If you haven't been paying close attention to your monthly bank statements, now may be a good time to start. Average fees for a number of banking services have hit all-time highs, including ATM fees and bounced check charges, according to a new report by Bankrate.com, the guru of consumer finance rates and trends.

Consumers who aren't careful could be blindsided by hundreds of dollars in unnecessary fees.

The good news? Although fees continue to escalate, "they are just as avoidable as ever," said Bankrate.com senior financial analyst Greg McBride.

Bankrate.com surveyed 249 banks and thrifts in 25 large markets nationwide, including Pittsburgh. It found fees for bounced checks jumped to a record average of $28.95, up from $28.32 a year earlier.

The average monthly service fee on an interest-bearing checking account also hit a new high of $11.97, up from $11.72, while the average balance required to duck that monthly fee shot up to $3,462, up from $3,316, the survey found.

On the upside, plenty of banks offer free checking accounts. The accounts don't pay interest, but they don't require a minimum balance, either.

"Non-interest checking accounts are the best bet for most people," the Bankrate.com report concluded.

Given the skimpy yields on interest-bearing checking accounts (they averaged 0.24 percent in the Bankrate.com survey) customers in free accounts don't miss much in the way of returns. Still, holders of these no-frill accounts may pay for things that higher-balance customers do not, such as ordering checks.

As for automated teller machines, Americans shelled out an estimated $4.4 billion in fees last year, even though those charges were largely avoidable.

Most often, the best way to dodge ATM fees is for customers to avoid straying from their own bank's machines. The vast majority of banks don't charge their own customers for using their machines.

But sticking with one bank's ATMs can be inconvenient, especially on the road. That's when customers can get hit with a double-whammy of fees.

Virtually all banks charge non-account holders to use their machines, a fee known as a surcharge. In addition, many banks levy fees on their own customers when they use another bank's ATM, a hit called a foreign fee.

In the latest survey, the average surcharge reached an all-time high of $1.97 (up from $1.78 a year earlier), while the average foreign fee rose to $1.46 (up from $1.25). That put the total average cost of using an out-of-network ATM at a record high $3.43.

Making just one withdrawal a week that way would cost roughly $180 a year. Put another way, paying $3.50 to get $40 from another bank's ATM is like paying 9 percent interest.

In a pinch, one way to avoid those fees is to bypass ATMs and get a bit of extra cash at the register when using a debit card at many businesses.

Some banks also may waive foreign ATM fees, and even rebate surcharges, for customers who maintain a certain minimum balance. It doesn't hurt to check.

When it comes to avoiding stiff bounced check fees, being vigilant about record keeping is key, Mr. McBride said.

"With 24/7 online account access, you don't have to wait until a statement arrives to reconcile the account. You can keep up to date on your transactions," he said.

Even occasional check bouncers can get swamped by fees. Typically, banks process the largest check first when clearing multiple checks received around the same time. If the first check drains the account, customers can get hit with a string of fees before realizing the account is overdrawn. Some banks also tack on extra fees the longer the account is overdrawn.

People who don't keep close tabs on their balance should sign up for overdraft protection that automatically transfers money from their savings account (as long as there's money in the account) to checking for a nominal $5 to $10 fee, Mr. McBride said. Linking accounts that way is a better option than the more costly so-called "courtesy" bounce protection some banks automatically offer, he said, or coverage offered through a line of credit.

Bankrate.com also looked at 18 Internet-based financial institutions, concluding that in general, they offer higher interest rates and charge lower fees than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. They also generally require lower minimum balances to avoid service charges.

On the downside, online banks often require higher minimums to open an account.

The biggest plus to online institutions is the higher interest they pay, said Bankrate.com, which found cyberbanks paid an average of 2.06 percent on checking accounts vs. 0.24 percent offered by traditional banks.