The Not-So-Secret Ways Your iPhone Can Convert, Track Travel Expenses

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: There’s a built-in feature on your Apple devices that can instantly convert currency for you. So before you begin a frantic web search or try to download an app while you’re in a different country, open the Calculator app on your iPhone instead.

The Calculator app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac can convert currency, temperature, distance, fuel and much more with just a few taps or clicks.

But that’s not all! Depending on your device, you can also simplify tracking, tallying and divvying up travel costs with your companions without having to do any math.

The Easier Way to Convert Currencies

To convert currencies on your iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the Calculator app.
2. Tap on the calculator icon in the top right corner.
3. Tap Convert.
4. Tap the letters or the up and down carat on the display line. Note: The exact letters will vary depending on the calculator’s default or the last used setting.
5. Look for currency and select the currencies you need.
6. Tap the line corresponding to the currency you want translated and input the number. Note: the selected currency will be white, while the other will be grey. To switch, just tap the other line or the up and down arrow on the left.
7. Type in your numbers and it will immediately convert.

If you’re using your computer, open the Calculator app and select Convert from the toolbar. Choose Currency, and a menu should appear allowing you to select the currencies you want to convert.

The conversion rate is pulled from Yahoo Finance and is most up to date when your device is connected to the internet. You can check when the data was last updated on the page listing the different currency conversion options. Above the search bar at the bottom, you’ll see a line labeled “Updated,” followed by the date or time of the last refresh.

The feature also works when you’re offline and not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data, but make sure the rate is up to date before going offline.

See Also:

10 Financial Moves You Must Make When Your Kids Finally Move Out

The Secret to Tracking Costs in Notes

There are a lot of financial elements of a trip: flights, hotels, rental cars, meals, taxis and more.

Simplify the tallying and tracking by writing it out in your Notes app. It’ll do the rest.

All you need to do is write it in a format similar to this:

Flight = $588
Hotel = $423 x 4
Car = $300 x 4
Meals = $200 x 6

You’ll know it’s working when you see the words turn yellow.

Then, do this:

Total = Flight + hotel + car + meals

And when you’re ready for the grand total, type:

Total =

The sum total will appear automatically. It will also update if you add anything to the formula, like extra multiplications or divisions.

If you’re divvying up costs per person, you can assign individual names an equation. For example:

Cody = (car / 3) + (hotel / 1) + (meals / 2)
Cody =

The total will populate after the equal sign.

The note will appear across all your synced iCloud devices, and you can make it a Shared Note so everyone on the trip can keep track.

If the feature is not working, check your device’s operating system. Math Notes requires iOS 18 or later, iPadOS 18 or later, and macOS Sequoia 15 or later.