An NFC business card has a small chip inside. When someone holds it near their phone, your contact page opens or your details get saved, without typing anything. On the outside it looks like a normal card, and it usually also has a QR code for phones without NFC.
How the chip works
NFC stands for near-field communication. The phone powers the chip at a very short distance: the NFC Forum, which sets the standard, certifies connections of up to 2 centimeters. That's why you have to bring the card almost to the phone, and why nobody can read it from a distance.
The chip has no battery. It stores a small piece of information, usually a link, and it can be rewritten if you change pages.
iPhone and Android don't read it the same way
- iPhone: according to Apple's documentation, from the iPhone XS onward the phone reads NFC tags without opening any app, but what it recognizes is a link. When you bring the card close, a notification appears to open it.
- Android: most models have NFC, though sometimes it has to be turned on in settings. Besides links, it can offer to save a contact directly.
That's why what you write to the chip matters.
Saving the contact or opening a page
- Direct contact: the chip stores your name, phone and email. It works offline on Android, but an iPhone won't open it when you tap.
- Link to a page: the chip opens a page of yours with WhatsApp, call, save contact, your social media and directions. It works on iPhone and Android, needs internet, and if you change a detail the page changes and the card stays the same.
For most people, the link is the more practical option.
When it's worth it
- Yes, if you hand out a lot of cards in person, at fairs, meetings or visits, and want the contact saved on the spot.
- Yes, if you have a sales team and want each salesperson to have their own page, with their own WhatsApp.
- Maybe not, if you rarely hand out cards. A good link in your Instagram bio will serve you better.
What to check when you receive them
Before handing them out, test each card on an iPhone and an Android, check that the QR code opens the same page as the chip, and confirm the chip wasn't locked, in case you ever need to rewrite it.
How I do it
My NFC business card comes printed on both sides, with a backup QR code. The Essential saves your contact offline: $45 for one card, or $150 for five. The Professional opens your own page with WhatsApp and social media: $70 for one card, or $300 for five, with the first year included and renewal at $15 a year per page.
What you can do today: count how many cards you handed out last month and how many of those people wrote to you afterwards. If you hand out many and few write back, a card that saves your contact on the spot can help close that gap.
Want to see what yours would look like?
I will review your current digital presence across 6 concrete points and put together a draft of your page, at no cost and with no strings attached. That way you decide with something concrete in hand, not with a vague idea.