How we rank currency exchange rates
CurrencyMaps exists to answer one question honestly: which Los Angeles exchange gives you the best real rate today? We rank every exchanger by the outcome you actually get, not the rate they advertise.
The ranking formula
Each exchange receives a score from three weighted signals:
- Live spread (72%) — how close the exchanger’s rate is to the live mid-market rate for your chosen currency. This is what determines how much you pay, so it dominates the score.
- Data freshness (13%) — how recently and reliably we have the exchanger’s rate, favouring live partner feeds and continuously refreshed sources.
- Verified ratings (15%) — genuine customer review scores, as a trust and service signal.
Verified partners get a small tiebreak (worth about two points) that only matters when two exchanges are otherwise even. A competitor with a materially better rate always ranks above a partner — the rate is the point.
Where our rates come from
Mid-market rates are fetched on our servers from live market data and refreshed continuously, then compared against each exchanger’s posted margins. We fetch once and serve the cached result to every visitor, so the numbers you see are consistent and fast. Cash rates at storefronts can move during the day, so we always recommend confirming the exact rate with the exchange before you transact.
Independence
Exchanges cannot pay to outrank a better rate. Our incentive is to be the most accurate currency comparison in Los Angeles — that is the only thing that keeps people using us.
Questions
What is the mid-market rate?
The mid-market (interbank) rate is the midpoint between the global buy and sell price of a currency — the "real" rate before any exchanger markup. CurrencyMaps pulls it from live market data and measures every LA exchanger against it.
Do you take money to rank exchanges higher?
No. Ranking is driven by the live rate, freshness and ratings. Verified partners receive only a small tiebreak that cannot override a materially better rate from a competitor — a better rate always wins.