Being able to access your account and make payments from pretty much anywhere has made managing a bank account much simpler for a lot of people, so it’s no surprise that online banking has topped the list as the most sought-after current account feature.

Banking online means you can do pretty much anything – from making payments to viewing statements – all from the comfort of your home. You won’t have to queue like you would at a branch, and you can access it virtually anytime, as it’s available 24 hours a day all year round.

So, it comes as no surprise that 80% of us wouldn’t choose a bank account without an online banking facility, according to new research* by online account provider thinkmoney.

In the old days anyone travelling abroad had to rely on a mixture of cash and traveller’s cheques. Thankfully those days have gone and there are now a number of ways of getting hold of your money no matter where you are in the world. So, which one is best?

From the title of this post you could be forgiven for thinking that I’m quite an awkward person but I can honestly tell you that I’m not, well not unless I have reason to be! I really don’t go looking for opportunities to kick up a fuss and make complaints about people or institutions but unfortunately life just keeps giving me reasons to. I firmly feel that if you’ve genuinely been mistreated, been given wrong advice or have been left out of pocket by the actions of a person or company, then you should do all you can to make sure that you take full advantage of internal and external complaints procedures to get the outcome you deserve. The recent PPI mis-selling scandal has shown just how effective complaining can be under the right circumstances and has resulted in people reclaiming thousands of pounds in mis-sold payment protection insurance. When I make a complaint however I’m not always just after financial compensation, sometimes I just want to make a point and know that my point has been taken on board and is being given due consideration.

Big businesses however are notorious for complicating complaints procedures and sometimes you can feel like your just being given the run around or that your voice will never be heard. Without naming any names their are even some companies out there that seem to live completely by their own set of rules. In the majority of cases though there are certain things that you can say or do to force a large company to take your complaint seriously and also to do their utmost to resolve it.

If you’re looking for a loan, a high-interest savings account, mortgage or a similar product, your first instinct might be to head to nearest bank to find out what you can expect to pay. If you’re dissatisfied with what you’ve had to hear from that bank, you might ponder your options and think about where you can get the best value.

Are all banks as bad as they have been tarred just lately? Have they all been involved in mis-selling PPI, giving bad advice and rigging interest rates? In short, is there anywhere you can put your hard-earned salary and feel good about the people you are dealing with?

The high street banks have all been involved to a greater or lesser extent in the on-going PPI mis-selling scandal. Millions of people have been claiming back billions of pounds in premiums for PPI policies which were meant to pay their premiums if they couldn’t work through accident, sickness or unemployment.