How to Set Up an NFC Google Review Card (Step-by-Step Guide, 2026)

A tap-to-review card is one of the simplest ways to get more Google reviews, because the customer taps a card and lands on the review page with nothing to search for. Setting one up yourself is easy once you know the order of the steps. This guide covers the do-it-yourself route, the mistakes that make a card fail, and when buying a ready-made card is the better choice. If you are new to the idea, start with our guide to how NFC review cards work.

What You Need

• Your Google review link. The link that opens the "write a review" screen for your business.
• A blank NFC card, sticker or stand. Look for NTAG213 on the listing.
• A phone with NFC and a free NFC writing app such as NFC Tools, which is available for Android and iPhone.

Step 1: Get Your Google Review Link

1. Open your Google Business Profile (search your business name on Google, or use the Google Maps app).
2. Find the option to ask for reviews or share the review form.
3. Copy the link Google gives you and paste it somewhere you can reach, such as a note or a message to yourself.

Google describes this in its tips to get more reviews. If you run more than one branch, copy the link for each branch separately, because each card should open its own location.

Step 2: Choose the Right NFC Tag

An NTAG213 is the usual choice. It has 144 bytes of user memory according to the Wakdev NFC knowledge base, enough for one web link. NTAG215 and NTAG216 hold more, but a review link doesn't need the extra space, so paying more for them gives you nothing.

The tag can be a card, a sticker or a stand: the chip works the same way in all three. A card is easy to hand out or tuck under a bill folder, and a stand keeps it upright and visible on a counter or table. Note that NFC tags generally don't read well when stuck straight onto metal, so use a spacer or a tag made for metal surfaces if your counter or stand has a metal top.

Step 3: Write the Link to the Card

1. Install an NFC writing app such as NFC Tools and make sure NFC is switched on in your phone's settings.
2. Open the Write section and choose Add a record, then URL / URI.
3. Paste your Google review link and confirm it.
4. Choose Write, then hold the back of your phone against the card until the app says the write succeeded. On many phones the NFC antenna sits near the top of the back or in the centre of it, so move the phone slowly if nothing happens.

Don't lock the card yet.

Step 4: Test It on Different Phones

Close the NFC app, then tap the card with the phone as a customer would. Your review page should open straight away. Test it on:

• An iPhone XS, XR or newer. These read NFC tags in the background without an app, as MacRumors reported when they launched. Older iPhones such as the iPhone 8 and X can't.
• An Android phone. Most phones with NFC can open a link from a tag, but behaviour on a locked screen varies by phone.
• With a phone case on, because a thick case or a metal card holder can weaken the signal.

Step 5: Lock It (Optional) and Put It Out

Permanent locking stops anyone overwriting the card, but it can't be undone, so a wrong link means buying a new card. Lock it only after the tests above, or use password protection if your app offers it. Then place it where customers already have a phone in hand: the billing counter, the reception desk or the table. Add a short line next to it such as "Tap your phone here to review us on Google", and put a QR code beside it for phones that can't read NFC. If you use the QR poster from your Replykar dashboard, the QR and the card sit together on the same counter.

Why Your NFC Review Card Might Not Work

• NFC is switched off on the customer's phone, or the phone doesn't have it.
• The customer has an older iPhone (iPhone 8 or X) that can't read a tag without an app.
• The tag is on metal or under a thick case, which blocks the signal.
• The link was never written. The app has to confirm the write before you move the phone away. Write it again and test.
• The link is wrong or has changed. If your business profile is replaced or the link changes, you'll need to rewrite the card, which isn't possible once it's locked.

DIY or a Ready-Made NFC Review Card?

The DIY route costs little and works for one location if you are comfortable with an app. There are two trade-offs. A card that opens Google's review form leaves the customer to write the review from scratch, which is where many people give up. And every card you make has to be written and tested by you.

Replykar's NFC review card opens your Replykar review page instead, where customers choose from drafted reviews in Hinglish, English, Professional or Hindi, change the words if they like, and post on Google themselves. We program each card with your link before it ships, so there is nothing to write or test. It's ₹700 per card with free delivery in India, and Growth (₹1,499 a month) and Business (₹2,999 a month) include one card at no extra cost. Both routes follow Google's rules as long as you don't offer a reward and you invite every customer to review, not only the happy ones. See how to get more Google reviews without breaking Google's policy.

FAQ

Sources

• Tips to get more reviews, Google Business Profile Help. Used for where the review link comes from.
• Prohibited and restricted content, Maps User Generated Content Policy Help. Used for Google's rules on incentives and review gating.
• NXP NTAG213, Wakdev NFC knowledge base. Used for the NTAG213's 144 bytes of user memory.
• New 2018 iPhones Support Background NFC Tag Reading, No App Required, MacRumors. Used for which iPhones read NFC tags without an app.

Checked October 28, 2026. The exact menu names in an NFC app can differ between versions and phones, so follow what your app shows if it differs from the steps above. How an Android phone handles a tag depends on the phone and its settings. Prices are for India and match our pricing page.