Number format and currency symbols
Different countries write prices differently. A shopper in the US expects $1,234.50, a shopper in Germany expects 1.234,50 €, and a Kuwaiti dinar price has three decimals, such as KD15.126. These settings let you show each currency the way its shoppers are used to reading it: how many decimals, which separators, where the symbol goes, and which symbol to use.
How it works#
Each enabled currency has its own number format on the Pricing tab, including your store currency. The format only changes how a price looks. It does not change the amount, except that the price is shown rounded to the number of decimal places you choose.
When a shopper views your store in a currency, every price on the page (products, cart, checkout, shipping) uses that currency’s format.
Set it up#
- Go to WooCommerce > Currency Switch > Pricing.
- Click the currency to expand its panel.
- Set Decimal Places, Decimal Separator, Thousand Separator, Symbol Position and, if you like, Custom Symbol.
- Click Save Changes.
Settings explained#
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal Places | 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 | The currency’s usual decimals, for example 2 for EUR, 0 for JPY, 3 for KWD |
| Decimal Separator | Period (1.99) or Comma (1,99) | Period |
| Thousand Separator | Comma (1,000), Period (1.000), Space (1 000) or None (1000) | Comma |
| Symbol Position | Before price ($24), Before with space ($ 24), After price (24€), After with space (24 €) | Before price |
| Custom Symbol | Any text, or empty for the standard symbol. The field shows the standard symbol as a hint, for example Default: KD. | Empty |
Every currency starts with a period for decimals, a comma for thousands and the symbol before the price. If your shoppers expect something else, for example euro prices written the European way, change it here.
Examples#
Euro, European style. For EUR you choose Decimal Places 2, Decimal Separator Comma (1,99), Thousand Separator Period (1.000) and Symbol Position After with space (24 €). A price of 1234.5 shows as 1.234,50 €.
Kuwaiti dinar. KWD keeps its default 3 decimal places. A converted price of 15.1263 shows as KD15.126.
Japanese yen. JPY has 0 decimal places by default. A converted price of 1532.40 shows as ¥1,532.
A clearer dollar sign. You sell in USD and CAD and want shoppers to tell them apart. Set Custom Symbol for USD to US$. A $49.00 product now shows as US$49.00. (CAD already uses CA$ by default.)
Arabic script symbol. For KWD you could set Custom Symbol to د.ك instead of the default KD.
Custom currency symbols#
Custom Symbol replaces the standard symbol for that currency wherever WooCommerce shows a price in it, including the cart, checkout, order screens and order emails. Leave it empty to use the standard symbol.
The currency switcher button and popup keep showing the standard symbol next to each currency code.
Your store currency and WooCommerce settings#
When you click Save Changes, the plugin copies your store currency’s Symbol Position and Decimal Places into WooCommerce’s own currency options. The plugin also hides the Currency position and Number of decimals fields under WooCommerce > Settings > General, so you set them here.
The Thousand separator and Decimal separator fields under WooCommerce > Settings > General stay in place. On your store’s front end, the separators from the Pricing tab are used for every currency, including the store currency. In the admin area, WooCommerce uses its own separator settings. Set both to the same characters to keep prices looking the same everywhere.
Good to know#
- The decimal and thousand separators cannot be the same character. If both are set to a comma, the thousand separator becomes a period; if both are a period, it becomes a comma.
- On an order screen in the admin area, amounts use the Decimal Places you set for the order’s currency. That way a refund of 10.789 KWD is not cut to 10.79.
- Decimal Places only controls how many decimals are shown. To make converted prices end in .99 or .00, use Rounding Type and Rounding Target (see Price rounding and conversion fees).
Related docs#
- How converted prices are worked out
- Price rounding and conversion fees
- Setting the default currency
- Order emails and refunds in another currency