Checking accounts should ideally be free. The idea is to have a place where you can get your salary paid and make your monthly payments. However, banks will have a few traps that will make you pay for having that account; Monthly fees are the first trap, and most banks will let you have a free account as long as you have the minimum balance requirement. Always ask about this minimum balance to avoid these fees and consider having your employer pay you through direct deposit to avoid the fees. Overdraft fees give banks a lot of money, and this is why they find it easy to waiver monthly fees. It is simple to avoid these fees since we pay it willingly. One way is to decline overdraft protection for your account or to ensure that you spend what you have. Always analyze the various fees that come into question as you can avoid some of them and make your checking account low maintenance.