Commercial, tourism and PTAX dollar: what’s the difference
You see one dollar rate in the news and a very different one at the exchange bureau. Neither is wrong — they are different rates for different purposes.
Commercial: the newsroom rate
The price traded between banks and large companies in the interbank market. It is what Google and news sites show, and the basis on which every other rate is built. It only moves during banking hours.
Tourism: what you pay in cash
The price of physical currency at a bureau, always higher because it includes transport, storage, insurance and margin — usually 3% to 8% above the commercial rate, and it varies a lot between bureaus.
On an international card the maths differ: the bank converts near the commercial rate and adds its spread plus a financial transaction tax.
PTAX: the central bank’s official rate
PTAX is an average built by Brazil’s central bank from four surveys during the day. It is published at the end of the day and used as the official reference for contracts, accounting and legal cases — not as a price you pay.
Working out the real cost
Take the commercial rate, add the bank’s spread and the transaction tax. Use the live rate on dollar today or the USD to BRL conversion page, remembering that the figure there is the reference, not your final price.