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Novaz AuthenticatorGET

Citadel Credit Union 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5

On this page
  1. When Citadel asks for a code
  2. Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
  3. No backup codes
  4. If Citadel rejects your code
  5. Changing phones
  6. If you lose your authenticator
  7. Turning it off
  8. Official Citadel Credit Union help

Citadel Credit Union members use Online & Mobile Banking to check balances, move money and pay loans. Citadel calls its one-time sign-in code a Secure Access Code. By default it reaches you by text message or automated call, and you can also approve sign-ins with a push notification or get codes from an authenticator app (Citadel). Email codes aren't offered.

The thing to know before you start: once the authenticator app is on, Citadel turns off text and voice codes for your login, so the app becomes your way in (Citadel). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Citadel steps come from Citadel Credit Union's own customer support pages, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Citadel account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

When Citadel asks for a code

Citadel's help says you get a Secure Access Code prompt every time you log in, unless the phone, tablet or computer is registered as a trusted device (Citadel). It also asks for one when you (Citadel):

  • enroll in Online & Mobile Banking,
  • sign in from a device it doesn't recognize, or register a new one, or
  • change some profile or security settings.

The authenticator app is also Citadel's answer for members abroad. Text and call codes can't go to international phone numbers, so its help says to use an authenticator app instead (Citadel).

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

Citadel's steps are written for Google Authenticator, and the button is named after it, but its main authentication page talks about authenticator apps in general (Citadel). Have Novaz on your iPhone first, then (Citadel):

  1. Sign in to Online & Mobile Banking on a second device, such as a computer's web browser.
  2. Select your profile picture in the upper right corner, then Security.
  3. On the Authentication tab, select Activate Google Authenticator.
  4. Choose how to get a 6-digit Verification Code (text or call), then enter it.
  5. Citadel shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the screen. If you only have the iPhone, take a screenshot and tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
  6. If you can't scan it, Citadel lets you Enter a Setup Key manually. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and type it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
  7. Enter the code Novaz shows to finish. Citadel's page says to type it in the Citadel Mobile App.

Citadel doesn't say how many digits its authenticator codes have or how often they change. Scanning the QR code is the safer choice, because the code carries those settings. A key typed by hand always gives 6-digit codes every 30 seconds.

A second Citadel page says the methods are turned on and off with toggle switches on the same Authentication tab (Citadel), so the screen you see may use a switch rather than a button.

No backup codes

Citadel's help pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. With text and voice switched off, Novaz is your only code source, and without a Novaz backup (iCloud backup or a backup file) its keys exist only on your iPhone. So keep the phone numbers in your Citadel profile current: recovery runs through them and a photo ID.

If Citadel rejects your code

Citadel's pages don't cover a wrong authenticator code. Authenticator codes depend on the time, so check your iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Citadel doesn't document moving the authenticator to a new phone. You can delete an old phone from Security > Devices (Citadel). While you can still sign in, the safest route is to switch the authenticator off on the Authentication tab, then set it up again with the new iPhone. If you made a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore it on the new iPhone instead and skip that step. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Citadel's pages describe no self-service reset for a lost authenticator app. What they do say:

  • Contact details can't be changed over the phone. If you can't sign in, you update them at a branch or through Video Connect, with a valid ID (Citadel).
  • If the self-service options don't work, contact Member Care, at (800) 666-0191. Citadel suggests having your account details and photo ID ready (Citadel).
  • Video Connect sends a 6-digit text code to start a call, so you'll need a phone that can get texts (Citadel).

Citadel doesn't say how long recovery takes. See Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning it off

Use the toggle for the authenticator app on the Authentication tab in Security (Citadel). Citadel doesn't say whether text and call codes come back on their own afterward, so check the tab before you remove Citadel from Novaz with Remove account.

Official Citadel Credit Union help

More guides: Banks and credit unions