Foreign transaction fee calculator
Enter the purchase price and your card's fee, rate markup and any fixed charge. See each cost separately against a Cotizave reference conversion, with source time shown beside the result.
The reference rate is not your bank's rate. Enter the fees from your card's terms; your statement may differ.
Where to find these figures
Your card's foreign transaction fee and any fixed charge are usually listed in its Product Disclosure Statement or fees schedule. The rate markup is harder to pin down — it's built into the exchange rate itself rather than shown as a line item. Read how foreign transaction fees work for help finding them.
Even a charge displayed in AUD can incur an international transaction fee when processed overseas. See when AUD purchases attract the fee before assuming the currency on the receipt determines the cost.
Worked example: a USD 100 purchase
Assume, for illustration only, that A$1 buys USD 0.70, your card adds a 2% rate markup, charges a 3% international transaction fee and has an A$1 fixed charge. These are hypothetical inputs, not today's rate or a quote from a bank.
- Reference conversion: USD 100 ÷ 0.70 = A$142.86.
- Rate markup: A$142.86 × 2% ≈ A$2.86.
- Card fee on the converted amount: (A$142.86 + A$2.86) × 3% ≈ A$4.37.
- Add the A$1 fixed charge. Estimated total using unrounded intermediate figures: A$151.09.
The difference from the reference conversion is about A$8.23. Your actual statement may differ because your card's rate, processing time and fee rules differ. See the exact calculation method and the ACCC's advice to compare the total price.
Common questions
A tool that adds your card's foreign transaction fee and exchange-rate markup to a purchase in another currency, so you can see an estimated total in AUD instead of just the bare conversion.
Start from the reference rate, then add your card's rate markup (if any) and foreign transaction fee, in that order — the fee is usually charged on the already-converted amount, not the original USD figure. For example, a USD $20/month subscription with a 3% foreign transaction fee and no markup costs a little over the plain USD-to-AUD conversion each month, purely from that fee. Enter your own numbers above for an exact figure.
"Foreign transaction fee" and "international transaction fee" describe the same charge — different banks use different names for it. This calculator covers both, plus the rate markup most "fee calculators" leave out entirely.
Most cards apply their fee to the AUD amount after conversion (including after any rate markup), not to the original foreign-currency price. This calculator applies it in that order so the total matches how most providers actually charge it — see the worked breakdown above.