The consumer association, FACUA, has reported this week that the average bank customer pays up to 200 euros a year for maintenance administration, paying in cheques, and money transfers.
The charges apply to accounts which do not oblige the customer to pay in pensions or wages on a habitual basis. Normally these accounts do not attract commissions.
FACUA found in a study that the avergae bank customer pays 145.82 euros in commissions on their accounts and the Banks which charge the most according to the research are Barclays (200,40 euros), Santander (177,40 euros) and Unicaja (176,20 euros).
FACUA have discovered that Santander and Barclays account charges are the highest at 18 euros and the Bank Popular which charges a mimum of six euros for 60 euro or more in overdraft.
Of the 12 banks analysed the average annual charge is 47 euros with Barclays charging the highest at 72 euros and 60 euros charged by Sabadell, Unicaja, Banesto, Banco Popular and Santander.
Two of the 12 banks, ING Direct and Activobank, do not make annual maintenance charges.
Transfers at the Sabadell are the most expensive at a minimum of eight euros. Paying in cheques costs 2.48 euros mínimum.
It is more expensive to pay in cheques at Barclays with a minimum charge of four euros and on larger cheques the bank charges 0.75% of the amount of the cheque.
The Caixa charges two euros for paying in at the cashier as does Sabadell and the Popular applies a commission of one 1,50 euros for business customers.
FACUA laments these “abusive practices” which have been criticised by the Bank of Spain over the last two years.
The banks analysed in the report were Activobank, Banesto, Bankinter, Bankia, Barclays, BBVA, ING Direct, Unicaja, Sabadell, Popular, La Caixa (CaixaBank) and Santander.
