[jolmg]

This probably depends on location, but generally, you cannot log in to your bank account on your laptop/computer without using your phone's banking app for 2FA. That's the status quo among banks.

Whether it may be possible to convince a bank to give you a hardware token instead if they even still make them is not an assured thing.

[jjav]

> you cannot log in to your bank account on your laptop/computer without using your phone's banking app

Where is this?

I have lots of bank accounts, probably more than most people. Three local credit unions, Fidelity, Schwab, Chase, BofA, Citibank, Barclays, two local area banks, and two international banks. Plus a few lesser known ones for 401k/IRA accounts.

I have never installed any bank phone app. I do all my bank interactions from my desktop via Firefox.

[galvin]

MFA is a requirement of the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) in the EU and many banks use their apps for authorising online card payments. Its also common to use apps as 2FA for logging in to online banking or making bank transfers.

There can be alternatives in some cases (some banks offer code generating card readers, for example) but for personal accounts in particular, it would probably be difficult to operate without banking apps.

[pbgcp2026]

galvin@ is right. I +1'd that. Regarding banks ... try HSBC. (I know, "I can always use another bank". Thanks. I happen to be Premier only at HSBC ...)

[red369]

This must vary a lot by location.

In Singapore, the largest local bank, and three large overseas banks (Citibank, HSBC and Standard Chartered) all require my to be near my phone to login. However, I haven't tried just saying I don't have a phone from the beginning. I know they used to have physical security tokens, perhaps they still would have provided one if I had insisted.

In New Zealand, I've only come across one bank that requires you to provide authentication from your phone (Rabobank), and in Australia I have less experience, but it's not universal either.

[medvidek]

I have several accounts in different banks (across two different countries) and never had problems with using SMS as a second factor for internet banking. Definitely not status quo, at least in Europe.

[microtonal]

I'm in Europe and my bank (and most other banks in the country) only still allow existing TAN authenticators until they break or run out of battery, but only support 2FA with their app going forward.

[tgsovlerkhgsel]

Interesting that you mention Europe, because if I remember correctly, at least in Germany, all banks that I'm aware of dropped SMS support when PSD2 was introduced.