro is also available on Apple Watch, so you don't have to pull out your iPhone to convert currencies in a bustling marketplace.

International travel can be stressful when you do not know if vendors charge you honestly. Worse yet, it can be intimidating if math is not your forte and you have limited internet access.

My Currency Converter and Rates helps you convert currencies during your travels, so you can spend less time worrying about exchange rates and more time relishing new sights.

My Currency Converter and Rates - pros


  • Supports over 150 currencies

  • Off-line currency exchange

  • Easy-to-use interface

My Currency Converter and Rates - cons


  • Exchange rates may be outdated if you are offline for a prolonged time


      • Rating: 4.5 out of 5

      Download My Currency Converter and Rates

      You can download My Currency Converter and Rates for free from the App Store to use on your iPhone or iPad. My Currency Converter and Rates Pro is a separate app without ads, and you can get it for a one-time charge of $1.99. Read on AppleInsider
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    riclfriclf Posts: 15member
    Nice review, but kind of stupid to hit the app for not updating when not on the internet. Can you tell me ANY app that can update when off the internet?

    Get real on your neg remarks.
    edited April 2023
  • Reply 2 of 6
    appleinsideruserappleinsideruser Posts: 495member
    Or get one of the free apps that work just as well…
  • Reply 3 of 6
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,304member
    appleinsideruser said:
    Or get one of the free apps that work just as well…
    Read the data collection policy before downloading ANY free app. You are likely paying for it in ways you may not be aware of, or like.

    Are you really so naive as to think the developer put that in the store for free out of the goodness of their heart?
  • Reply 4 of 6
    appleinsideruserappleinsideruser Posts: 495member
    chasm said:
    Or get one of the free apps that work just as well…
    Read the data collection policy before downloading ANY free app. You are likely paying for it in ways you may not be aware of, or like.

    Are you really so naive as to think the developer put that in the store for free out of the goodness of their heart?
    Nope not naive and thanks for your attitude that pops up often in this forum. This place is better when it is kinder and less arrogant.

    Take a look at these two nutrition labels and see if you can work out which is which... Yup, the one being promoted here reveals lots of tracking and the free one I use doesn't.

    How do you think AppleInsider fund articles such as this?


  • Reply 5 of 6
    appleinsideruserappleinsideruser Posts: 495member
    JP234 said:
    This is obsolete technology in 2023. First, it's 2023. Everyone takes credit cards. Second, if you're somewhere without internet access, that also doesn't take credit or debit cards, any time you need local cash (I don't think ATMs work without internet, do they?), you're going to pay whatever the merchant or currency exchange charges, and it's going to be way higher than what your app is telling you, since they don't have internet access to tell them the current rate. So they charge 25-50% more than spot prices to avoid getting stuck underwater. Third, if you do have internet access, you can look it up online, so you don't need to pay for an app. Fourth, if you're someplace so isolated you can't get wifi or cellular service, you're probably somewhere in the wilderness and there's nothing to buy, so why do you need to know the exchange rate the last time you were online? Fifth, it's 2023, and spot exchange rates change every second, so the only way not to get ripped off is to use a local ATM with a MasterCard or Visa logo on it, and a credit card that doesn't charge foreign currency transaction fees, like CapitalOne, or Apple Cards.

    If you want an app that's truly useful in foreign lands, get iTranslate app. It can translate about 60 languages into speech (and text), works in both directions, and allows you to download frequently used languages so you don't need to be online to use them. Limited version is free, and pro version is $2.99/month, and you can cancel when you get back home with no penalty. We used it all the time in Greece, and every Greek could understand us. We'd have starved without it in the hilltop villages.
    Check your credit card terms. If you are have one that doesn't charge foreign exchange fees (these exist in the UK), when abroad always choose to pay in local currency. You get a great rate, no retailer currency conversation charges and no transaction fees. 
    edited April 2023
  • Reply 6 of 6
    CharityTravelsCharityTravels Posts: 1member
    Thank you for including helpful and practical advice when recommending "My Currency Converter" and International Travel Apps. The details you included answered the questions I was needing answered. For example, we want the option to download apps such as Local Maps or translators, or be able to use apps offline. Our travels sometimes take us to smaller cities, islands, and places that do not have internet or coverage is weak.  Although we primarily use debit and credit cards, we also purchase from local or "mom and pop" vendors that prefer cash and avoiding the added credit card costs. We have found that already arriving in a country with their currency allows for easier purchasing small items like soda or snacks than having multiple $2.00 charges and related exchange costs in statements. Our favorite uses of having local currency on hand is for tipping, or just giving a monetary gift along with our "thank you"  and currency converter  helps us to do so quickly and the pro version keeps me from accidentaly clicking on a popup cluttering my screen.
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