the Price of Online Banking

We have access to our account balances, debits and credits, through use of a user ID and password on our bank's website. I have also pulled money from the account to pay for something and sent money to the account online. We continue to get paper statements for our records as well (but could turn those off if we wished to). We can access archives of older statements online as well. Our full banking history is available. None of these services have ever cost money. Our bank is a large national bank, and these online banking features are part of their free checking and savings accounts.

This service has worked extremely well for us. Accessing the accounts allows a real-time look at what money is coming in and out, so we don't need to talk to the bank or use an ATM to find out our balances. It is very easy to balance the accounts with the data provided from the online feature, also.

Larger national banks are more likely to offer freebies like this, in my experience. Some accounts like this will require a small minimum balance ($100-$300)-- this is usually worth it for the extra perks. Take advantage of this feature if it's offered. You will be surprised how useful it is.