Every number on PAYATE Rates comes from a named data provider and is shown with its last update time. This page explains where each price comes from, how often it refreshes and how we calculate the figures you see.
Data sources
| Data | Primary source | Backup / reference |
|---|---|---|
| Currency exchange rates | ExchangeRate-API (open access endpoint) | Open-source currency API by fawazahmed0 |
| Gold and silver spot prices | Gold API | fawazahmed0 currency API (metal rates) |
| Cryptocurrency prices | CoinGecko | Binance public market data for Bitcoin and Ethereum |
| Previous-day reference rates | fawazahmed0 currency API daily snapshots | – |
The source and the time of the latest update are printed under every price tool on the site.
How often prices update
- Gold, silver and crypto: refreshed about every 3 to 4 minutes while a page is open.
- Currency exchange rates: the providers we use publish reference rates roughly once per day (ExchangeRate-API's open endpoint updates daily). Our pages check for new data regularly, but the rate itself changes only when the provider publishes a new one.
- Weekends and holidays: most currency and metal markets are closed, so prices usually stay at the last trading level; crypto trades around the clock.
To keep pages fast, your browser stores the latest prices for a few minutes. Reloading after that fetches fresh data.
What kind of price you see
- Currencies are mid-market reference rates: the midpoint between wholesale buy and sell prices. Banks, card issuers and exchange offices usually quote a worse rate. Our guide to the mid-market rate vs bank rate explains the difference.
- Gold and silver are wholesale spot prices in US dollars per troy ounce. Coins, bars and jewelry sell above spot because of premiums, making charges and taxes. See how gold prices are set.
- Crypto prices are market averages across exchanges. Each exchange's own price can differ slightly.
How we calculate the figures
Price per gram
One troy ounce equals 31.1034768 grams, so: price per gram = spot price per troy ounce ÷ 31.1034768.
Gold by karat
Karat measures purity out of 24 parts: price per gram for a karat = price per gram of pure gold × (karat ÷ 24). For example, 18K is 18 ÷ 24 = 75% gold. Our gold calculator applies this to any weight and currency.
Other currencies
Metal and crypto prices are converted from US dollars into your chosen currency using the current mid-market exchange rate. Cross rates between two non-dollar currencies are calculated through the US dollar.
Daily change (▲ ▼)
- Currencies and silver: today's rate compared with the previous day's published reference rate.
- Gold: the 24-hour change of a gold-backed token that tracks the gold spot price, used because it trades continuously.
- Crypto: the 24-hour change reported by CoinGecko (or Binance as a backup).
Green ▲ means the price rose, red ▼ means it fell, and ■ means it was essentially unchanged.
Limitations
Figures are indicative and for information only. Providers can be delayed or temporarily unavailable; when that happens, tools show the most recent data available and its timestamp. Always confirm the final price with the bank, dealer or exchange you deal with. See our disclaimer.
Found a problem?
If a price looks wrong, tell us the page, the time and the price you expected through our contact page.