I am going to be a student abroad this fall and I am wondering which bank in Spain I should use for general banking.

Try getting there, see what are the convenient options, ask the other students. They should be better sources. They do have national banks, but there are also good localized services, much as we do have in the States.

If you are going to stay in a particular area, you should use the local bank there (eg: in Valencia, Banco de Valencia, en Catalunya, La Caixa, and so on). But if you are to move around, it would be better to use one of the "big" banks: BBV-Argentaria, Banesto...

I agree with Monica. <BR> <BR>If you are going to Barcelona, I'd definitely go for La Caixa. In Madrid, I'd go for Caja Madrid. <BR> <BR>Be sure that your debit card can be used elsewhere besides the banks ATM's. <BR> <BR>Notice that there are 2 different ATM "associations", 4B and Servired. If your bank is on 4B, you don't pay commissions for getting money out of 4B ATM's, but you will pay a hefty commission for getting money out of Servired ATM's. <BR> <BR>Maybe you could post a specific location, and I can probably suggest you a good bank for that location.

Also, if you have connection, you can try an 'on line' bank, wich will be cheaper than the others. These banks also works as a telephone banks. <BR> <BR>Main banks have their own internet bank (Santander, BBVA, Pastor, Popular...) <BR>