How NFC business cards work: the chip, the link and what happens behind it
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Explainers
An NFC business card is a chip that hands a phone a link. The link opens a web page, and that page does the real work. Here is each part, from the chip to the saved contact, and what updates when you edit your card.
An NFC business card looks clever, but the chip inside does one small job: it hands a phone a web link. Everything else, your details, photo, buttons and the contact file people save, lives on a web page behind that link, and a QR code or a link in a message reaches the same page. Knowing what each part does helps you set your card up well, explain it to other people, and avoid a few common surprises, such as why a contact saved last year does not change when you edit your card.
A note on what we sell. We sell digital-only business cards, built and hosted by our platform partner and shared by link and QR code. We do not sell NFC cards. If you already have an NFC card, Parts 2 to 5 describe the profile it points to.Part 1: the chip
An NFC card has a small chip and a coil-shaped aerial sealed inside, and no battery. When a phone with NFC is held within a centimetre or two, its radio field powers the chip for a moment, and the chip hands over what is stored on it.
For a business card, that is normally just a link. The chips are small: NXP's widely used NTAG213 has 144 bytes of user memory, enough for a web address but not for a photo or a full profile. On iPhones from the XS onwards, Apple says tags are read in the background whenever the screen is on, and a banner offers to open the link; on Android phones, NFC has to be switched on. Our plain-English guide to NFC explains this in more detail.
Two things are worth checking on any NFC card:
- That it stores a link, not your details. A link points at a page you can update; details stored on the chip are fixed.
- That the chip is locked once the link is right, so nobody can rewrite it. See our guide to whether NFC is safe.
Part 2: a web page with a fixed address
Your digital business card is a web page. It is built and hosted by our platform partner, and it lives at an address that stays the same for as long as your card exists.
Because it is an ordinary web page, it opens in whatever browser the other person already has: Safari on an iPhone, Chrome on most Android phones, or any browser on a laptop. Nobody needs to download anything, which is covered in more detail in our guide to what happens on the other person's phone.
The page holds everything you choose to add: your details, social links, a gallery, documents, testimonials and so on. Those sections are what make it more useful than a contact file on its own.
Part 3: the link
The link is simply the address of your page. It is the most flexible part of the card, because a link can go anywhere text can go:
- a text message or WhatsApp chat
- your email signature
- your LinkedIn profile, Instagram bio or website
- the chat box of a video call
When someone taps the link, their browser opens your page. Our guide to ways to share a digital business card goes through each of these in turn.
Part 4: the QR code
A QR code is a picture that stores text, and in this case that text is your card's link. When someone points their phone camera at it, the phone reads the link and offers to open it. The code does not contain your phone number, your photo or anything else from your profile; it only points at the page.
That has two useful results:
- The code never needs reprinting when your details change, because the link it points to stays the same.
- The code is only as current as the page. If the page is up to date, everyone who scans the code sees up-to-date details.
If you plan to print your code, read our QR code size and placement guide first. Most codes that fail to scan are too small or too low in contrast.
Part 5: the save-contact file
Most digital cards have a button that saves your details to the other person's phone. Behind that button is a small contact file in a standard format called vCard, which phones and email programs have understood for many years.
When someone taps the button:
- On an iPhone, a contact card usually appears with your details filled in, and they choose whether to create a new contact.
- On Android, the phone usually offers to open the file in the contacts app, where they can save it.
Either way, the other person stays in control. Nothing is added to their phone without them confirming it.
What updates when you edit your card, and what does not
This is the part that surprises people. When you change something on your card, such as a new job title or phone number:
Where your details are | Does it update?
Your card page | Yes, as soon as you save the change
Your QR code and link | They stay the same and open the updated page
A contact someone saved earlier | No, that copy lives on their phone
A saved contact is a copy, made at the moment it was saved. If you change your number, people who saved your old details will still have the old number. Two simple habits help:
- Make sure your card link is part of the contact you save, so people can always open your latest page from their contacts.
- When an important detail changes, send your regular contacts a short message with your card link.
What the people who open your card can see
Anything you put on your card can be seen by anyone who has the link. That is the point of a card, but it is worth deciding what belongs there. A work mobile and a business email are usually enough; a home address rarely is. Our guide to digital business card privacy covers this in more detail, including password protection, which keeps a profile private while you get it ready.
What you can see
Analytics show you how your card is being used, such as how often it is opened. That is useful for judging whether sharing at an event or adding your link to your email signature is working.
If you are on the Business Plan, people can also choose to share their own details back with you through your card. Those contact leads, along with bookings and enquiries, are kept for you to follow up, and you can export them. Because they are personal data, read our UK GDPR checklist for leads before you start collecting them.
Who looks after the technical side
You do not need to manage hosting, security certificates or software updates. Our platform partner builds and hosts the profiles; we are an independent UK store. After you order, your profile details are emailed to you separately by our partner, and from then on you update your card in their editor.
Which plan you need
Both plans include the web page, link, QR code and save-contact button described in Parts 2 to 5, with no chip needed. Brand Presence (£45, one-off) covers your details, social links, documents, gallery, testimonials, templates, password protection and analytics. The Business Plan (£90, one-off) adds bookings, enquiries, forms, contact leads, a card scanner, a CRM and export. You can compare them on our plans, or see how the online business card works.
Read next: Digital business cards explained for people who don't like technology and NFC vs QR code business cards. You can also browse all our guides.
For where you will meet NFC and QR codes outside business cards, see NFC and QR code technology in networking. For what happens on each phone, read NFC or QR code for sharing contact details.
Frequently asked questions
How does an NFC business card work?
A chip and aerial inside the card hold a web link. When a phone with NFC is held within a centimetre or two, it powers the chip, reads the link and offers to open it. The link opens a web page with the card owner's details and a button to save them as a contact.
Does an NFC business card store my contact details?
Usually not. Most store only a link to a web page, because the chips hold very little data. That is also why you can update your details without replacing the card.
Is a digital business card just a website?
Yes, in effect it is a small web page with a fixed address, laid out for phones, with buttons to call, email and save your details as a contact.
What does the QR code on a digital business card contain?
It contains the link to your card page and nothing else. Scanning it opens the page, so the code keeps working when you change the details on the page.
If I change my phone number, does it change in people's contacts?
No. A contact someone has already saved is a copy on their phone. Your card page updates straight away, so include your card link in the saved contact and let regular contacts know when something important changes.
Can I see who is interested in my card?
Analytics show how your card is being used, such as how often it is opened. On the Business Plan, people can also choose to share their details with you through your card, and those details are kept as contact leads.