San Francisco Fire Credit Union

This used to be a great institution, however, new management has destroyed it. Get this, customer service representatives cannot even correctly tell you your own account number. And they add on fees to your account with no warning. Stay far away.

We got our slightly used but beautiful Honda Accord through SF Fire. It was easy and fun. I wouldn't bank anywhere else and the car was in terrific shape.

I love SF Fire because they are free, fair, and local. After years with BofA I would prefer to keep my money with a Bay Area institution. People don't realize that a credit union has everything a bank has — without the shady practices going on at Wells or BofA. They have great service and refund all your ATM fees - even internationally. As a Bay Area native and broke millennial, I try to vote with every dollar I've got. These guys get it, bay area banking with no bs.

SF Fire was unreliable, unresponsive, unprofessional and unfriendly. They take on too much business and can't deliver and won't even get back to you. Endless delays, terrible communication from them, terrible systems that are not easy or intuitive. Steer clear, this is not a good option.

I love my SFFCU Visa Credit Card. Brought it with me when I left SF. Great customer service and live support that's rare these days.

I've had accounts at many banks and have never been as satisfied as I am with San Francisco Fire Credit Union. They go above and beyond expectations. I lived in SF for about a year and a half and a friend recommended them, so I went ahead and opened an account. They'll refund you for outside ATM fees, which has been an absolute life saver when I've withdrawn money, then found myself broke; a few bucks reappearing is always a pleasant surprise. No minimum to keep your account open and they're so friendly and helpful. Online banking rocks, you can even enroll in a free credit rating tracking program, which is wonderful to not have to sign up for some subscription through a third party. I moved back to the east coast and through their nationwide network, have been able to maintain my account, because I wouldn't dream of having an account anywhere else. I really couldn't be happier. They're always doing charitable events for the community, won't let me overdraft my account and again, the ATM reimbursement is my favorite thing a bank has done.

I was born into SFFCU (my grandpa was a firefighter) but I never really paid attention to it until I found myself so dissatisfied with the banks I was using as I entered my 30s. I was fed up with nonsense fees, impersonal customer service, and made to feel like someone else was in charge of my money. I decided to take a look at SFFCU and I've never looked back. Their customer service is outstanding - I always get a real person when I use their chat service and it's always resolved quickly and easily. Transferring between members is super easy, there are no secret fees, and they even reimburse for outside ATM use up to ten times a month, which I use regularly. I've told all my friends to use SFFCU and they are just as happy. Oh, and they give you candy if you go to their branches. Good candy. :)

I've been with SFFCU for several years now, and I have to say I've never been happier. After a lifetime of negative experiences with regular banks I saw several recommendations for credit unions as a viable alternative, and now I'm one hundred percent behind that recommendation myself, at least as far as SFFCU is concerned!

First and foremost the customer service is excellent, even when I hit a rough financial patch after becoming unemployed they remained helpful and friendly, working with me to find the best solution possible under the circumstances.

Beyond that they have an excellent website, a very good iPhone app, and are well accessible by phone and email. Additionally, although they only have two locations in San Francisco, they are part of the credit union network. Of course, since they do not charge ATM fees that means that you have fewer worries about that anyway, even when travelling in Europe.