Info PADI converts to eCards 10 Jan 2023

[Rob9876]

A related question, just slightly off topic. My younger son was certified Junior AOW, many years ago (2007), so his card still reports this certification.
Now he would like to have a card without the "junior".
Do you suggest that he asks for the new plastic card whilst they are still available, or is it better he asks for the new E-card?
>>I suppose the latter should be cheaper.
But is it going to be recognised the same as a physical card?

That would be a very logical assumption, but at least in the U.S. the e-card and the plastic are the same price -- US $48. That's for the standard card design, it's $58 if you choose a different "front" picture for the e-card or plastic.

Personally, at that price I'd rather have the plastic card and scan/photograph it myself and keep a copy in my phone and my Gmail (or other cloud-based place).

Plus, it's probably only a matter of time before PADI tries to move the App and Online access to a paid subscription model. Not trying to bash PADI -- it's the trend with everything these days, even cars.

 

[tursiops]

Once again, if that photo of the back of the card does not have the cert name/level on it, what is the point of the photo?

 

[Rob9876]

Once again, if that photo of the back of the card does not have the cert name/level on it, what is the point of the photo?

The PADI cards I have do not have the cert level printed at the top on the back of the card. However, my OW and EANx cards both mention what cert they are in the little blurb at the bottom of the back of the card -- and those 2 cards are 95%+ of what most recreational divers need to show cards for. As for my AOW & Rescue, I just write what cert they are next to the photo on my scan sheet -- they can look up the number if they need to (some do want AOW for certain dives). Never been an issue.

My SDI Solo card says Solo clearly on the back (and on the free e-Card) so that's no problem.

 

[Rob9876]

"How do I know those two photos are from the same card?"

Kind of funny, because almost any teenager who wanted to fake a PADI card could do that perfectly at home these days. But yes, some c-Cards say the cert name at the bottom (my OW and EANx) and some don't - but the number is easy enough to look up.

 

[tursiops]

Kind of funny, because almost any teenager who wanted to fake a PADI card could do that perfectly at home these days. But yes, some c-Cards say the cert name at the bottom (my OW and EANx) and some don't - but the number is easy enough to look up.

If they have the capability to look up a number, then they can also look up your cert by your name and DOB. So the photo of the card is irrelevant. Unless it has the cert level/topic right there with your name/pix.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

I was just looking at my pictures of my cards. My AOW does NOT have that designation on the side that has my name and cert number, but my Enriched Air DOES! I got my AOW in 2010 and nitrox in 2011, so I guess they changed sometime in between.

They didn’t change it. My AOW and EA cards are the same as yours, except 2016 and 2017. Interestingly, my original C-card has my photo on the same side that states my certification, with all my personal info, including SS # (I never realized it was on there) on the other. Given that the photo was taken in 1978 I don’t expect anyone to recognize me !

 

[BlueTrin]

It makes sense to price them the same price so that customers choose whichever they prefer. One could argue that if the e card is more popular, you could charge more for it

 

[Kimela]

They didn’t change it. My AOW and EA cards are the same as yours, except 2016 and 2017. Interestingly, my original C-card has my photo on the same side that states my certification, with all my personal info, including SS # (I never realized it was on there) on the other. Given that the photo was taken in 1978 I don’t expect anyone to recognize me !

Note that the nitrox card says what it's for - and the AOW just says I meet the certification requirements. AOW was issued 2010 and nitrox was 2011. Unfortunate that they didn't include the name of the cert prior to 2010 - at least for mine.

 

[ScubaBunga]

All of my PADI cards are like that, there is no qualification stated on the side with my personal details.

My IANTD cards on the other hand do state the qualification with personal details.

thanks to this thread I went to iantd to lookup my one card from them (from 1994) and it was NOT found. So I sent them a contact. Should I ever lose my card I would like to be able to prove I HAD it. Right now I don't think I can.

 

[Rob9876]

If they have the capability to look up a number, then they can also look up your cert by your name and DOB. So the photo of the card is irrelevant. Unless it has the cert level/topic right there with your name/pix.

It does have it for OW and EANx, which are the main concerns for recreational dives. For the ones without that blurb you are technically correct: if a dive op was being meticulous, they might ask to see the actual card or e-card for AOW dives. However, that has not been my experience -- but I often just email my sheet of cards and insurance ahead of time, so perhaps some are verifying behind the scenes. YMMV