We sort of fell into a great account with Merrill Lynch.  Here is what we included as our answer to this Frequently Asked Question on RV-Dreams.com.

We maintain a checking account through Merrill Lynch. We were not even aware that we could do our banking through them, until the day we went and broke the news to our advisors that we were quitting our jobs and would no longer be socking away huge sums of money. They explained their Beyond Banking account to us. Here is what we get:

- No fees for anything
- Interest earned on the balance
- VISA debit card
- Online banking
- Mail in deposits
- Email notifications of deposits received
- Email notifications that our balance is getting low
- Access to ATMs across the world
- Same day reimbursement of ATM fees up to $200 a year
- Access to offices in every state for personal business needs
- Delayed withdrawal of debit card purchases; lump sum withdrawal at month end (in effect, we earn interest on money we have already spent)
- VISA rewards program for all debit card purchases (I'm not a fan of rewards programs and there is a $95 annual fee for this card. However, we can use our rewards points to cover the fee and still have enough points left over for free entertaiment items like movie tickets, restaurant gift certificates, golf balls, etc.  Plus the extra interest we earn on the account more than makes up for this fee)

If there is a better nationwide banking option, I’d love to see it. Now we understand that a Merrill Lynch account is not available to everyone, but if you have funds invested with Merrill or another national brokerage, check out their checking account plans. Actually, it might even be worth it to create a small relationship to be able to take advantage of an account.

We use only our VISA debit card and we mail in any deposits we might have along the way.  We seldom write checks, go to the ATM about once every 2 - 3 months, and everything else is done with the debit card.  We are completely paperless with online access to transactions and statements.

Credit Unions often give tremendous service to their customers, so many folks maintain their local relationship as long as they have the technology to do online banking.  And more and more financial institutions are now reimbursing ATM fees.

Banking on the road is just not the issue it used to be.  People used to change everything over to national banks with branches in every state.  But technology has pretty much eliminated the need to do that.

Stick with what is comfortable unless you can justify switching due to fees or earning more interest on your account.