Paypal are IMHO the market leaders. All the banks are in such a hole through their own mismanagement and simply paying themselves too much they've lost the plot. HBOS are now pushing me to have a "premium" account where I give them £10 a month and they provide a load of rubbish (eg travel insurance and mobile phone insurance that doesn't cover any vehicle!). The Europeans have long had bank charges on bank charges (their 50 year mortgages turn them into slaves to one bank) and it's spreading. That BTW is why E-bay Germany customers don't like Paypal, their own banks add to the charges for talking to a different bank.

For UK customers, the solution IMHO is to look at the traditional institutions like the Coop bank, national savings and the mutuals. They still work on the basis of reserve banking (in otherwords they lend your savings to 2 people not 93) and thus are unlikely to go bust and should keep free banking. Don't expect easy money transfers abroad though, the whole BACS system is owned by the big banks who'll use it to get themselves out of their hole. A credit card paid off every month and used like a cheque book really is your friend BTW, I really would encourage everyone to get one.

Anyone old enough to have banked in the 1970's will know where this is going. If you have a wages in-bills out account it'll be free. If you are a good customer they give you an Access card. Anything else you'll pay through the nose for and then get blamed when they can't do it.

I've had no hassle with Paypal BTW. They think they have access to my money, but will find I'm quicker to take action if they upset me.

Andy