How does an NFC business card actually work?
A card with a chip and a flat antenna laminated inside, holding a short web address and nothing more. The card itself is a pointer. Everything a recipient sees, and everything you can still change afterwards, lives on the page that address opens.
What is inside
A chip about the size of a grain of sand, and a flat coil of conductor occupying almost the whole card, laminated between two sheets of plastic.
No battery, no electronics beyond the chip, and nothing that needs charging or maintaining. The card is powered by the phone that reads it.
The card format is generous by NFC standards. A card sized antenna is close to the largest a person will carry, which is why these cards read more forgivingly than a small sticker.
What happens at the tap
The phone produces a field, the chip wakes up, and the card returns what it holds. That is a fraction of a second for a short address.
The phone then decides what to do with it, which is where the platforms differ. An iPhone presents a notification the person has to tap, and Android does the same from Android 17, as its NFC basics guide describes. Earlier Android versions open the address directly.
Neither is a fault, and knowing both is what stops you being surprised in front of a prospect.
The card is a pointer
The important design decision is that the card holds an address rather than your details.
Your details then live on a page, where they can be corrected, extended and replaced without touching a card you have already given away. Cards handed out cannot be recalled, which makes this decision permanent in a way it rarely feels at the time.
It also keeps the content small, so any chip is adequate and the tap is instantaneous.
Writing contact details directly onto the card is the alternative, and it makes sense only where there is no network at the moment of handover.
What it replaces, and what it does not
It replaces the transcription: the recipient no longer types your details or photographs a card to deal with later.
It does not replace the card as an object. People still keep, file and lose cards, and yours will be judged on how it looks and feels exactly as a paper one is.
It does not replace paper for everyone, since some recipients cannot or will not tap. A printed address or code on the same card covers them at no cost.
And it does not replace the conversation. A card that opens a page nobody reads has moved the problem rather than solved it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the card need a battery?
No. It is powered by the phone reading it, which is why it works indefinitely with no maintenance.
Can I print on it normally?
Cards sold for printing are built to go through card printers. The chip is a hard point inside, so the process has to be one the card is qualified for.
Does it store my contact details?
It can, and holding a link is usually better. A link keeps the details changeable after the card has been handed out.
Will it stop working over time?
Reading wears nothing. What ends a card is physical damage, particularly repeated flexing in a back pocket.