SF Fire CU Mobile Banking

Been with SF Fire for more than 5 years, helped me be less dependent on Wells Fargo. So many great reasons to bank with a local credit union. Got a $10k loan from them, easy payment schedule and low interest loan. My parents got a 75k equipment loan for their bakery business. The online banking is great, online chat is great for any quick questions or inquiries. There’s a great visa credit card available with low interest and nice rewards. Their car loans seem attractive as well. Last but not least and quite honestly the best reason of all, they offer free “coin star” machine service for all that change you’ve accumulated over time, which you can deposit or exchange for bills. I took a course they offered where their loan officers and other people from their real-estate division spoke about what they offer in terms of acquiring your first property; recommended strategies, insights as well as a Q&A session. It was highly informative and was a great display of the feeling of community and customer outreach sf fire credit union possesses. Very unique and admirable when compared to dealing with the “big banks”. Needless to say, I learned a lot. I couldn’t recommend SF fire CU enough.

Update: as long as you have the most recent phone on the most recent operating system, the mobile deposits work! Their developers must have a deal with Apple 🙄. I’ve been using this app for about two years, since it was created and I consistently have problems depositing checks on the mobile app. I will have to log back into the app several times in order to deposit a pile of 5 to 10 checks, so it ends up taking me 2 to 3 times as long as it should to do a simple task. I’ve called SF Fire and asked them if they will be doing updates or know why the app is not working for me, but their customer service people could not help me, and when I asked to be called back by their tech people I did not receive a call. In this day and age mobile check deposits are a requirement from a bank and I wish SF Fire would get it together and fix this app.

What were you thinking? To initiate a massive takeover makeover of your online web presence right at the beginning of the holidays is akin to changing the control system of a ship just as the ship is entering a reef strewn inlet. And the interface. Austere and clean, devoid of necessary clues to navigate. Tiny symbols that were once stray specks of dust on the screen now are the equivalent of the Rosetta Stones to decipher the SFFCU website. This interface was designed by people who don't interact with the real world. Who did the beta testing? Why couldn't they have a core group of firefighters of all ages beta test before unleashing? They would pulled the ceilings on it and found the smoldering bugs. Remember your origins SFFCU.

Jeez, I’m happy they decided to improve security on the app, but talk about going overboard! GUI is now even clumsier and less friendly to navigate, to enter it you had better have a blank legal size paper and half an hour to play around with their myriad verification question setups because they want everything but your proctologist’s ring size before you can even get into the app. Again, happy they are focused on security, as they should be. But when it is this ridiculously tight it only means many people will have to write down all their authentication info in one place- making it LESS safe! And BTW- all this can be defeated since they have outsourced to a credit bureau call center and network that shares EVERYTHING with ANYONE with access to the network- teenage minimum wage teller in Dubuque now has your Social Security, maiden name, addresses, balances, etc. at their fingertips. I dumped Chase to get AWAY from this type of incompetence and they just pulled me back in!

This review is just for the app. But they are a great bank to bank with and I’d give them (the bank itself) 5 stars. Now onto the app. App is generally overall good, but I’m giving 4 stars because they should really implement a night mode so I can view my accounts outside in the dark without having a super bright white page blinding me. Another thing is, as of recently, everytime I login, the app keeps telling me I have a new notification that keeps asking me if whether I want to enroll in E statements even though I’m already enrolled. I can click on it and then hit yes enroll in electronic statements but every time I login the app notification will continue to reappear, every time. Please address this bug and also please implement a dark mode. Thank you!

This updated version has removed helpful features and functionality of the previous versions. I no longer can access information indicating how many ATM rebates I have remaining. I also cannot access my complimentary credit ratings. Functionally, there are more screens to navigate so its more time consuming and if you click on any transaction in your history then go back to the previous screen you will be taken all the way up to the top. Huge waste of time! And it is very slow to load a longer history of transactions. Seriously big FAIL on this one.

I feel truly blessed to be apart of SF FIRE CU. I have been treated so well financially, privately, and individually. I have used loans for my family’s vehicles over the past 10 years from SF FIRE CU and they have been so fare with my loan amounts, interest rates , payment schedules. My credit card limits , interest rates are also fantastic. I just want to say thank you SF FIRE CU. You truly have made banking hassle free and worry free. Your employees are very professional and offer amazing customer service. I mean it. You have been a pleasure in my family’s BANKING life. Sincerely, John Quintell

The app rating showing as 4.5 is so misleading. People should scroll down to read the reviews since November 2017, they are universally awful. During the 2017 redesign they removed lots of basic and useful functionality, e.g. vacation notifications to stop them blocking your card while you’re away, credit score, easy access to support. Their previously superb customer support is now almost nonexistent, I’ve waited months (yes, months!) for responses to very basic support questions and typical response times are around a week when they do respond, often they never do. They also “lost” one of my bank accounts. And they give you 0% interest on your checking and savings accounts...so you are paying them to invest your money with them keeping all of the profits. Such a shame for a previously great credit union.

Oof. Can’t see your account number in the app, can’t update your pin in the app, can’t verify Apple Pay with the app (you need to call and talk to an agent at SFFCU, and answer a bunch of questions - which can take awhile), can’t transfer money to external accounts after you’ve successfully linked external accounts, very slow response to messages sent via the app. Mobile app basically functions as a snapshot of your accounts with the ability to make a check deposit. But if there’s anything more you’d like to do, you need to go to a branch or use a desktop browser, and obviously the interoperability is significantly less behind other banking apps. Customer service is really nice when you get them on the phone, but this is an app review…

I am so happy to be a SFFCU customer! I love how easy it is to use the mobile app (depositing checks is a breeze), and it seems they are making improvements all the time. When I’m using online banking, I like the availability of web chat for questions, and customer service by web and phone has always been stellar. I especially love the reimbursed ATM fees for my debit card use, even internationally! I was a customer for many years un San Francisco, and was delighted to learn that I could stay with SFFCU when I moved out of state. The features of my accounts make me the envy of my friends!

I was banking with Wells Fargo since the early 1970s when a few short years ago a friend told me about the San Francisco Fire Credit Union. At the time, Wells Fargo had been charging fees for everything including phone calls! What a gigantic relief it was to join the Credit Union! They took fantastic care of me from day one. They reimburse you for all ATM charges! Another plus for me was that there are no ties to any huge organizations and it is run by the members. If this review sounds a little over the top - it is! I love my credit union!

I absolutely hate this new update. I have been trying to figure it out for two days. I can’t look at my account number anymore deleted my accounts I transfer money to and have no idea how to add them back on because they made everything so confusing. Don’t know how I am going to pay my bills if I can’t transfer money..... And no one even knows their account number and can’t look it up so I can add them back in my transfers!! Horrible update I want the old one back.

When the SF Fire Credit Union updates or revamps the app, there are always problems. If you don’t have apples latest operating system, you are screwed. The women on the phone said every bank is like that, but my other banking apps still work. I have an iPhone 13 and it is only one operating system behind and the SFFCU app doesn’t work. They used to be a very good place to do banking, now they’re customer service and And communication is lacking. The head of the credit union last time had to issue a letter to address all the complaints about the updates. Maybe it’s time for her to go. If I didn’t have to pick a star for the rating, I’d give it minus stars.

Member of 15+ years. They apparently have hired some call center to handle over flow calls. It's a glorified answering service. I was told someone would get back to me in 24 hours regarding a simple account inquiry during regular business hours. The old App was better. I would advise new people to not use this App because you would need to open an account, and I would wait until they get their customer service together. UPDATE: New App crashes half the time with Face ID and makes you enter your password. Customer service says to delete and re-install the App, which does nothing. I would advise avoiding these guys all together. Downhill since the new CEO took over.

that you can process a check through the app versus going to a local branch. Cons: All accounts are connected, so you see your sum total of money for ALL accounts that you’re listed on. It would be nice to have the option to preference seeing certain accounts, but have the ability to look at the whole umbrella at times if you needed to. Certificates can’t be edited through the app anymore which I hope they’ll update in future versions.

This app has changed the way I bank! I really am grateful to have this app on my phone, to make on the go banking easy and to make my trip to the bank easeful. I’m glad to have the bank on my side with any customer service needs, or just with making checks. I’m very glad that my family is also welcome at my bank. And glad to have the mobile app to keep track of my funds

The bank need to make it easier for members to transfer funds from one Credit Union to another credit Union. Currently with 2 credit unions SFFCU and SFPCU. I rarely make a mistake but I used the wrong checks for a bill payment and it was difficult to transfer funds from one credit Union to another. Only because I Missed 2/3 security questions. A password or wrong answer etc…I wasn’t able to transfer funds.

There isn’t anything you can’t easily do from within the app. I just do everything from my phone now and no longer pull up their website on my laptop. It’s amazing that this little credit union has a far sleeker, more functional app than a big bank like Bank of America (whose app is frustrating and almost useless).

By now mobile banking should be an easy experience and it was with the old SFFCU interface. Now some days a basic feature like deposit checks is completely missing. Want to transfer money from a business account to a personal account, well now you need to log in to the receiving account not the sending account. Want to make a business loan payment, well that feature is no longer possible, you need to call! Seriously, you can't even use the browser version to make a payment or view the balance. Even making a credit card payment is hidden below 3 layers. Extremely unprofessional.

While the old app wasn’t “pretty”, the new app and online banking are horrible. The main screen doesn’t show all accounts; using TouchID requires using a 4-digit PIN instead of a password; some text is white on off-white and hard to read; apparently support has been outsourced (as was app development); no more access to credit score; depositing checks takes more steps since everything is hidden behind the “hamburger” icon. I brought my accounts to SF Fire CU from one of the “big financial institutions” because of the personal service; now I may head back since online banking is horrible and the personal service is dwindling.

I worked retail for 4-1/2 yrs ... not my usual line of work, and I learned about SFFCU from a co-worker, who was saying great things about SFFCU. I asked my co-worker which financial institution they were talking about, and I became a member. Over 4-1/2 years I saw a lot of debit and credit cards, many from SFFCU. I always asked my customer, “Don’t you Love Them? and they inevitably asked Who? And I would say, The Credit Union! Everyone was so enthusiastic and said the most complimentary things. . . . All about All of You, about the integrity with which you do business and the great service you provide. I Love All Of You. Thank you for always being patient, helpful and really, just plain Great! From Kathryn Alexander

Whether I’m at a SFFCU branch, online or on the mobile app, every step of it is user-friendly and efficient because it’s clearly thought out with utmost care for its members’ experience and business. I’m hard-pressed to come up with a better business or institution, now or ever. I only wish I’d started with SFFCU long before my 10+ years with them.

Nowadays people are always in a rush, but anyone in customer service must put a halt in their personal preference. When you deal with helping people you need to go at their speed. Sometimes that extra kindness makes it easier for the person you are helping. The staff at SFFCU is very responsive to their customers. Love my credit union! I hate the extra fees of banks... SFFCU is great!

I am able to complete my banking needs on this app and can count on a great customer service line as well. When I’ve had a problem with a charge and I do not see a phone number to call I have called the customer service line to find the correct number to dial. Thanks to San Francisco Fire Credit Union for the help.

SF fire credit union has fantastic customer service and assisted me every step of the way during my transition away from Bank of America. So nice to work with an organization that really does care about their customer and does not hit you with outrageous fees for the luxury of them holding your money.

This app used to be amazing. It was easy to use and simple. They tried to “improve” the app and only made it worse. Now, it is confusing and a pain to use. The SFFCU used to be a great credit union. You could call them directly and speak with someone you knew that was actually at the branch. Now, they are just like every other bank- a call center with people in Delaware or Georgia. The savings rates have not gone up and the interest rates on loans have not gone down, so I don’t know why they made these changes. Whoever is the new President of the bank is horrible. Thank you.

As you can see from the other reviews, this update is not a very good one. Transferring balances around is now hidden behind another separate menu, you can’t review your rewards from the app, and you’re not even able to access or use features like budgeting or savings goals unless you go through the main website, which defeats the purpose of putting it in the app. The GUI definitely could use some work, compared to the older one, this one is blocky and cluttered. Especially when you sign up for your account. The app also has weird issues at the login screen, and not even the balance peek function works. Literally going onto the webpage on your phone and using it there is a better experience than mobile. It also for some reason keeps adding 500$ onto my savings account that doesn’t exist. That just makes me kinda sad.

I love banking with SFFCU. I’ve been a member for about 12 years with several accounts and have seen online and then mobile banking evolve. I’m very pleased with the app, which makes it easy to continue banking with my familiar, beloved CU even though I moved out of the Bay Area.

Apparently SFFCU doesn’t take itself as a serious financial institution. Sadly, that’s my only conclusion w this last update - they simply did not test for bugs, and in a bank’s case, a bug means people bouncing checks. I was SFFCU’s biggest fan and now I’m seriously considering moving my family elsewhere. Latest update means that every 3rd attempt to log in either eventually times out, or asks user to “retry, logout or contact support”. Each of those options take you back to....”retry, logout or contact support”. SFFCU, please - help me help you. Fire your app developers and start over. Again.

I was so looking forward to this highly anticipated update. The promise of TouchID for easy/secure login was the most lacking feature of the previous version. Now that the new app has been released, it turns out that you have to AGREE to allow a 4-digit “quick” password in order to use the much more secure TouchID. What this does is make logging in SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SECURE than before. And now that I’ve activated TouchID, it doesn’t appear that I can Undo it. Failure. Epic Failure. Every person involved with this update should be utterly embarrassed if not fired. Banking access with 4 digits? Welcome to 1987. Losers.

When you scroll when looking through transactions and you click on a specific transaction, I don’t like that It brings you back all the way to the beginning instead of bringing you back where you left off.

Having just refreshed the apps on phone & tablet, I was disappointed to find the app only aligned on the horizontal, and would not rotate to a vertical display. I was able to deposit a check, but doubt I’ll be using the app much. Not a very user friendly design, straight off the starting line. Very disappointing.

Not the greatest mobile banking interface. San Francisco Fire Credit Union has missed the mark with this new design. Unfortunately, not only is the app sub-par but their main website in a regular browser is just as bad. Many features I once used frequently are either far too deep in the navigational maze to be found easily, or they’re missing entirely. The most relevant example (for me) that comes to mind: there’s no longer a way to view direct deposit options. I could go on about the negative aspects of this new app but I’d rather focus on more pressing matters. I just hope SF Fire Credit Union’s “Decision Makers” make better decisions regarding their online banking interface in the near future. I’d hate to to think I’ll be stuck with this app in the condition it’s currently in. Please improve your app. Thanks.

What's with all the bells and whistles. I keep getting a network error saying cannot connect try again ad infinitum. The previous app was far superior in so far as it actually worked every time. The widgets and what not add nothing to the experience. What people want is very simple to able to open the app, check their balance, deposit checks, transfer money as needed. The previous app did this well. This new one is garbage.

...than earlier versions. Yeah, there were some glitches when they rolled out the new version, but this company has always impressed me with its dedication to getting things right; if they miss the mark, they say so, apologize, and work very hard to improve their product.

Bad timing, really highlighted the many issues with this update. It canceled my automatic monthly transfers to my father’s bank with (no? minimal?) notification, so I was unable to resolve our budgets over the holidays until we can relink accounts. My personal favorite is the ‘Snap!’ animation when you take a photo of a check to deposit. With clip art like that, you can’t even say it looks better. Two stars for trying. Lots of local expertise, maybe you could try a tech advisory panel?

Mobile check deposit, done! Never need to waste time heading to a physical bank to deposit the occasional paper check. Easy to manage transfers between accounts. But if you need to do some serious accounting or request a loan, best to do that on the desktop version!

Full of bugs. Both the app and the website underwent a horribly disruptive update. Unacceptable for a financial institution that wants to be taken seriously. All of my transfer history disappeared. Support was useless and couldn’t even transfer me to someone who can help me. Additionally, there has been NO proactive communication about the horrible changes. Makes me REALLY question my membership. You’re a bank, stick to what you know without the “fancy” UI (which is actually just a new kind of UGLY)

And the app is super user-friendly, easy to navigate, does not freeze, and gives you all the information you could need about your account and the CU in general. Also, the employees are always polite, friendly, and helpful. Very happy, satisfied customer!

Love the customer service and the hours of their availability, love my instant notifications when something is charged on my card, very satisfied overall! Highly recommend this credit union!

Still haven’t even been able to sign-in. Something went quite awry. Given that this is a non-profit credit union I am willing to cut them slack; maybe they just don’t have the deep development pockets like most businesses. Guess I’ll have to go old school and use the touch-tone phone technology!

I have to either update this daily to keep it working, delete it and reinstall it every time I need to use it. I spend atleast and hour a week on the phone with customer service. It’s a shame being in the tech capital of the world this app and the new website is failing so thoroughly. Excellent bank, should have hired out the development of app. Throw it away and start over. One of these days I will have to leave the bank because of this, but I’m trying not to. Many people I know have.

I am not happy with this app I have been unable to log in to the app via my iPad or iPhone. I have signed up with the finger print op in but now it will not work. I am always asked to fill in my password and them the system is off line. ? It asks would you like to try again ? I then must re enter my password and hope for the best. After re entering my password it still will not work. What’s the deal? 🤞🏼 this new update will fix the issue

Something so rare and precious these days, you may as well call it, “Unobtainium,” is helpful customer service. In all the years I’ve been a member of SFFCU, help has always been there when I’ve needed it. HIGHLY valuable commodity!

Used to love the SFFCU mobile app. This new version is garbage. Depositing checks is a nightmare and I can no longer do consistently without the app crashing. I have checks that sit in my wallet until I can make it to the bank which is nearly never since I no longer live in SF.

This new app is AWFUL. The interface is clunky and feels like something created in 1995. The entire design is almost like there was no thought put into it. Why do you need the extra menu? I got kicked off of customer service chat with no warning and the chat window kept closing my keyboard and I couldn't see what I was writing or where I was in the conversation. As one of the first banking establishments to have an app, you've really gone so far backwards that its embarrassing. Please bring back the old app.

I love being able to deposit all my checks through mobile banking. So much easier than having to send them in the mail to San Francisco fire credit union, as I live out of state.

The best bank I ever bank that I really like it much they’re right on top of everything and they help me out when I need them thank you for being my bank and for all your hard work through this pandemic

The update developed for their services is relatively easy to move around in, get things done with, and retrieve information. It’s an intuitive tool that makes my life easy.

You cannot setup recurring credit card payments on the new app and there also is no where to view rewards points/order cash rewards from rewards points on the new iOS app. Customer support said you can only do that on a desktop now and they didn't say they would fix it. The new app is slow, buggy, and lacks many of the features of the old app. I don't think they tested this update AT ALL before putting it out. The old app worked great.