Vancity 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Vancity, the Vancouver credit union, doesn't treat multi-factor authentication (MFA) as optional. It's a mandatory part of using Online Banking and the Mobile App: after your MEMBER CARD number and password, you may be asked for a one-time code (Vancity). You can get that code three ways: by text message, by automated voice call, or from an authenticator app. You can set up all three, and Vancity says you must always keep at least one. This guide covers the authenticator app, using Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Vancity steps come from Vancity's own Learning Hub articles on support.vancity.com, linked below, which we read on October 22, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Vancity account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Why Vancity pushes the app for travel

Texts and calls often fail abroad or with a new SIM. Vancity advises adding an authenticator app before you leave, since it makes codes without a cell signal or data (Vancity). Once you're away without a working method, you can't switch methods yourself and have to call Member Services (Vancity).

Add an authenticator app

At your first login (Vancity):

1. Enter your MEMBER CARD number and select Next, then your password and Login.
2. Select Set up MFA. (Vancity's text message steps call this button Set Up Now, so the label may differ.)
3. Select Authenticator App and choose your device.
4. Scan the QR code with Novaz (steps below), then enter the one-time code from Novaz and select Verify.
5. Once it's set up, select Continue.

After you've enrolled (Vancity):

1. Log in to Online Banking and select the round member icon at the top right to open Settings.
2. Select Login and security, then Manage multi-factor authentication.
3. Select Authenticator App, choose your device and select Next.
4. Add the QR code to Novaz, select Next, enter the code and select Verify.
5. Finish with Take me home or Close.

The Mobile App has the same path (Vancity).

In Novaz

• QR code on a computer: tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it.
• QR code on the same iPhone: take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
• No QR code: on the QR code screen, select Can't scan? and Vancity shows a key. Its help warns that you can't copy and paste this key, so you'll have to type it. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and fill in Service (for example, Vancity), Account if you like, and Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?

Novaz codes are always time-based, which is what Vancity's manual steps ask for. Vancity doesn't say how many digits its app codes have or how often they change, so scanning the QR code (or a screenshot of it) is the safer route.

Logging in afterwards

When Vancity asks for a code, it lets you pick which method to use for that login (Vancity). Choose the authenticator app and type the current code from Novaz. Vancity doesn't explain when it skips the prompt, and Remember me only saves your card number.

Vancity emails you when an MFA method is added or removed (Vancity).

No backup codes, and the app can't reset your password

Vancity's help doesn't mention backup or recovery codes. Your fallback is a second method, so keep text message or voice call on as well. That also matters because Forgot Password works only with the text message or voice call method plus a reset question, not with an authenticator app (Vancity). See authenticator apps vs. SMS codes.

If Vancity rejects your code

Vancity's help doesn't cover rejected app codes. Check that you picked the authenticator app on the login screen, then check the iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Go to Manage multi-factor authentication, select Authenticator App and set it up again with the new phone (Vancity). Do it while the old phone still works. If you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore Vancity on the new iPhone instead; otherwise add it again in Novaz on the new phone. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Log in with your other method, text message or voice call, and set the app up again. If you can't log in at all, Vancity says to visit any branch or call its Member Services Centre at 604-709-6959 or toll-free 866-899-6959 (Vancity). Vancity doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long it takes. See Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

For a business delegate who can't get a code, the business signer can tick Reset multi-factor authentication under Business services > Delegate manager (Vancity).

Turning it off

You can't turn MFA off completely. You can remove the authenticator app from Manage multi-factor authentication, as long as another method stays set up.

Official Vancity help

• What is Multi-Factor Authentication?
• How do I enroll in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?
• How do I manually add my authenticator app to MFA (without using the QR code)?
• How do I change the way I receive my MFA code after enrollment?
• How do I log in to Online Banking and authenticate with MFA on the Vancity website?