# Max Number of Key Cards



## John (Apr 16, 2016)

Model 3 ships with 2 key cards. For the past week I've had one cell phone and two key cards visible in the Locks area of the UI.

Today I purchased and Tesla programmed 5 more key cards. Now I have 7 key cards and 1 cell phone that work with my car. I've tested them all and they all work.

Interestingly, though the cards are purchased in pairs (just like the pair they gave you at delivery), only 5 new cards could be added. Although none of the sales people or service people seemed to know this in advance (we all discovered it together), it looks like there's either an 8-key limit (1 cell 7 cards in my car) or a 7-card limit. I'll try to add another cell phone this afternoon and see if it's a "total of cells/cards = 8" or "total cards = 7".

Anybody else have any specific knowledge?


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

John said:


> Model 3 ships with 2 key cards. For the past week I've had one cell phone and two key cards visible in the Locks area of the UI.
> 
> Today I purchased and Tesla programmed 5 more key cards. Now I have 7 key cards and 1 cell phone that work with my car. I've tested them all and they all work.
> 
> ...


the lastest version of the owners manual lists 19 (combo of cars/phones), but the interface can only simultaneously connect up to three phones
"Model 3 can store up to 19 keys (authenticated phones or key cards) simultaneously. To view a list of keys that can currently access Model 3, or to remove a phone, touch Controls > Locks (see Managing Keys on page 7)."​


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

Yeah, so it was interesting when the tech said he could not add an eighth key card. He even tried another card to see if it was defective. Wouldn’t add ANY eighth card. 

For what it’s worth.


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> the lastest version of the owners manual lists 19 (combo of cars/phones), but the interface can only simultaneously connect up to three phones
> "Model 3 can store up to 19 keys (authenticated phones or key cards) simultaneously. To view a list of keys that can currently access Model 3, or to remove a phone, touch Controls > Locks (see Managing Keys on page 7)."​


Gotta love a car that supports 19 keys!


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## Michael Russo (Oct 15, 2016)

You must have a very large family, @John !


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

Michael Russo said:


> You must have a very large family, @John !


5 people + valet + key stashed at home.

That way I don't give my card to valet, and there's always a spare at home.

Tonight my 17 year old drove us in our Model 3 to dinner, and I gave him his own card and showed him the steps to use it. He's very impressed that he can use his wallet as a key!


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## AJ Barnert (Feb 24, 2018)

John said:


> Model 3 ships with 2 key cards. For the past week I've had one cell phone and two key cards visible in the Locks area of the UI.
> 
> Today I purchased and Tesla programmed 5 more key cards. Now I have 7 key cards and 1 cell phone that work with my car. I've tested them all and they all work.
> 
> ...


Specific question: I was told (by Tesla) today that the cards cost $230.00 each (!); and required a visit to the service center, and a 1-hour waiting period. Most of the web says "First card free; second $5." Where/how did you purchase your extra cards (online, maybe?); and how much did they cost? (Van Nuys CA service center) Thanks.


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

AJ Barnert said:


> Specific question: I was told (by Tesla) today that the cards cost $230.00 each (!); and required a visit to the service center, and a 1-hour waiting period. Most of the web says "First card free; second $5." Where/how did you purchase your extra cards (online, maybe?); and how much did they cost? (Van Nuys CA service center) Thanks.


That CAN'T be right.

Oops-I mean, I'll sell you however many you want for $100 each.



I went into the Dublin, California store and asked for them.

Me: "Howdy. I'd like to get some extra key cards for my '3."

Service: "We don't have extras here, we will have to order them. How many do you want?"

Me: "Five, please."

Them: "Okay. We will contact you when they come in."

Several days later I called and asked if they had arrived. They had.

Service: "But you'll need to make an appointment to have them programmed. First appointment is next week."

Me: "Really? Do I *really, really* need an appointment? How long does it take?"

Service: "Well, not long. Okay, let me just say that Wednesdays aren't that busy, so one of the guys just said 'Come in then and we'll do it.'"

I dropped by on Wednesday.

Service:"Do you have an appointment?"

Me: [In my These Are Not the Droids You're Looking For voice]: "I was told by the service guy that he would just quickly do it today."

Service: "Uh, okay, lemme ask them... Okay, yeah, is that your car there? Okay, he said he'll do it next."

I hung out for a while then the tech came in and chatted with me.

Tech: "For some reason, I couldn't get the last card to program. It's not the card-I tried one of mine-there's just a limit right now I guess. You can just keep the card unless you lose one in the future. But now you have 7 cards programmed."

Me: "Thanks."

Service: "We sell them in packs of two, so the charge is $30 for six. Are you okay with that?"

Me: "Yeah, I'll just keep the extra, and mark it 'un-programmed' until I need it."


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## DR61 (Apr 10, 2016)

AJ Barnert said:


> I was told (by Tesla) today that the cards cost $230.00 each (!)


Going to guess they told you the price for Model S or X fobs.


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## Zombietech (May 26, 2016)

John said:


> That CAN'T be right.
> 
> Oops-I mean, I'll sell you however many you want for $100 each.
> 
> ...


I just got 2 in San Diego and was only charged $20


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## c2c (Sep 19, 2017)

How can we fix the misinformation in the service shops?
I was in the Seattle Service Center this morning to fix a defect from delivery, get my radar calibrated, and I wanted 2 more key cards. So I’d have a total of 4 cards. The nice young lady queried her coworker on “How many cards can be linked to a single Model 3?” The answer we heard was a maximum of 3 cards.
Next, when the new card is linked, any cards not on site will be unlinked.

Am I jumping to an unwarranted conclusion that John Tech did not have both original cards when the 5 new cards were added. 
But having contact with reality can’t be this hard. Maybe the Model 3 Owners Club could sponsor a Wiki for service center folks?


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

c2c said:


> How can we fix the misinformation in the service shops?
> I was in the Seattle Service Center this morning to fix a defect from delivery, get my radar calibrated, and I wanted 2 more key cards. So I'd have a total of 4 cards. The nice young lady queried her coworker on "How many cards can be linked to a single Model 3?" The answer we heard was a maximum of 3 cards.
> Next, when the new card is linked, any cards not on site will be unlinked.
> 
> ...


I had the original two(2) cards that were issued on delivery, I activated (and current own and have tested) five(5) more for a total of seven(7), and there are also five cell phones active as well that we activated using one of the cards.


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## JohnCoh (Nov 15, 2018)

Has anyone happened to watch the registration process of pairing a new key card?


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## John (Apr 16, 2016)

JohnCoh said:


> Has anyone happened to watch the registration process of pairing a new key card?


From a distance. Service tech took a handheld system out to where my car was parked and hooked it up to the Ethernet bus to do it.


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## John Slaby (Mar 31, 2017)

If this hasn't been pointed out already, you can buy them online at the Tesla store for $25.


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## Bokonon (Apr 13, 2017)

John Slaby said:


> If this hasn't been pointed out already, you can buy them online at the Tesla store for $25.


Did that just a few weeks ago when I took my card out of my wallet for the first time in months and found out that it had somehow snapped in half. 

The replacement card also comes with another folding "envelope" carrier (as shown in the image above).


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## orekart (Nov 15, 2018)

Bokonon said:


> ...The replacement card also comes with another folding "envelope" carrier...


Industry term of the week for the cards and that holder was "key flop", as of Nov-2018 when I took delivery.


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## PNWmisty (Aug 19, 2017)

JohnCoh said:


> Has anyone happened to watch the registration process of pairing a new key card?


I paired the two cards that came with our RWD so they would also work on our P3D and vice-versa. Now, all four cards work on either car. It's super simple to follow the on-screen prompts.


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## MachV (Jan 15, 2019)

JohnCoh said:


> Has anyone happened to watch the registration process of pairing a new key card?


I programmed it myself on the touchscreen. its so easy to program. scan the new card, then scan the original card. done. its also on youtube somewhere

you can also rename them like Key1, RedTeslaKey1, MasterKey...note that you change it on one car, and it changes it on the other cars too. the Keys name is stored on the cloud!

I have used my MasterKey and programmed it to work with several other Teslas. Note that there are 2 different keys. one with the diagram facing horizontal, and the new ones vertical. My newer car key doesn't program into my friends very first VIN Model 3.

I paid $7.50/key and sometimes they are in stock. I was originally quoted $5/key.


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