How to Get Your AHA Card
Find, claim, or recover a lost or unclaimed American Heart Association eCard. If you took a class with Best Emergency Services Training and cannot find your card, you can usually recover it yourself for free.
The Short Version
You can retrieve your own AHA eCard for free using the official AHA website. Most "lost" cards were never claimed, were sent to an old email, or are sitting in spam. If you took class with us and would rather have us research your record, update the email on file, resend the claim link, and walk it through — there is a $10 research fee.
This guide's do-it-yourself steps work for anyone who completed an American Heart Association course, no matter where they trained. AHA policy: you are considered a current provider only after the eCard is claimed. BEST can only research, update, or resend a card if you took the class with us.
Two Ways to Get Your Card
Option A — Do It Yourself
Cost: FREE
Use the official AHA eCard site with the name and email from class. Takes most students 5–10 minutes.
Option B — We Do the Research
Cost: $10
We look up your roster record, correct the email if needed, resend the claim link, and email you next steps or a copy once claimed.
Why Students Lose Access
All of these can usually be fixed without retaking the class — as long as the card is still within its two-year validity period.
- Never claimed. After class, AHA emails a claim link. Until you click it, complete the short survey, and set a security question, the card is "unclaimed." Employers cannot verify an unclaimed card.
- Changed or lost the email. The lookup only works with the exact email that was on the class roster. Work, school, and old personal addresses are the usual culprits.
- Don't remember the details. Forgotten security-question answers, nicknames vs. legal names, hyphenated last names, and typos on the sign-in sheet all block the search.
Option A — Recover It Yourself (Free)
Step 1. Search every email you might have used
Search inbox, spam/junk, promotions, and archived mail for the original claim message. Try every address you used around the time of class (personal, work, school).
Senders: eCards@heart.org, no-eccreply@heart.org, notifications@heart.org, ahaecards@heart.org, or studentsupport@bestnc.com
Subject lines: "Your AHA eCard" or similar
Keywords: eCard, American Heart Association, AHA, CPR card
Step 2. Look the card up on the official AHA site
Go to ecards.heart.org/student/myecards , stay on the Student tab, and enter your first name, last name, and the email used at class — they must match the roster exactly. Or enter your eCard code if you have it, then select Search.
Search tips if nothing comes up: Try every email you have ever used. Try nicknames and legal names (Jen / Jennifer, Mike / Michael). Include or drop a middle initial and any hyphen or suffix (Jr., III). Name and email must match what was written on the roster, not what you use today.
Step 3A. If the card says "Unclaimed" — claim it
- Select Claim on the unclaimed card.
- Confirm your contact information. If the name or email is wrong, stop and contact us — do not invent a new profile.
- Create a security question and answer you will remember. Write it down. The answer is case-sensitive.
- Accept the site terms and submit.
- Complete the short AHA course survey (required to finish claiming).
- Your eCard will display. Download the Full and Wallet sizes, and email a copy to yourself and your employer.
- Save the AHA confirmation email that arrives after you claim.
Only you can claim your eCard. A Training Center or employer cannot claim it for you.
Step 3B. If the card is already claimed — view and download it
- After you search, answer your security question.
- You will land on My eCards. If the list looks empty, switch the view to All so expired/inactive cards also appear.
- Select View eCard and choose Full size or Wallet size to download or print.
- Select Email Cards to send a copy to yourself or an employer.
Forgot the security answer? On the security-question screen, choose "Forgot security answer." AHA will email the answer to the address on the card. If you no longer have that inbox, you cannot finish this step yourself — use Option B.
Step 4. Optional: claim by text
This only works if your mobile number was entered when the eCard was issued. Text eCard to 51736 and follow the reply link. If you get "phone number was not found," your number was never loaded — use the website method instead.
Step 5. Save it so you do not lose it again
- Download both Full and Wallet PDFs to your phone and a cloud folder.
- Email a copy to a personal address you will keep.
- Give the eCard code to your employer. They verify it on the Employer tab of the same site — but only after you have claimed the card.
- AHA cards are valid for two years from the issue date. Check the expiration on the card itself.
Option B — We Research It for You ($10)
Use this if you have already tried Option A, you no longer have the old email, you do not remember which name or address was used, the security answer is gone, or you simply do not have time to hunt.
What the $10 covers:
- Looking up your course on our roster and in the AHA eCard system
- Confirming whether a card was issued, claimed, or still unclaimed
- Correcting a misspelled name or outdated email when AHA rules allow
- Resending the official claim link to an email you can access today
- Emailing you clear next steps — or a copy of the card once it is claimable / claimed
The fee is for staff research time. AHA itself does not charge students to view or claim an eCard. Per AHA rules, Training Centers may charge for replacement / reissue assistance.
Required details to send
| Legal first and last name | Exactly as it may have appeared when you registered for the course, plus any nickname used |
| Every email you might have used | Personal, work, school, old addresses — list them all |
| Best current email & phone | Where you want the recovered card / claim link sent |
| Course type | BLS, Heartsaver CPR AED, Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED, ACLS, PALS, etc. |
| Approximate class date | Month and year is enough if you do not remember the exact day |
| Helpful extras | Instructor name, class location, eCard code, last 4 of phone used at class, employer who scheduled the course |
How to Pay the $10 Research Fee
Email us with the subject line "AHA Card Lookup — $10" and the details above. We will reply with a $10 payment link. Research starts after payment is received. If we cannot locate a card issued by BEST, we will tell you and refund the fee.
What We Cannot Do
- Claim the card in your place. AHA requires the student to complete the claim.
- Create a valid card if you never completed the course or the card has expired. Expired cards are not renewed by lookup — you need a renewal course.
- Pull a card issued by a different Training Center. Only the TC that issued the original card can reissue or edit it.
- Make an unclaimed card show as valid to an employer. You still have to click Claim after we resend the link.
Employer Verification
Your employer does not need a paper card. After you have claimed the eCard, give them your eCard code (printed on the card). They go to the same site, open the Employer tab, paste the code, and select Verify.
If the code contains letters mixed with numbers, it may be an AHA RQI certificate. Those verify at heart.org/RQIverify.
Official Links
Quick Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| No eCard found | Try every email and name spelling. Cards can take up to 20 business days after class to appear. After that, contact us. |
| Email was a typo or I changed jobs | You cannot change the email yourself if you cannot log in. That is an Option B lookup — we update the address and resend. |
| Forgot security answer | Use "Forgot security answer" so AHA emails it to the address on file. No access to that inbox? Option B. |
| Name is misspelled on the card | If you can open the card, use Edit on the eCard tile. The Training Center must approve the change. If you cannot open it, ask us. |
| Employer says they cannot verify it | The card is almost always still unclaimed. Claim it first, then send them the code. |
| Card is expired | A lookup will not extend it. Register for a renewal / update course. |
Questions?
Try Option A first — it is free and usually works the same day. If you get stuck, send the Option B details and the $10 research fee.
Need Help With Your eCard?
Try the free lookup first, or let our team research your record for a small fee.