You may be used to checking your balances and making money transfers on your home computer or laptop, but are you ready to make the leap to using your smartphone for banking?

While most major U.S. banks now offer mobile banking, banking customers have been slow to switch their banking transactions to their cellphone, particularly those who may not be tech-savvy or who may fear security breaches.

But the leap from using online banking to mobile banking is not huge, says Thomas Hissam, a mobile banking expert for IBM in Armonk, N.Y. "People are becoming more dependent on their cellphones than their wallets," he says.

And as cellphones become "smarter" -- the majority of new smartphones available for the holidays this year will be equipped for mobile banking -- the number of people using mobile banking may surge in 2012.

"More people will become involved in mobile banking because it will come with their handset," says Ted Bissell, a New York-based mobile specialist with PA Consulting Group.

Should you carry your bank in your pocket? Here's what you need to know before you make the leap to mobile banking.