The NFC business card,explained.
What NFC is
NFC stands for near field communication. It is the same short-range radio a phone uses to pay at a checkout. A business card with NFC carries a small chip and a thin antenna sealed inside the card.
The chip has no battery. When a phone comes within about one to four centimeters, the phone powers the chip for a moment, reads what is written on it, and acts on it. On a CardPal card, what is written there is one web address, so the phone opens a page.
What happens when someone taps your card
- They hold your card near the top of their phone.
- Their phone opens your page in its web browser. There is no app to download on their end.
- They save your contact in one tap, or call, text, email or book a time with you from the page.
- If they like, they send their own name, number and email back to you, and you have them too.
You can see the whole exchange on the home page.
Which phones read it
- iPhone XR and newer read the card with no app, as long as the screen is on.
- iPhone 7 to iPhone X read it from the NFC reader in Control Center.
- Most Android phones read it when NFC is turned on in settings.
- Every other phone can scan the QR code on the back of the card with its camera.
Where to tap: near the top of an iPhone, and near the middle of the back on most Android phones. If a tap does not catch the first time, moving the card slowly over the back of the phone finds the spot.
What is on the chip
CardPal cards use an NXP NTAG215 chip. Each one holds a single web address that is unique to that card, written at the factory and then locked so nobody can change it.
Everything else lives in your account: whose card it is, which page it opens, and whether it is on or off. That is why you can change your details any time, move a card to someone new, or turn off a card you lost, without ever touching the chip. Nothing personal is stored on the card itself.
An NFC card next to a paper card
A paper card asks the other person to type your details in later, and it stays the same when your number or title changes. An NFC card hands your details over in one tap, and the page behind it changes whenever you do.
It also works the other way. With a share-back, the person you met can send you their details from the same page, so you leave with their number as well as giving them yours.
The CardPal card
Bank-card size, 85.6 by 54 mm, in matte black PVC with the face in clear gloss. $35, one time, with free shipping.
The front carries only the CardPal face. The back has the CardPal name, the QR code and a small tap mark. See the card.
Questions about NFC cards
Does an NFC business card need a battery?
No. The chip has no battery. When a phone comes within a few centimeters, the phone powers the chip for a moment, reads the web address on it, and opens it.
Does it work through a phone case?
Most thin cases are fine. A thick or metal case can get in the way, which is one reason every CardPal card also carries a QR code on the back.
Can someone copy my card or get into my phone with it?
The card holds only one web address, so there is nothing personal on it to copy. A tap never signs anyone in to anything; it only opens your public page.
What happens when my number or job changes?
You change your page, and the next tap shows the new details. The card itself stays the same, so nothing gets reprinted.
Smile. Tap.Saved.
$35, free shipping.