What is NFC? A plain-English guide to how it works in business cards

By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published 2026-10-31 | Updated 2026-11-01 | Explainers

NFC is the short-range radio technology behind paying with your phone. In a business card, it is a tiny chip that hands a phone your link. Here is how it works, in plain English, and whether you need it.

You may have been handed a business card and told to "hold your phone near it". That card uses NFC. This guide explains what NFC is, what is inside the card, what happens on the phone, and whether you need an NFC card at all. No technical knowledge needed.

A note on what we sell. We sell digital-only business cards, shared by link and QR code. We do not sell NFC cards. We explain NFC here because people often ask about it, and the honest answer helps you decide.

What NFC is, in one sentence

NFC, short for near-field communication, is a way for two things to swap a small amount of information by radio when they are held very close together.

If you have ever paid for something by holding your phone or watch near a card reader, you have used it. The same technology is built into most smartphones.

What is inside an NFC business card

An NFC business card looks like an ordinary card, often made of plastic, metal or wood. Sealed inside are two things:

a chip, about the size of a grain of rice, which holds a small amount of information
an aerial, a thin coil of wire running around the inside of the card

There is no battery. The card cannot do anything on its own.

What happens when someone holds a phone near it

The phone sends out a tiny radio field from its NFC reader. On an iPhone this is near the top; on Android phones it is usually somewhere on the back.
The field powers the chip for a fraction of a second. That is why the card needs no battery.
The chip hands over what is stored on it, which for a business card is almost always a web link.
The phone shows a message asking whether to open the link.
The link opens a web page with the card owner's details, in the phone's normal web browser.

So the chip is really just a very small signpost. The details themselves live on the web page. Our guide to how NFC business cards work explains that web page, and what updates when you change your details.

How close is "close"?

Very close. The organisation that sets the standards, the NFC Forum, certifies phones and readers to connect within half a centimetre, and its 2025 update extends that to 2 cm. In everyday terms, the phone has to be held almost against the card. That is a safety feature: nobody can read the card from across a room.

Which phones can read it

iPhone: Apple says iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards read NFC tags automatically whenever the screen is on. Older models, back to the iPhone 7, can only read them inside an app.
Android: most Android phones have NFC, but it can be switched off. It is usually under Settings, then Connected devices or Connections, then NFC.

If the other person's phone does not have NFC, or it is switched off, nothing happens. That is why most NFC cards also have a QR code printed on them.

Myths worth clearing up

"It needs an app." Not on recent phones. The link opens in the normal web browser. "It stores all my details." Usually not. The chip has very little memory, so it normally stores a link to a page, not your whole profile. "Someone could read it from my pocket." The range is a centimetre or two, and the card only holds the link you wanted to share anyway. Our guide to whether NFC is safe goes through the common worries. "It is the only way to share a digital card." It is one way. A QR code or a link in a text message does the same job, and works with more phones.

Do you need an NFC card?

Ask yourself two questions:

Do you want something physical to hand over? If yes, an NFC card can be a nice touch, as long as it also has a QR code.
Do you mostly meet people online, by email or on calls? If yes, a link and a QR code will do everything you need, without carrying anything.

Either way, the most important part is the web page people arrive at. That is what a digital business card is. If you are new to all of this, our guide to digital business cards explained simply walks through it step by step.

NFC in a business card, in plain terms

Question | Short answer

What is inside the card? | A tiny chip and an aerial

What does the chip hold? | Usually one web link

How close must the phone be? | A few centimetres

Does it need an app? | Not on most recent phones

Which plan you need

Our digital business cards come with a profile page, its own link and a QR code, so you can share without a chip. Brand Presence (£45, one-off) covers your details, social links, documents, gallery and analytics. The Business Plan (£90, one-off) adds bookings, enquiries, forms, contact leads, a CRM and export. There is no monthly fee. Compare them on our plans, or see the contactless business card.

Our guide to NFC and QR code technology in networking shows where both technologies already turn up in everyday life.

Frequently asked questions

What does NFC stand for?

NFC stands for near-field communication. It is a short-range radio technology that lets two devices swap a small amount of information when they are held very close together, such as a phone and a card reader.

Does an NFC business card need a battery?

No. The phone's NFC reader powers the chip in the card for a moment when it is held close, which is enough for the chip to hand over the link stored on it.

What is stored on an NFC business card?

Usually just a web link. The chip has very little memory, so it points the phone to a web page where the card owner's details are kept and can be updated.

Can every phone read an NFC business card?

No. iPhones from the XS onwards read NFC tags automatically when the screen is on, and most Android phones can if NFC is switched on. Phones without NFC need a QR code or a link instead.

Does an NFC chip need a battery?

No. The chip takes power from the phone's signal when it is held close, which is why it only works at a few centimetres.