Losing a car key used to mean one phone call and one uncomfortable number. This Tom's Key Company review looks at a brand built specifically to break that pattern, selling spare and replacement car keys direct, cutting the blade from a photo, and handing you the programming tool so the dealership never enters the conversation.
The company describes the promise plainly: unlock significant savings on your spare car key through Key by Photo technology and DIY programming. That is a big claim for a category most people only meet in an emergency, so it is worth breaking down what is actually in the catalogue, which parts genuinely work without a locksmith, and where the DIY story runs out.
What Tom's Key Company actually sells
Three overlapping things. First, individual keys: smart key fobs, proximity flip keys and traditional transponder keys for specific vehicles. Second, services attached to those keys, namely Key by Photo blade cutting and PairMyKey programming. Third, the Ultimate DIY Car Key Replacement Kit, which bundles the key with both services and the hardware needed to use them.
The vehicle coverage skews heavily toward Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, with Ford and Lincoln appearing too. You will find Jeep Grand Cherokee smart keys, Wrangler and Gladiator proximity flip keys, Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager seven-button fobs, Dodge Challenger and Charger remotes, a Ford five-button smart key and a Lincoln transponder key for turn-key ignitions.
Every listing names its part numbers and FCC ID, which is the detail that matters most. The Ford FORPSK-5B-TRS-FOB-PDL, for example, is listed as a replacement for part numbers 164-R7995 and CJ5T-15K601-DX, FCC IDs M3N5WY8609 and M3N5WY8610, with a Texas 4D 63 80 bit chip. That level of specificity is how you avoid ordering a fob that looks right and does nothing.
Key by Photo, explained
This is the service that makes the rest work, and it is genuinely clever. Most replacement fobs ship with an uncut emergency key blade, and an uncut blade is useless the day your remote battery dies. Traditionally you then go and find a locksmith to cut it.
Key by Photo removes that step. You order it during checkout and the key blade is cut for your vehicle before it ships. Tom's Key describes it as saving you the hassle of looking for a locksmith, and the brand strongly recommends cutting the emergency key in case your vehicle or the remote battery dies. That recommendation is right, and it is the single most commonly skipped step in DIY key replacement.
The service appears across the catalogue rather than on a few products, so it applies whether you are buying a full kit, a standalone smart key, or the Lincoln transponder key with its uncut blade ready to be cut to match your ignition. You can check availability for your vehicle at Tom's Key Company.
PairMyKey and the Ultimate Key Bundle
The other half of the equation is programming. A cut blade opens the door; it does not start a push-button car. That needs the fob paired to the vehicle, which is the part dealerships charge for.
Tom's Key's answer is the Ultimate Key Bundle, described as the fastest, most affordable DIY car key replacement solution available. It combines a PairMyKey programmer, a bypass cable, one smart key and Key by Photo service. The workflow is deliberately unfussy: download the PairMyKey app, connect the programmer to your vehicle's OBD2 port, then follow step-by-step instructions on your phone. The brand says a new smart key is ready in minutes.
Bundles exist for specific vehicles rather than as a generic kit, which is the right way round. Current examples include the Jeep Grand Cherokee 2018 to 2021 in three-button and four-button forms, the Jeep Gladiator 2020 to 2025 and Wrangler 2018 to 2025, the Chrysler Pacifica 2019 to 2026 and Voyager 2020 to 2025 with a seven-button fob, and the Dodge Challenger, Charger and Chrysler 300 for 2018 with a five-button remote covering trunk release and remote start.
If you like the general approach of doing vehicle work yourself rather than booking it in, it sits alongside the thinking in our car tech upgrade buying guide.
New, aftermarket or refurbished
The catalogue splits three ways and the labels are worth learning before you order.
- Brand new OEM. The original manufacturer part, unused. The Jeep Grand Cherokee five-button JEEPSK-5B-RS-HR-M3N-TMB covers lock, unlock, remote start, hatch release and panic, with part numbers 68143505AC, 68143505AB and 68143505AA and FCC ID M3N-40821302.
- Brand new aftermarket. A new third-party equivalent, matched to the same part and FCC numbers. The Chrysler and Dodge CHRSK-4B-603-K four-button covers lock, unlock, trunk and panic, and Tom's Key positions it as a cost-effective alternative to expensive dealership options.
- Like new refurbished OEM. The value play. The brand's wording is that a refurbished key delivers identical performance, functionality and appearance as a brand new OEM key at a fraction of the cost. The seven-button Chrysler CDJ-7B-5900-REFURB is one, covering lock, unlock, hatch, both sliding doors, remote start and panic.
If a refurbished OEM fob really is functionally identical, it is the obvious pick for a spare that lives in a drawer. For the key you carry daily, the choice between new OEM and new aftermarket comes down to how much the badge matters to you.
The limits, and who this brand really suits
The catch: not every key is DIY
This is the part a fair review has to lead with rather than bury. Tom's Key marks some products as Non-DIY, and it does not soften the message. On those listings the wording is that there is currently no do-it-yourself programming solution for this key, and you must contact a local car dealership or automotive locksmith for assistance programming it to your car, at additional cost.
Several Jeep Cherokee refurbished smart keys carry that flag, including the five-button and four-button GQ4-54T remote start versions. The same physical key sometimes appears in both a programmable and a non-DIY variant depending on the vehicle it is destined for, which is exactly why the product codes and the ND or PBC suffixes matter.
Read the listing before you assume the savings include programming. If your vehicle lands in the non-DIY column, you are buying a well-specified key at a competitive price and still paying someone to pair it. That is still cheaper than a dealer-supplied key, but it is not the headline experience.
Who should buy from Tom's Key Company
Anyone driving a supported Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Ford or Lincoln who wants a second key before they need one. Buying a spare while your working key still exists is far simpler than replacing a lost one, and it is the scenario the whole catalogue is built around.
It also suits people who already do their own maintenance and are comfortable with an OBD2 port and a phone app. If that is not you, the standalone key plus Key by Photo still saves the locksmith trip for the blade, even if a professional handles the pairing. For more of the same self-serve philosophy, see our roundup of the best car accessory brands, and if keyless entry generally interests you, our keyless entry guide covers the house-side equivalent.
Tom's Key Company review FAQ
Do I still need a locksmith?
For the blade, no, if you add Key by Photo at checkout and it ships pre-cut. For programming, it depends on the key: PairMyKey-compatible products are DIY, while anything marked non-DIY has to go to a dealership or automotive locksmith.
How do I know a key fits my car?
Match the part numbers and FCC ID on the listing to your existing key rather than going by model year alone. Every product page publishes them.
Is a refurbished key a false economy?
Tom's Key describes its like new refurbished OEM keys as delivering identical performance, functionality and appearance to a new OEM key at a fraction of the cost. For a backup key that spends its life in a drawer, that is a sensible trade. Browse the current stock at Tom's Key Company.