NFC cards for business: chips, uses and how to order

1. The 30-second answer

Pick the chip by the job: NTAG 213 when smartphones must read the card (digital business cards, loyalty links, review pages); Mifare Classic 1K/4K or compatible FUDAN chips for existing access-control and membership systems; Mifare DESFire EV1 (2K, 4K or 8K) when security is the priority — corporate badges, sensitive areas, transport; ICODE SLIX for library and inventory programmes; and the 125 kHz family (EM4102, EM4200, TK4100, T5577) for legacy proximity-access readers. All are supplied printed, encoded and tested, from 100 units.

2. NFC, RFID and low frequency: the three radio families

NFC (13.56 MHz, ISO 14443) is the modern contactless standard: short range (0–4 cm), encryption available, and native smartphone support. ISO 15693 (also 13.56 MHz) trades smartphone convenience for a longer reading distance, which is why libraries and asset-tracking programmes use it. The 125 kHz low-frequency family is the veteran of proximity access control: no encryption, but an enormous installed base of readers in offices, car parks and gyms. Strictly speaking only ISO 14443 chips are “NFC”, but in practice business buyers compare all three families — so we cover them together.

3. The chip families we supply

Every chip above can be combined with full-colour printing, variable data (names, numbering, barcodes or QR codes) and finishing options on a standard 85.5 × 54 mm PVC body.

4. NFC business cards: tap-to-share without a subscription

The fastest-growing use case is the NFC business card: an NTAG 213 chip encoded with a web address. Tap the card on a smartphone and it opens your contact details, booking page, menu or review link — no app needed.

Most platforms sell this as a monthly subscription tied to their service. Buying the cards outright works differently: we encode the URL you choose, and you own the cards. Point the chip at a page you control (your site, a contact file, a landing page) and there is nothing to renew. For teams, each card can carry its own URL through variable-data encoding — one order, one card per person.

5. Choosing the right chip: a decision guide

Smartphones must read the card? NTAG 213. It is the only family here with universal native support on iPhone and Android.

Existing reader infrastructure? Match the family: Mifare Classic (or FUDAN-compatible) for 13.56 MHz legacy systems, EM/TK chips for 125 kHz proximity readers. Share your reader model and we validate compatibility before production.

Security first? DESFire EV1 with AES — the standard for corporate access and transport. Mifare Classic’s legacy encryption is no longer considered secure for new sensitive deployments.

Items rather than people? ICODE SLIX (ISO 15693) reads at a longer distance and is the library and inventory standard.

Migrating between systems? T5577 is re-writable and can emulate common legacy formats — useful while readers are being replaced.

6. Ordering in volume: what to prepare

Three things speed up a quotation: the chip family (or the reader model, if you are unsure), the quantity (programmes start at 100 units; unit cost drops significantly with volume), and the personalisation needed — print design, variable data, encoding content. Artwork is checked and a digital proof supplied before any production run, and encoded batches are tested before dispatch.

7. Frequently asked questions

Do NFC cards work with iPhone and Android?

NTAG 213 cards do, natively: tapping the card opens the encoded link on both platforms without an app. Access-control families (Mifare Classic, DESFire) are designed for professional readers, not phones.

Mifare Classic or DESFire — which one?

Match Classic (or FUDAN-compatible) chips to an existing Classic reader base. For any new deployment where security matters, choose DESFire EV1: AES encryption, mutual authentication, and capacity (2K to 8K) for several applications on one badge.

Can you match the cards to my existing access system?

Yes. Send us your reader model or a working sample card: we identify the chip family, confirm compatibility, and test the encoded batch against reference readers before shipping.

Is there a subscription for NFC business cards?

Not with us. The chip is encoded with the destination you choose and the cards are yours. If you later want to change the destination, NTAG chips can be re-encoded unless you ask us to lock them.