The live dollar-to-pound rate, updated every minute. Book USD→GBP with SummitFX on WhatsApp — we accept incoming USD via SWIFT and settle GBP via UK Faster Payments.
Use the tabs to view the last week, month, year, or five years of daily closing rates. The shaded band shows the high-low range for the period — a quick visual read on volatility.
Type in either box — enter a USD amount to see what you'd get in GBP, or enter a target GBP amount to see how many dollars you'd need. Calculated at the live mid-market rate shown above.
Note: The rate shown is the live mid-market rate. Your actual executable rate includes a small spread — typically 0.2–0.5% at SummitFX vs 2–4% at a UK high street bank. We'll always show the full breakdown before you book.
USD/GBP — known in the market as "cable" — is the mirror of GBP/USD, read from the dollar side. The pair moves on the relative paths of the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, US versus UK economic data, and global capital flows. As USD is the world's reserve currency and sterling a major reserve currency in its own right, USD/GBP reflects relative monetary policy expectations and risk sentiment — dollar safe-haven flows tend to lift the pair in stress episodes, since sterling is the more risk-sensitive of the two.
Federal Reserve policy: The Fed sets US interest rates and is the single most influential central bank globally. Decisions, the quarterly dot plot, and Jerome Powell's press conferences are the biggest scheduled USD events. Markets watch the Fed's reaction function — how it weighs inflation versus employment — as much as the current rate level.
US CPI and PCE: US inflation data drives Fed expectations. Monthly CPI is one of the most-watched FX events globally. PCE (the Fed's preferred inflation gauge) matters more for the actual policy path than for immediate market reactions on release day.
Non-farm payrolls: The first-Friday monthly US jobs report is arguably the biggest scheduled event on the FX calendar. Strong payrolls support the dollar; weakness undermines it. Unemployment and average hourly earnings are watched alongside the headline number.
US Treasury yields: The 10-year Treasury is a cleaner real-time gauge of dollar demand than the Fed's policy rate. Rising yields pull global capital into dollar assets, pushing USD stronger against GBP. Gilt-Treasury yield spreads are watched closely as a barometer for the pair.
Safe-haven flows: When global risk appetite drops, capital flees to USD. These episodes push USD/GBP higher. While GBP is also a reserve currency, USD's primacy in safe-haven flows is well-established.
Bank of England policy: The BoE's Monetary Policy Committee sets UK interest rates (Bank Rate 3.75% in early 2026). When the BoE holds or tightens relative to the Fed, GBP strengthens against USD — in USD/GBP terms that shows as a lower rate, the dollar buying fewer pounds. The MPC meets roughly every six weeks; Governor Andrew Bailey's post-meeting press conferences are watched closely for tone — often the wording moves the pair more than the decision itself.
UK CPI: Monthly CPI readings drive BoE rate expectations. The BoE's 2% inflation target is the benchmark — hot prints support sterling by delaying rate cuts, soft prints weigh on it. The mid-month release is one of the most-watched UK data points in the calendar.
UK growth and labour data: Monthly GDP, services and composite PMIs, and labour-market data — especially wage growth and unemployment — all move the pair. The UK economy is roughly 80% services, so the services PMI carries particular weight; sticky wages tend to support sterling.
Gilt yields: UK 10-year gilt yields relative to US Treasuries are a rough barometer for the pair. Fiscal-event surprises — particularly the Autumn Budget — can cause sharp gilt moves that spill into USD/GBP.
UK political risk: Leadership changes, confidence votes, fiscal-event surprises, and electoral uncertainty all add a domestic risk premium that weighs on sterling. Periods of political calm historically correspond to sterling strength.
The US and UK are among each other's largest investment partners, linked by deep two-way flows in financial services, technology, pharmaceuticals, and professional services. USD/GBP (cable) is one of the oldest and most heavily traded pairs in global FX, with London and New York the two largest centres for it. For SummitFX clients, the corridor generates significant flow from US-based businesses paying UK suppliers, US residents with UK property or family, and US-headquartered companies funding UK operations.
USD→GBP settles in two legs: your USD arrives via SWIFT, we convert, and we pay out GBP via UK Faster Payments. Time-zone alignment is favourable — US morning bookings reach us during UK banking hours, making same-day delivery routine in most cases.
Three things most commonly cause USD→GBP transfers to miss same-day settlement:
Late USD arrival. Our cutoff is 15:00 UK time for same-day GBP settlement. SWIFT USD wires can take anywhere from a few hours to a full US business day to arrive, depending on the sending bank's cutoff and intermediary chain. Sending in the US morning gives the best chance of same-day UK settlement.
Intermediary bank holds. SWIFT wires sometimes route through a correspondent bank before reaching us. These intermediaries occasionally hold wires for compliance review, especially on larger amounts or unfamiliar senders. Standard delays are a few hours; longer holds are rare but can push settlement to T+1.
US or UK bank holidays. If the Fed is closed, SWIFT USD processing stalls. UK Faster Payments runs 24/7, but on UK bank holidays some receiving banks delay posting until the next working day. Christmas, New Year, and certain national holidays affect each side independently — plan around both calendars.
For tight GBP deadlines — UK property completions, invoice deadlines, supplier payments — we recommend coordinating with the US sender to initiate the wire in their morning. Forward contracts are commonly used for US corporates with ongoing UK obligations.
USD/GBP is the corridor for US residents and businesses with meaningful GBP obligations, plus anyone with UK property, family, business interests, or income. Common use cases:
US buyers purchasing property in London and across the UK — homes, buy-to-let, or commercial. UK conveyancing typically runs 8–12 weeks from offer to completion; forward contracts protect deal economics from currency moves during that window.
US companies sourcing goods or services from UK vendors — common in financial services, technology, professional services, and creative industries. Tight spreads on recurring flow protect margin. Treasury teams often use forwards to fix the USD cost of scheduled GBP obligations.
US residents with family members in the UK — students, retirees, dependants. Recurring monthly transfers benefit from market orders or standing arrangements rather than ad-hoc bookings at variable rates.
US residents drawing UK pension income, receiving UK rental income, or holding GBP-denominated investments. Regular USD-from-GBP repatriation flows for living expenses, tax obligations, or US-based investment top-ups.
US-headquartered companies funding UK operations — payroll, supplier payments, intercompany transfers. Treasury hedging via forwards is standard practice for predictable GBP outflows.
Britons who lived in the US returning home, transferring USD savings, US property sale proceeds, or 401(k) distributions back to GBP. Large one-off transfers where broker spreads vs bank spreads can save thousands.
You can convert dollars to pounds through your bank, through a transfer app, or through a broker. USD/GBP (cable) is one of the most liquid pairs in global FX, which means broker spreads stay extremely tight — and the gap between bank and broker pricing shows up immediately on any meaningful trade size.
Everything clients typically ask about sending dollars to pounds. Still have questions? Message us on WhatsApp — a real dealer, not a bot, will reply.
We never forecast — but the chart above puts today's rate in context. USD/GBP moves on Fed-BoE policy divergence and global risk sentiment. If the pair is near its 30-day high, you're getting more pounds per dollar than the monthly average. Rate alerts let you set a target and wait passively rather than trying to time macro shifts.
US banks typically mark up USD/GBP by 2–4% for retail customers. SummitFX spreads are 0.2–0.5% depending on size. On a $500,000 UK property purchase that's a saving of $7,500–$17,500 in your favour — material on top of the deposit itself.
If your USD arrives with us by 15:00 UK time on a business day, we settle the GBP the same day. UK Faster Payments delivery is typically within seconds to a couple of hours. Send your USD wire in the US morning to give the best chance of same-day UK settlement.
Yes — and we recommend it for any conveyancing timeline over a few weeks. A forward contract fixes today's rate for delivery on completion day. You pay a deposit (typically 5–10% of the trade) upfront and settle the balance at completion. UK property purchases often involve 8–12 weeks between offer and completion — plenty of time for USD/GBP to move 3-5%.
No hard minimum — we handle trades from $500 to $5m+. Below around $5,000 the spread widens slightly to cover fixed execution costs. For recurring smaller payments to UK family or suppliers, market orders or standing arrangements work better than ad-hoc bookings.
The rate shown on Google, XE, or the chart above is the mid-market rate — the midpoint of interbank buy and sell quotes. Nobody gets exactly that rate; providers add a margin. Banks typically 2–4%, Wise around 0.3–0.5% on this major pair, SummitFX 0.2–0.5% — with our clients also getting a named dealer and WhatsApp access.
Yes. This page streams the live rate continuously, and WhatsApp is always open — send 'quote' and we reply in seconds with a live rate and the full breakdown on your specified amount. No obligation to book.
Your rate is locked the moment you reply CONFIRM on a quote. Even if the pair swings 1% before your USD wire reaches us, the rate you receive stays exactly as booked. USD/GBP moves on every major piece of US or UK data — locking in advance protects against this volatility on time-sensitive payments.
Message us on WhatsApp and we'll have a live executable rate back in seconds.