Best banks?

N26 is an online Spanish bank. No charges and don't require regular deposits 

Thank you, I'll take a look at it. 

I've used N26 and they are great. All online and really easy to set up and use. 

Wefferent from Cajamar also an online only account with no charges.  The downside is if you need to speak to someone in the bank, you’re likely to be hit with charges - this stands for any of the online accounts.

If you need a physical account in a branch, then no matter which bank, you’re going to wear charges unless you take one of their products / make regular deposits.

Thank you Gandl, one question do online accounts have debit cards or would we have to pay by phone?  I'm not keen on that idea but realise it's probably the way forward. 

Thank you Darius, the only charges we get at BBVA (if we transfer the quarterly required amount) is a percentage of the amount but I think that's something to do with exchange £ to €? 

We'll have a look at Cajamar too, just wondered if there were any banks to avoid, some have really poor reviews but wonder if people only report bad service. 

Yes N26 account has debit card

I have an account with Revolut which is an online bank. No charges whatever for electronic transactions  - debits, credits, ATM etc.  There is a one time charge €7.50 if you want a plastic debit card for use in shops and ATM. 

I use it mainly for non-euro transactions as there is no fee.

Just remember there is no overdraft facility. Your transaction will be declined if the funds are not in the account. 

Revolut payments are extremely fast - money will be in the payee's account in seconds. However most of the major banks are much slower transferring money  - up to 48 hours. Remember this when you're paying into Revolut. 

Revolut has paid options offering more goodies such as insurance and overdraft facilities. I haven't tried these and won't comment on them. 

The other main, no charge online bank, mentioned in the comments above, is N26. 

If Portugal is convenient for you, Activo is free for all routine transactions, including a free debit card.  However they'll charge you for non-euro transactions such as sterling. They have physical branches you can visit, mostly around Lisbon and Porto. 

Good luck 

I have nothing to compare the bank with but Sabadell seem very expensive. We pay 40 euro every three months and 30 euro a year just to have debit cards. I also discovered to my horror that if you draw money out in another country, even in euros that you incur a 4.5% surcharge. It was in the original paperwork but I missed it.