How NFC Google review cards work

TapStar guide · updated 2026-09-01

The technology behind a review card is the same one behind tap-to-pay, which is why it feels familiar to customers even when they've never seen a review card before. Understanding the mechanics helps mostly when something doesn't work, so this guide covers both.

The short version

Your Google review link is written onto a chip. A phone held near the chip reads the link and opens it. That's it.

The longer version

1. Getting the right link

Every Google Business Profile has a direct review URL — a short link that opens the review dialog for that specific business. It isn't your Maps listing and it isn't your website. Getting this exactly right matters, because a card pointing at your Maps page adds back the steps you were trying to remove.

You can find yours from your Google Business Profile dashboard under the option to ask customers for reviews. If you'd rather not hunt for it, whoever makes your card should do it for you.

2. Writing it to the chip

The link is written to the chip as an NDEF record — a small standardised format that phones know how to interpret as a web address. Writing takes seconds. The chip can then be locked so the link can't be overwritten by accident, or left rewritable so it can be changed later.

3. The tap itself

NFC has a range of a few centimetres, deliberately. The phone emits a small field, the card's antenna draws power from that field, and the chip transmits its stored link back. No pairing, no battery, no connection to set up.

Where to tap depends on the phone. iPhones read from the top edge, near the camera. Most Android phones read from the middle of the back panel. This is the single most common reason a tap doesn't register — the customer is holding the wrong part of the phone against the card.

4. Opening the page

The phone shows a notification with the link. The customer taps it, the browser opens, and Google loads the review dialog for your business. If they're signed in to a Google account, which most Android users always are, they can rate immediately. If not, Google prompts them to sign in first.

When it doesn't work

• Nothing happens on tap. Check NFC is switched on in the phone's settings — on Android it's usually under Connected devices or Connections. Then try the top of the phone for an iPhone, the centre of the back for Android.
• The phone is in a thick case. Metal cases and some thick wallet cases block the field. Ask the customer to try the QR code instead.
• The phone is too old. Anything before iPhone XR won't read NFC tags this way. The QR code covers it.
• The page opens but shows the wrong business. The wrong link was written. It should be reprogrammed.
• The page opens but the customer can't rate. They aren't signed in to a Google account. Google will prompt them.

Why the QR code matters

A card with only NFC fails for a meaningful share of customers. A card with both never does — if the tap doesn't work for any reason, the camera does. The QR is not a lesser option, it's the safety net that makes the product reliable in a real shop.