PADI Unified App · Payments Discovery

What to sell in the app, and how to keep the revenue

Axelerant · COM-03 · App Store rules current at review date, re-verify before build

A diver buys two different things, and each falls under a different App Store rule. Handled separately, both can be sold at zero platform commission.

Product A

eLearning

NatureDigital content, used in the app

Apple ruleIn-app purchase applies (15 to 30%)

Buy on web → 0% commission

Product B

In-water course

NatureReal-world service, used offline

Apple ruleExempt from in-app purchase

Sell in-app → 0% commission

How the other apps handle each one

Every agency offers eLearning. The pattern is consistent: the app is where you study, and the money for the course moves on the web or through a dive center. PADI is the only one that also takes payment in the app, and only for the in-water course.

Comparison 1 · eLearning (digital content)

Agency	In the app	Where it is purchased
PADI	Access and offline study	padi.com, often bundled by the center
SSI	Free study materials	Paid through the dive center
SDI / TDI	Not in the app, web only	tdisdi.com or center-issued codes
NAUI	Links out to the web courseware	NAUI store or center; codes managed in the app

Read-across: no one sells eLearning as in-app content. The app is a place to study, and the money is taken on the web, avoiding the App Store cut.

Comparison 2 · In-water course (real-world service)

Agency	Book in app	Pay in app	How the course is paid
PADI	Yes	Yes	PADI Adventures takes card payment and pays the dive center
SSI	No	No	Arranged and paid at the dive center
SDI / TDI	No	No	Paid at the dive center
NAUI	No	No	Paid at the dive center or instructor

Read-across: only PADI books and charges for the course in the app, because in-water training is a real-world service and carries no App Store cut. The others send the diver to the counter.

What this means for the unified app

eLearning

Keep it a study-and-access surface. The course is bought on padi.com. Zero commission, in every region, as long as the app carries no in-app buy button.

In-water course

Book and pay in the app on PADI's own rails, as PADI Adventures already does. Carry that payment capability into the unified app rather than lose it in the consolidation.

Sell them together

Lead with the bundle. A course that includes in-water training counts as a service, so the whole sale completes in the app with no commission, and it matches what the diver is actually buying.

The “buy on web” button, by region

No button: allowed everywhere. Show the purchased course, with no purchase prompt. This is the safe global base.
Actionable button: US and EU only. The US currently allows an external buy button at no Apple commission, following the April 2025 Epic v. Apple ruling^[1]. Treat this as interim: in December 2025 the Ninth Circuit held Apple may charge a limited cost-based fee, and the US Supreme Court will hear Apple's appeal in its term beginning October 2026^[2]. The EU allows it under the Digital Markets Act, which the Commission enforced against Apple's anti-steering terms in April 2025, though combined EU fees still run roughly 10 to 20%^[3]. Most other regions still prohibit it for an app like PADI, so the button must be region-gated.

[1] Epic v. Apple, N.D. Cal. contempt order, 30 Apr 2025; Apple App Review Guidelines update, 1 May 2025.
[2] Ninth Circuit ruling, 11 Dec 2025 (Apple may charge a cost-based fee; remanded); US Supreme Court to hear Apple's appeal, term from Oct 2026.
[3] European Commission, Apple DMA Article 5(4) decision and €500M fine, 23 Apr 2025.

Restructure shop.padi.com Axelerant POV

Split the store into a physical catalog and a digital catalog (eLearning, eCards, digital subscriptions apart from merchandise). This supports the COM-01 store deep-link and:

Gives one rule per catalog: physical sells in the app, digital routes to the web.
Gives the app one clean web link target for digital purchases.
Removes the risk of a digital item being sold through an in-app checkout by mistake.
Lets region rules apply at the catalog level.

Recommendation

Axelerant POV

eLearning: study in the app, buy on the web. Add an actionable button only in the US and EU.
In-water course, dives, travel, merch: sell in the app on PADI's own rails.
Lead with the bundle.
Split shop.padi.com into physical and digital catalogs.

Needs PADI confirmation

Whether a digital-only Club tier or standalone eCard is sold in-app or on the web.
Whether the unified app keeps the PADI Travel payment backend for Adventures bookings.
Formal ratification of COM-01 and COM-03.