What is an
NFC Card.

Same shape.
Different memory.

Every consumer NFC card you can buy in India runs an NTAG chip from NXP. They're mechanically identical — same antenna, same protocol, same readers. The only practical difference is how many bytes the chip will hold, and how much you pay for those bytes.

Often confused.
Never the same.

Three different cards share the “tap to use” idea but run on different protocols, different security models, and different readers. Buying the wrong one is the most common mistake we see in India.

Questions we get,
answered straight.

• Q.01What is an NFC card, in one line?

  An NFC card is a credit-card-sized PVC card with a tiny NFC chip and antenna embedded inside. When you tap it on an NFC-enabled phone, the phone reads whatever data (usually a URL, vCard, or Wi-Fi credential) is written to the chip.

• Q.02How is an NFC card different from an NFC sticker or keychain?

  The chip inside can be identical (e.g. NTAG213). The difference is only the form factor. Cards look professional and fit in a wallet. Stickers go on products, posters, or flyers. Keychains are carried on a bunch of keys. Pick by surface and context, not by chip.

• Q.03Is an NFC card the same as a contactless payment card?

  No. Bank contactless cards (Visa payWave, Rupay Contactless, Mastercard Contactless) use NFC at 13.56 MHz but run a secure EMV payment application. A generic NFC card uses a standard NTAG chip for unsecured data like a URL or vCard. You cannot make payments from a generic NFC card.

• Q.04Which NFC chip is inside an NFC card?

  Most consumer NFC cards use NTAG213 (144 bytes), NTAG215 (504 bytes), or NTAG216 (888 bytes) from NXP or an NXP-compatible manufacturer. Access-control and hotel-key cards typically use Mifare Classic or DESFire — different family, different reader requirements.

• Q.05What can an NFC card actually do?

  Common use cases: (1) digital business card — tap to save contact, (2) tap-for-Google-review card on a counter, (3) Wi-Fi share card for guests, (4) UPI tip / review card, (5) product information card inside packaging, (6) office or event badge that opens a profile page, (7) tap-to-open-menu card on restaurant tables, (8) loyalty card that opens a membership page.

• Q.06Do I need an app to use an NFC card?

  For reading a standard URL or vCard — no. Every modern NFC phone reads NTAG cards natively. To write (encode) data to a card, you need a free app like NFC Tools (Android / iPhone) or the LINQS admin panel if you ordered pre-encoded cards.

• Q.07How much does an NFC card cost in India?

  Blank PVC NTAG213 NFC cards from LINQS start at ₹18 per piece (ex-GST) at 1000-pack bulk. Retail 1-10 pack pricing is higher per piece. Custom-printed NFC cards cost ₹30-120 per piece depending on design, chip, quantity, and finish. Full price bands are in the NFC Tag Price in India guide.

• Q.08Does an NFC card work on every phone?

  It works on any phone with NFC. That is every iPhone XS and later, and most Android phones from mid-range up. It does NOT work on phones without NFC hardware — check the NFC Compatibility guide if you are unsure about a specific model.

• Q.09Can I reprogram an NFC card?

  Yes, as long as the card is not locked. You can overwrite the URL or data as many times as you want using a free NFC writer app. Once you lock the card, it becomes read-only and cannot be changed again.

• Q.10NFC card vs QR code card — which is better?

  NFC is faster (tap vs aim-and-scan) and cleaner (no visible QR). QR is universal (works on any camera phone, no NFC hardware required). Best practice: print both — NFC on the card, QR printed on the back as a fallback.