What is an NFC Tag?
A small, battery-free chip that hands a link, contact card or Wi-Fi login to a phone on a tap. How NFC tags work, which chip to pick, and what they cost in India.
Short answer
An NFC tag is a small passive chip with an antenna that stores a short record, such as a URL, contact card or Wi-Fi login, and passes it to a phone held within about 1–4 cm. It needs no battery and, for a standard link, no app; the reading phone only needs NFC. NFC tags come as stickers, cards, coins, keychains and anti-metal tags, usually with an NTAG213, NTAG215 or NTAG216 chip.
How it works
How an NFC tag works
NFC stands for near-field communication. An NFC tag has two parts: a tiny chip that stores a short record, and a coil antenna around it. The tag has no battery. When an NFC phone comes close, the phone's radio field at 13.56 MHz powers the chip through the antenna, and the chip sends back what is stored on it: usually a web link, a contact card or a Wi-Fi login.
The phone has to be within about 1–4 cm, and in practice 1–2 cm gives the most reliable tap. That short range is deliberate: it stops accidental or remote reads, and it is the main difference from other RFID. NFC is one standard within RFID, so all NFC is RFID, but not all RFID is NFC. The NFC vs RFID guide covers the longer-range types used in warehouses.
A new tag is blank. It does nothing until a link or record is written to it, which you can do with a free NFC writer app such as NFC Tools. You can overwrite it as often as you like until you lock it; locking makes the tag permanently read-only, so test the link first.
Formats
NFC tag vs NFC sticker, card and keychain
“NFC tag” is the general name. A sticker, a card, a coin, a keychain and an anti-metal tag can all carry exactly the same chip; only the housing changes. So choose the format by where the tag will live, then choose the chip by how much it has to store. The full range of NFC tags, from stickers and coins to tags in all three chips, sits in one collection.
| Format | Best for | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Sticker | Flat surfaces: posters, products, counters, packaging | NFC stickers |
| Card | Wallets, counters and badges | NFC cards |
| Keychain or hang tag | Items that travel, such as keys and bags | NFC keychains |
| Anti-metal tag | Steel, aluminium, electronics and machinery (ferrite layer) | Anti-metal NFC tags |
Metal is the one surface that changes the choice. A normal sticker on steel or aluminium usually reads poorly because the metal detunes the antenna, so use an anti-metal tag with a ferrite layer; the on-metal NFC guide explains why. If you are specifically weighing up a card, see what an NFC card is.
Chips
Which chip: NTAG213, NTAG215 or NTAG216
Most NFC tags sold for phone tapping use one of three NTAG chips, made by NXP or by an NXP-compatible maker. They follow the same NFC standard, read on the same phones and behave the same when tapped. The real difference is user memory, and price: NTAG215 and NTAG216 typically cost 2–4× more per piece than NTAG213.
| Chip | User memory | Roughly fits | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NTAG213 | 144 bytes | About 130 characters of URL | One link, contact card or Wi-Fi login. The default and lowest-cost chip. |
| NTAG215 | 504 bytes | About 480 characters | Richer contact cards or several records on one tag. |
| NTAG216 | 888 bytes | About 850 characters | Long encoded payloads where every byte matters. |
For a single URL, contact card or Wi-Fi login, NTAG213 is enough. A bigger chip does not read faster or further, because read range comes from the antenna size, not the memory. Character counts above allow for the record overhead; long or encoded URLs use more. If you are unsure, the chip picker asks a few questions and tells you which chip to buy, and the NTAG213 vs NTAG215 vs NTAG216 comparison goes deeper. For door access or employee badges you need a different, encrypted chip family (MIFARE DESFire), not an NTAG tag.
Phones
Which phones can read an NFC tag
- iPhone XS and later read NFC tags automatically, with no app.
- iPhone 7, 8 and X have NFC but need an NFC reader app. iPhone 6s and earlier cannot read NFC tags.
- Android: most mid-range and flagship phones read NTAG tags with NFC switched on and the screen on. Many phones under ₹15,000, and some non-flagship models above it, leave NFC out of the India version.
A phone that reads NTAG213 reads NTAG215 and NTAG216 too. To check a model, search the NFC phone list for India. Phones without NFC cannot read a tag at all, so for public tap points it helps to print a QR code next to the tag as a fallback.
Uses
What people use NFC tags for
- Google reviews. A tag on the counter or table opens the review page in one tap. See NFC for Google reviews.
- Guest Wi-Fi. A tag holding the Wi-Fi login saves guests typing the password. The Wi-Fi sharing tag guide covers how Android and iPhone handle it.
- Digital business cards. A tap saves your contact or opens your profile; NTAG213 is enough for a link. See NFC business cards.
- Asset and equipment tags. A tag on a tool or machine links to its ownership record, checkout log or specification sheet; use anti-metal tags on metal. See tool and equipment ID tags.
- Lost and found. A tag or keychain on keys or a bag lets a finder tap to see your contact details. See NFC lost-and-found tags. LINQS pet ID tags use a QR code rather than NFC, so any phone camera can read them.
Cost
How much NFC tags cost in India
Four things move the price of an NFC tag: pack size (the per-piece price falls steeply as packs get bigger), chip (NTAG215 and NTAG216 run roughly 2–4× NTAG213), genuine NXP or NXP-compatible chip, and format (anti-metal and waterproof tags cost more than a paper sticker). Pre-encoding and printing add to that on bulk orders.
The NFC Tag Price in India guide lists current per-piece bands by quantity and chip, with and without GST. For today's pack prices, open the NFC tags collection and compare packs of the same chip and format.
Questions
NFC tag FAQs
What is an NFC tag?
An NFC tag is a small passive chip with an antenna that stores a short record, such as a URL, contact card or Wi-Fi login, and passes it to a phone on a tap. It needs no battery or app; the reading phone only needs NFC. NFC tags come as stickers, cards, coins, keychains and anti-metal tags.
How does an NFC tag work without a battery?
The tag is passive. When an NFC phone comes within about 1–4 cm, the phone's 13.56 MHz radio field powers the chip through its antenna, and the chip sends back its stored record.
Can my phone read NFC tags?
iPhone XS and later read NFC tags with no app; iPhone 7, 8 and X need a reader app; iPhone 6s and earlier cannot. Most mid-range and flagship Android phones read them with NFC switched on, but many budget models sold in India omit NFC, so check your exact model.
What is the difference between an NFC tag, an NFC sticker and an NFC card?
"NFC tag" is the general term. Stickers, cards, coins, keychains and anti-metal tags can all carry the same chip, such as NTAG213; only the housing changes, so pick the format by where the tag will live.
How much do NFC tags cost in India?
The per-piece price depends on pack size, chip (NTAG215 and NTAG216 cost roughly 2–4× NTAG213), genuine NXP or compatible chip, and format. The NFC Tag Price in India guide lists current bands by quantity and chip, and the LINQS NFC tags collection shows live pack prices.
Can I write or reprogram an NFC tag myself?
Yes. Standard NTAG tags can be written with a free NFC writer app such as NFC Tools on Android or iPhone, and overwritten as often as you like until you lock them. Locking makes the tag permanently read-only, so test the link first. For bulk orders, LINQS can pre-encode tags.