How to make an NFC business card
An NFC business card lets someone tap their phone on your card to get your details. There are two ways to do it: store your contact details on the chip itself (a vCard), or store a link to a page about you. That choice matters more than the card design, because iPhones and Android phones treat the two differently.
Option 1: a vCard on the chip
A vCard is a standard contact record (MIME type text/vcard) with your name, phone, email and so on, stored directly on the tag.
- Works offline, needs no website, and there's nothing to maintain or host.
- Android: most Android phones recognise the contact and offer to save it.
- iPhone: the iPhone's built-in tag reader doesn't act on contact records, so an iPhone user needs an NFC app to read it. In NFC Toolkit they get an Add contact button.
- Fixed: changing your number means rewriting the card.
- Space: a name and phone number fit on an NTAG213 (144 bytes), but a full card with organization, email and website often doesn't. Use NTAG215 (504 bytes) or NTAG216 (888 bytes). A photo won't fit on any of them.
Option 2: a link
A link record points to a web page: your own site, a profile page, or a contact file (.vcf) hosted online.
- Works without an app on iPhone XS and later (a notification appears and opens Safari) and on most Android phones.
- Editable: you can update the page any time without touching the card.
- Small: a typical link fits easily on an NTAG213.
- Needs internet and a page you control. If the page disappears, so does your card, so prefer your own domain over a service that might shut down.
- Linking to a .vcf file: on iPhone, Safari can show the contact and offer to add it; on Android the result depends on the browser. A simple page with your details and a "Save contact" link is the most predictable.
Which one should you choose?
| vCard on the chip | Link | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, no app | Not handled | Opens (iPhone XS and later) |
| Android, no app | Usually offers to save | Usually opens |
| Needs internet | No | Yes |
| Update later | Rewrite the card | Edit the page |
| Recommended chip | NTAG215 or 216 | NTAG213 or larger |
If you don't know which phones the people you meet will use, a link is the safer choice. You can also write both: put the link first and the vCard second (you'll need an NTAG215). Android phones act on the first record, so they open the link; iPhones look for the link; and anyone reading the card with an NFC app still gets the full contact.
Write it with NFC Toolkit
- Open the template. In NFC Toolkit, open the Write tab. Tap Business card for a vCard, or Website or menu for a link.
- Fill in your details. For a vCard, enter first name, last name, organization, phone, email and website. For a link, paste the full address starting with
https://. - Add a second record (optional). Tap Add record to put both a link and a vCard on the card. Tap Edit and drag the link to the top.
- Check the size. Tap Done and check the size meter against your card's chip (NTAG213, 215 or 216).
- Write the card. Tap Write to tag and hold the top of your iPhone against the middle of the card until it confirms.
- Test on two phones. Tap the card with another iPhone and, if you can, an Android phone, to see exactly what the people you meet will see.
You can also start from another app: share a link from Safari or a contact from Contacts to NFC Toolkit, and it opens ready to write.
Choosing the card
- Chip: PVC NFC cards with an NTAG215 or NTAG216 chip are inexpensive and widely sold. Check that the listing says NTAG21x (NFC Forum Type 2). Avoid "MIFARE Classic 1K" cards: iPhones can't read or write them.
- Metal cards: a plain metal card blocks NFC. Metal NFC cards use special constructions; buy ones that state they're readable by iPhone.
- Print a fallback: put a short URL or QR code on the card too, for older phones and people who've never tapped an NFC card.
- Where to tap: the antenna is a coil around the card, so the middle of the card against the top of an iPhone works best.
Protect the card
Once the card is final, you can lock it permanently with NFC Toolkit Pro so nobody can overwrite it. Locking can't be undone, so if you used a link, keep the card unlocked or use password protection instead, and update the page rather than the card. Pro tools can be used once by watching a short ad.
Troubleshooting
- Another iPhone shows nothing: a vCard needs an app on iPhone; a link needs iPhone XS or later. iPhones don't read tags in the background while the camera or Wallet is open or in Airplane Mode.
- "Too large for the selected tag": remove a field, or use an NTAG215 or 216 card.
- The link opens the wrong page: check it starts with
https://and has no typos; scan the card with NFC Toolkit to see exactly what's on it.