Best Google review cards in India: what to look for

TapStar guide · updated 2026-09-01

Google review cards are simple products, which makes them easy to sell badly. The chip costs very little, so most of what you're paying for is setup, print quality and whether the seller understood your business. Here's how to tell the difference before you buy.

1. Does it link directly to Google?

The most important question, and the one most buyers never ask. A good card points straight at your Google review page. A worse card points at the seller's own page, which then redirects to Google.

Why it matters: a middleman page can stop working if the seller shuts down or you stop paying them. Worse, some of these pages ask the customer how their experience was and only send happy ones to Google. That's review gating, it violates Google's policies, and it's your listing that carries the risk, not theirs.

Ask directly: "Does the card open Google, or does it open your page first?" The answer tells you most of what you need to know.

2. Is there a subscription?

There is no recurring cost in a chip holding a URL. If a seller wants a monthly fee, ask what it's for. Usually it's either the middleman page above, or an analytics dashboard you'll open twice and forget.

A one-time price is the honest structure for this product.

3. Does it have a QR code too?

NFC alone excludes anyone with an older phone, a thick case, or NFC switched off. That's not a rare edge case in an Indian shop. A card with both printed QR and NFC covers essentially every customer, and the extra cost of printing a code is nothing.

4. Who finds your review link?

A good seller finds your Google Business Profile, extracts the direct review URL and confirms it with you before printing. A lazy one asks you to send a link and prints whatever you send, which is how cards end up pointing at Maps listings or the wrong branch.

5. Can it be reprogrammed?

Businesses move, rebrand and re-list. A card locked permanently to one URL becomes waste the day anything changes. Ask whether the chip can be rewritten and whether they'll do it for you.

6. Material and print

Waterproof PVC, properly laminated, with the chip sealed inside. Paper cards and stickers fail fast at a counter that sees wet hands and spills. Ask what the card is made of and whether the print is under the lamination or on top of it.

7. Branding

A generic card with a stock Google logo works, but a card carrying your logo and colours reads as part of your business rather than something a salesman left behind. It also gets thrown away less often.

Questions to ask any seller

1. Does the card open Google directly, or your page first?
2. Is there any monthly or per-scan charge?
3. Does the card have a printed QR code as well as NFC?
4. Will you find and confirm my review link before printing?
5. Can the chip be reprogrammed later, and what does that cost?
6. What is the card made of, and is it waterproof?
7. Will my logo be on it?
8. How many days from order to delivery?

What it should cost

In India, expect a few hundred rupees per card for a programmed, branded card, one time. Our own pricing is ₹500 for one and ₹1,000 for two, which includes finding your link, designing around your logo, programming, and delivery. Anything with a monthly fee attached deserves the questions above before you commit.