Not everyone wants to bank online.

Many still prefer to talk to someone on the phone. But one RBS telephone banking customer was recently told they would need to go through an online security check before they could transfer cash to a new recipient.

"I was told it requires a second level of security which has to be done online," the customer told the Sunday Herald. "I said this meant a reduced service for people who wished to bank only by phone and the call centre person said yes."

The customer made three separate calls asking the same question and says she got the same answer.

However an RBS spokeswoman said: "You definitely don't need to be an online user to be a telephone banking user." Setting up a new cash transfer mandate requires a PIN and password, issued when the customer enrols for both online and telephone banking, she said. "If the customer can't remember this information, then we'd re-enrol them, or if they've never enrolled, we would set this up for them. This does take a couple of days to come through, but it definitely doesn't require the customer to go online."

However digital, smart and mobile banking is making rapid advances.

In February, RBS launched Touch ID - where customers who have an iPhone 5s or above can log into the app using just their fingerprint.

The bank's mobile banking app has a Pay Your Contacts feature allowing you to pay money to anyone with a valid UK Visa debit, credit or prepaid card - all they need is their mobile number.

Another feature is Get Cash, allowing ATM cash withdrawals using a text code instead of a bank card.

Then there is Paym, where customers can send money between banks just using their mobile phone number - RBS will be launching the 'send' function later in 2015.

RBS and NatWest are currently testing a series of new mobile banking apps that help customers with big 'life events' such as moving house, or generally managing their money, using the latest technology.

One of the apps, Spendorama, is said to be a series of games and challenges based round spending habits including one called Spend Nothing in a Day.

Nearly 50% of the banking group's 15m customers actively use online banking, with over 3m customers using the mobile app every week.

Bank of Scotland has launched an express log-in for iPad, requiring only three characters from their internet banking passwords, and says it has one of the highest rated banking apps with a 4.5 star App Store rating last week.

Customers can now make international payments, flag up an overseas travel need, view pending transactions , and be reminded of cashback and other offers, all within the app,and they no longer have to receive a security ID call when setting up a standing order.

At Nationwide, named best online banking provider in last year'sYour Money Direct awards, the mobile banking app was used over 165 million times last year, and it now supports Apple and Android Wear smartwatches.

The app has two attractive features, Impulse Saver, enabling cash to be swept into a savings account with a tap on the screen, and Quick Balance - which has been used 37 million times in the past year.

But technology is also helping those who may not bank online at all. An HD video link in Nationwide branches, including 15 so far of the 47 in Scotland, connects members to mortgage, personal banking and financial consultants.

Customers in Kirkwall for instance previously had to book a phone appointment or travel to Aberdeen or Inverness to see a consultant. Nationwide says the innovation is bringing "city service to a rural community".

Santander's latest app is Smartbank, aimed mainly at students but available to all customers, which includes spending graphics, itemisation of spending by type and location, and weekly and monthly spending patterns, to help keep a tight rein on the finances.

Personal finance platform True Potential Investments has just launched an Apple Watch service "aimed at the mass market of non-expert investors and savers". It allows wearers to select financial goals, set risk levels, and choose funds using detailed information.

Over 1.1million people switched their bank account last year using the new high-speed switching service. But the Keep me Posted campaign has warned people not to take their online records for granted. Chairman Judith Donovan says: "If you've been banking online, suddenly the access you always had can be switched off in an instant. All the financial history which was once at your fingertips is suddenly inaccessible.

"The majority of the main current account providers turn your account off immediately. If you then want to see your previous statements it comes at a cost - you can request a copy but the majority charge around £5 per request. And some banks will only do this if you go into a branch, inconvenient for many - yet another of the unforeseen consequences that being online only has thrown up."