SF Fire 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
San Francisco Fire Credit Union, which calls itself SF Fire Credit Union, protects Online & Mobile Banking with two-factor authentication (2FA). It asks for a second check when you sign in and before higher-risk actions, such as setting up a large transfer to an account at another bank (SF Fire Credit Union). You can get that check as a text message, a voice call to a mobile or landline number, or a code from an authenticator app. Email codes are gone: the credit union dropped them because email accounts get taken over too often.
The setup has one catch. The authenticator option stays hidden until you switch on Require Two-Factor Authentication For Each Login, so people who look for it on the sign-in screen only see text and voice. This guide walks through both switches with Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the SF Fire Credit Union steps come from the credit union's own website and FAQ, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on an SF Fire Credit Union account, so a label may differ slightly. The how-to page was last updated in 2022 and the FAQ in 2024, so the screens may have changed since. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
The credit union's how-to page and FAQ give the same steps (SF Fire Credit Union, SF Fire Credit Union).
- Sign in to Online Banking, open Profile and choose Security Settings.
- Turn on Require Two-Factor Authentication For Each Login.
- Click the pencil icon next to the authentication app (2FA App).
- Click Enroll. Online Banking shows a QR code.
- In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the screen. If you're setting this up on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Type the code Novaz shows into Online Banking and click Next.
- If this is your first time setting up 2FA, Online Banking asks you to confirm the request. Follow its prompts.
- Turn on the 2FA app and click Done. You can also make it your preferred method here.
The credit union's pages only describe the QR code. They don't say whether a text key is offered instead, or what code length and interval the codes use. Scan the QR code: it carries those settings into Novaz.
The pages also mention apps that answer with a pop-up notification, such as DUO. Novaz doesn't do push approvals. It shows a code, which you type in.
Since the QR code only appears inside Online Banking, the credit union suggests setting the app up before a trip. It then works abroad without a cell signal, unlike texts.
When you'll be asked for a code
With Require Two-Factor Authentication For Each Login on, you need a code at every sign-in, even on a computer where you chose Remember This Device (SF Fire Credit Union). At sign-in, open Novaz, find the SF Fire Credit Union entry, and type the current code into Online Banking or the mobile app, then click Verify (SF Fire Credit Union).
If your code is rejected
SF Fire Credit Union's pages don't cover rejected codes. A wrong clock on the phone is the most common reason a fresh code fails, so check that your iPhone sets its own time: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz shows a warning once the clock drifts 15 seconds or more. For other causes, see Authenticator code not working?
No backup codes
The credit union's pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. The other ways to get a code are text and voice calls to the phone numbers on your profile. The pages don't say outright whether those stay available once the app is your preferred method, so keep your numbers current before you rely on the app alone.
That matters with Novaz: unless you turn on iCloud backup or keep a backup file, its keys live only on your iPhone. For the trade-offs, see Authenticator app vs. SMS.
New phone or lost phone
The pages don't describe moving the authenticator to a new phone, or resetting it after a loss. If you still have the old phone, sign in and redo the Enroll steps under Security Settings with the new one. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone instead of setting it up fresh. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If the phone is gone, try a text or voice code at sign-in. If that fails, call the credit union at (415) 674-4800 or (888) 499-FIRE (3473), Monday to Friday 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (SF Fire Credit Union). The pages don't say what proof the credit union asks for or how long a reset takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning it off
The FAQ says Require Two-Factor Authentication For Each Login can be switched on and off in Security Settings under Profile. The pages don't explain how to remove the app itself. If you stop using it, delete the entry in Novaz afterwards: open it and tap Remove account.
