About converting US dollar to UAE dirham
The UAE Central Bank keeps the dirham at 3.6725 dirhams per US dollar, a peg that has held since 1997. The market rate stays within a hair of that level, so prices quoted in dollars in Dubai convert predictably.
The peg is why many people in the UAE think of the dirham and the dollar almost interchangeably. Still, cards and exchange houses apply their own rates, which are a little worse than the peg.
Banks and exchange companies add a margin to the mid-market rate shown here, and some charge a fixed fee as well. Compare the final amount received, not just the headline rate.
How the USD to AED rate is worked out
Rates are stored per euro, so every pair is a cross rate through the euro, and the inverse is 1 divided by the rate. Major currencies use the European Central Bank’s euro reference rates; others, such as the Pakistani rupee and Gulf currencies, use the open-source currency-api feed, linked through the US dollar. The working box under the result shows the sum with today’s numbers.
The rate is a mid-market reference for information only. For a transfer, compare the amount the recipient receives with two or three providers. For any other pair, use the full currency converter.