Key takeaways:
- Google Business Profile gives a free review link and QR code, but the QR code downloads only from a computer.
- A printed QR card needs a quiet zone 4 modules wide on every side, or phone cameras may fail.
- An NTAG213 chip holds 144 bytes, enough for one review URL: write a single record, test, then lock it.
- DIY costs little cash but hours of sourcing, programming and testing; a finished card replaces that with one purchase.
- Google bans incentives for reviews and asking only happy customers, so keep both off the card and the counter.
What this guide covers
To make a Google review card, copy your review link from Google Business Profile, turn it into a QR code, write it to an NFC chip if you want tap-to-review, then print and test the card.
Each step is simple on its own. The trouble comes from details that most DIY tutorials skip: Google generates the review QR code only from a computer browser, an iPhone reads NFC tags in the background only from the iPhone XS onward, and a chip left writable can be rewritten by any stranger with a free app.
This guide shows how to make a Google review card from scratch, with each step checked against Google, Apple, Android and NXP documentation, then compares a homemade card and a finished card on time, tools, cost per use and reliability.
What is a Google review card?
A Google review card is a small paper or PVC card that sends customers straight to the review page of your Google Business Profile. Customers scan its QR code with the camera or, on an NFC Google review card, tap the card against the back of their mobile device.
Google review card: a card that carries your Google review link in two forms, a QR code for the camera and, optionally, an NFC chip that a smartphone reads at a distance of a few centimeters.
The card holds no account, no app and no customer data. It holds one URL, and nothing else. Then Google takes over: the customer signs in with a Google Account, picks a star rating and writes the review in Google Maps or the browser.
That is why anyone can create a Google review card at home, and why homemade cards fail: one wrong character or one unprotected chip breaks it. A ready-made NFC tap card ships with that layer built in. What happens after the tap is covered in the tap and scan flow; this guide sticks to the build.
What do you need to make a Google review card?
To make a Google review card you need five things: your Google review link, a QR code image of that link, card stock to print on, and, for a tap-to-review card, a programmable NFC chip plus an NFC writing app.
A QR-only card needs just the first three; NFC technology is optional and takes most of the DIY effort. The table shows where each piece comes from.
| Component | DIY source | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Review link | Google Business Profile, free | Must open the review window, not the profile |
| QR code | Profile download or QR code generator | Keep the white margin around the code |
| NFC chip | NTAG213 stickers or blank NFC cards | Metal nearby blocks the signal |
| Writing app | NFC Tools, free on iOS and Android | Lock the chip only after testing |
| Card | Card stock, or white PVC for NFC | Home printers rarely take PVC |
For the chip, NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216 are the usual options: NFC Forum Type 2 tags, compatible with iPhone and Android, sold as stickers or white cards with the chip laminated inside.
Memory is not a constraint: a review link takes a few dozen bytes, so the smallest chip is enough.
An NTAG213 chip offers 144 bytes of user memory, 10 years of data retention and 100,000 write cycles, according to NXP's NTAG 213/215/216 product page.
For the NFC writing app, NFC Tools by wakdev is free on the App Store and Google Play and writes URL records to these chips from either platform.
How do I get my Google review link and QR code?
You get your Google review link and QR code from Google Business Profile: sign in on a computer, open Read reviews, then Get more reviews, copy the link and save the QR code image. Both are free, and they are the two assets every Google review card needs.
- Sign in at business.google.com on a computer with the Google Account that manages the business location.
- Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
- Select Copy to copy the review link, or share it by email.
- Right-click the QR code and choose Save image as.
- Open the link in a private window to view the result: it should open the review window.
The QR code step works only on a desktop: Google Business Profile Help states that review QR codes can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices. Do the whole setup on a laptop, then pick up the smartphone for the NFC part.
Older guides mention a Share review form button that the current menu no longer shows. Other ways to reach the correct URL are listed in finding your review link.
How to create a Google review QR code for print
The QR code that Google provides is plain black on white, which is what cameras read best. To generate Google review QR code files with a QR code generator instead, pick a static code: a dynamic code routes through the generator's own short link and stops working if that account lapses.
Keep the margin. Denso Wave, which invented the QR code, specifies a quiet zone four modules wide on every side of the symbol. Crop that white border to fit a design and some cameras will not detect the code. Print sizes by scan distance are covered in QR code sizing and placement.
- Export as SVG or PDF, not a small PNG.
- Dark modules on a light background, never the reverse.
- White margin intact on all four sides.
- Scan the printed proof at its final size with two devices.
How to program an NFC chip for a Google review card, step by step
To program NFC Google review card chips, write your review link to each chip as a single URL record with an NFC writing app, test the chip on iPhone and Android, then lock it so nobody can overwrite it later. The process takes five steps.
Step 1: Copy the correct review link
Send the link to the device you will program with. Check that it starts with https: Apple's background tag reading supports website URLs with the HTTP or HTTPS scheme.
Step 2: Choose NTAG213 chips or blank NFC cards
Order more chips than cards, because a few writes fail. For a PVC card, choose blank cards with an NTAG213 inlay; for a paper card, stick an NTAG213 sticker behind it. Standard tags stop working on or near metal, so skip metal holders and foil finishes over the chip.
Step 3: Write one URL record
Switch NFC on in the settings. In NFC Tools, open Write, choose Add a record, then URL/URI, paste the review link and tap Write. Hold the chip against the back near the antenna: the top edge on an iPhone; on other models, move it slowly until the app reacts.
Write one record only. Apple's Core NFC documentation says that when a tag holds more than one URI record, the iPhone uses the first one, so extra records add ways to fail.
Step 4: Test on multiple devices
Test the chip on at least three smartphones, iOS and Android mixed. NFC is short range: Android's developer documentation puts it at 4 cm or less, so test the finished card, since lamination adds distance.
Apple lists the iPhone XS and later for background tag reading, paused while the camera or Apple Pay Wallet is in use. Android devices read tags with the screen on and past the lock screen. Older iPhones need a reader app, so the QR code stays.
Step 5: Lock the chip
Once every test passes, use the lock option in the app. NXP describes this as a read-only locking function: once set, the locked pages cannot be rewritten. A writable chip can be rewritten by any stranger nearby, the NFC version of the fake QR stickers that the FTC warned about on parking meters in December 2023.
Lock or password? NTAG chips also support a 32-bit password that blocks rewrites while keeping the chip editable for you. A permanent lock is simpler, but if your review link changes in the future, a locked card has to be replaced.
The trade-off matters for businesses that expect to move or rename. For a stable single location, a permanent lock is the safer default.
Should you make a Google review card yourself or buy one ready-made?
Making a Google review card yourself makes sense for a QR-only card or a handful of NFC cards you can test yourself. A finished Google review tap card makes more sense when staff hand cards out every day and a card that fails silently loses reviews.
| Criterion | DIY card | Finished card |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first card | An afternoon: link, QR, chips, print, tests | Delivery, then a few minutes of setup |
| Tools needed | NFC smartphone, writing app, printer or print shop | A smartphone |
| Cost per use | Chips and small print runs, plus spares for failed writes | One purchase; check for monthly fees |
| Reliability | Depends on your chip, antenna position and tests | Chip, card and link built as one product |
| Tamper risk | You must lock or password each chip | Ask the maker how chips are protected |
Cash is rarely the deciding factor: a QR-only card printed at home costs next to nothing. The NFC layer is where DIY time goes: sourcing chips that match your card, writing and testing each one, and redoing the ones that fail.
Finished cards differ. A Digifeel card, for example, pairs NFC and a QR code that open your Google review page, activates in a few minutes with a QR code and an activation code, works on iPhone and Android, and has no subscription. Some makers charge monthly for a dashboard, integrations or a redirect link.
Get a Google review card with NFC and a QR code already on it, activated in a few minutes with a code, working on iPhone and Android, and without any monthly subscription.
See the review cards →
How to design a custom Google review card
A custom Google review card design needs four elements: your logo or business name, a one-line request such as Tap or scan to review us on Google, a QR code large enough to scan, and an NFC icon that shows where to tap. The short link is optional.
Any design tool works, from Canva to Adobe Illustrator. Put the request on the front and the QR code on the back. Social media icons and a website address compete with the one action you want.
Size and material
PVC NFC cards use credit card size, 3.370 by 2.125 inches (ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1). Paper cards use the US business card format, 3.5 by 2 inches, with the sticker on the back. Home printers rarely feed PVC, so send PVC cards to a professional print shop.
Send the printer a PDF with the QR code as vector art, then scan and tap the printed proof before approving the run.
- Do: write the request in plain words, such as Tap or scan to review us on Google.
- Do: keep the QR code dark on light, with its white border.
- Do: test a sample from every print batch on iPhone and Android.
- Don't: print Leave us 5 stars, or a discount in exchange for a review.
- Don't: put metallic foil or a metal holder over the chip area.
Where should you hand out Google review cards?
Google review cards work best where a satisfied customer already holds a smartphone: the checkout counter, the table when the bill arrives, the hotel front desk and the box of an online order. The main benefit of Google review cards is that they remove the search step.
About nine in ten US adults (91%) own a smartphone, according to Pew Research Center's mobile fact sheet, updated in November 2025. Between a good customer experience and a review sits a Google Search for your profile; a card makes that step easier.
Hand it with the receipt. NFC is fastest in retail.
Slip it in the check folder for restaurants.
Customers leave feedback after trying the product.
Once cards are out, check your review count once a week and reply to new reviews, positive and negative. A steady flow of customer feedback shows the cards are working; a flat week shows where the handoff broke.
Train staff to offer the card to every customer, not only happy ones. That habit protects your online reputation, and it is also a rule.
What can you say on a Google review card?
A Google review card can invite any customer to leave a review, but Google's policies forbid incentives, asking only happy customers, discouraging negative reviews, requesting specific content, or pressuring people to post while they are still on your premises.
When soliciting reviews, merchants should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises, nor should they request that specific content be included.
Google Maps user contributed content policy, Prohibited and restricted contentIn practice, hand the card over with one sentence and let the customer post later. A discount in exchange for a review counts as fake engagement, even when the review is positive, so keep coupons and review requests on separate cards.
The same policy bars staff review quotas and reviews that name an employee. Leave us 5 stars requests specific content; Tap or scan to review us on Google says enough.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google review card free?
The link and QR code are free: Google Business Profile generates both at no cost, and a QR-only card printed on your own printer costs paper and ink. NFC adds expenses, since you buy programmable chips or blank PVC cards and usually a print run. Finished cards are a one-time purchase, unless the maker charges a subscription.
Is selling Google review cards allowed?
Selling Google review cards to local businesses is common among print shops, marketing agencies and resellers. Each card must carry the client's own review link, be tested with the client, then locked. Google's policies apply to how a business uses the card, so clients still cannot pair it with incentives or ask only satisfied customers.
How do you get more Google reviews fast with cards?
Cards remove the search step, so more of the customers who agree to review actually post. Google said in April 2026 that it may pause new reviews on a profile after a sudden spike, so a few reviews a week beats fifty in one day.
Your first card this week
Start with the free layer. Copy your review link and download the QR code from a computer, print one QR-only card, and hand it to every customer for a week. That trial shows whether a card changes anything at your counter before you spend money on chips.
If customers hesitate to open the camera, add NFC: one test card, three smartphones, then the lock. Test every card the way a customer would use it. If an afternoon of programming is time better spent on customer service, compare finished cards on setup, fees and protection. Which spot in your business gets the first card?
