One tap.
A permanent place in their contacts.
An NFC business card is a physical card that opens your digital business card page when it is brought close to a phone. The card is bought once; the address inside always points to your current page. Your title changes, your card does not.
How does an NFC business card work?
The chip has no battery; it draws its power from the phone. The reading distance is a few centimetres: hold the card near the top of the back of an iPhone, or the middle of most Android phones where the NFC antenna sits. On newer iPhones (XR, XS and later) no app is needed; with the screen on, a notification appears at the top when the card comes close, and a tap opens the page. Older models use the NFC reader in Control Centre. On Android it works the same way when NFC is switched on in settings.
A QR code is printed on the card as well. A phone without NFC, or with NFC off, opens the same page from the camera. That is why an NFC business card and a QR code business card are not rivals but two doors to the same page. NFC is fast face to face; QR works on screen, in an email signature and in printed material. The details of chips and phone compatibility are in the how NFC business cards work article.
The card is bought once, the page keeps living
The card carries no data
The chip holds only your page address. Your phone number, title and photo are on the page; you change them, the card stays the same.
A lost card is not lost data
If the card is lost you close the page or change the address. Because there is no personal data inside, there is no leak risk.
One panel for the team
Every employee's card lives in the company account; a leaver's card is closed or assigned to a new owner. A physical card left behind no longer leads to the old page.
Who is it right for?
An NFC card pays off where face-to-face meetings are frequent: field sales, real estate, insurance, trade fair and event teams, consultants. If the people you meet mostly carry NFC-capable phones and you will use the card at fairs, visits and meetings, NFC is the right tool; if not, starting with QR and adding NFC later is more economical. NFC support is available on Starter and above (Starter: 10 cards, 3 users); where you buy the card does not matter, your page address can be written to any NFC card or tag.
What should be printed on it?
Name, title and company; a readable QR code on one side (at least 2 cm across); a small symbol showing where the NFC chip sits. Printing the phone number is not necessary, it is already on the page; if you print it, the card goes stale when it changes. See the QR code business card article for print and QR rules.
NFC business card questions, answered
What to know before buying the card.
What is an NFC business card?
An NFC business card is a physical card with a small NFC chip inside. The chip holds the address of your digital business card page; when the card is brought close to a phone, the phone reads the address and opens the page. The card itself carries no data, it points to the page; that is why the card does not change when your details do.
Which phones read an NFC card?
iPhone XR, XS and later read the card without an app when it is held near the top edge; iPhone 7, 8 and X use the NFC reader in Control Centre on iOS 14. The large majority of NFC-capable Android phones read it directly when NFC is switched on in settings. For phones without NFC, the QR code printed on the card opens the same page.
What is the difference between an NFC and a QR code business card?
Both lead to the same digital business card page. NFC opens with a tap, QR with the camera. NFC is faster face to face; QR works on screen, in printed material and in an email signature. Most users combine them: the QR is printed on the NFC card.
Where do I get the card, is it required?
It is not required. Your digital business card page and QR code work without a card. For users who want an NFC card, NFC support is available on Starter and above: your card page address can be written to any NFC card or tag; where you buy the card does not matter.
What happens if the card is lost?
The page the card points to is in your account. If you lose the card you can close the page or change the address; whoever finds it reaches a page that is no longer current. Because no personal data is stored inside the card, a lost card is not a data leak.
Can I get NFC cards for the whole team?
You buy the cards from any supplier; each employee's card is opened in the company account and each NFC card is written with the address of the right page. When an employee leaves you close the card or assign it to a new owner; even if the physical card stays in someone's hands, it no longer leads to the old page.
Open your page first, choose the card later
Your digital business card page and QR code are ready today; add the NFC card whenever you want.