Denominations Review

Denominations is an immensely simple yet highly focused app to help with currency conversions. While many apps might use a calculator to determine such results, Denominations goes a different path making it easier to check at a glance. It lacks a lot of extra features but the core components within are quite useful.

Load up the app for the first time and you'll see all that Denominations has to offer. The screen lists one country's currency on the left hand side with the conversion to another country's on the right. It's as simple as that. At a glance, it's possible to check various different conversions although it is limited to what the app offers. For instance, there's no way of adding additional columns. While users converting Euros to US dollars can see up to €200 in dollars, the British pound sterling is only viewable up to £50. Presumably, this is because Denominations is aimed at tips and smaller purchases such as restaurant bills than any major conversions.

Changing currencies is simple with it only taking a second to load currency rates via the internet. A swipe to the left or right of the screen brings up a menu to change currency. Only 12 are currently catered for but the major players such as US dollar, UK pound, Canadian dollar and Australian dollar are covered, with other notable denominations also available. The only really big player that appears to be absent is the Chinese currency.

Denominations doesn't offer the ability to manually add a currency or do anything with the results, such as email or text, but then again I suspect that's not what Denominations is about. It's clearly been marketed as an app to quickly consult while travelling rather than do anything extensive with. At $1.99, it's a little on the pricey side for such a simple tool (and one that lacks Universal functionality) but there's no denying it has its uses.