Google Review Card: QR Code, NFC or Virtual Card
A review card gets customers to your Google review form in one scan or tap. Here is how each type works, and how to carry yours on your phone with nothing to print.
Free to download · iPhone (iOS 17 or later) · 7-day free trial of Pro
What is a Google review card?
A Google review card is anything that gets a customer to your review form in one step: a printed card, a sticker, a sign, or a code on your phone screen. It carries a QR code or an NFC tag that links to your Google review page. The customer scans it with their camera, or taps it with their phone, and the review box opens.
That one step matters. Asking someone to "search for us on Google and leave a review" loses most of them along the way, because they have to find your listing, then the button. Google's own guidance for businesses says you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code to leave a review. It does not allow offering anything in return.
QR card, NFC card or virtual card?
There are three common types. They carry the same review link, so the choice is about how you want to hand it over.
| Type | How it works | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printed QR card, sign or sticker | Customer scans the code with their camera | Receipts, invoices, packaging, thank-you cards | You have to print and reprint. A static code can't be changed after printing. Counter placement is risky (see the FAQ) |
| NFC tap card | Customer taps a phone on the card; most also print a QR code | A reception desk or hand-out where a tap feels natural | Not every phone reads NFC. You pay a shop for physical stock, and prices and terms vary by seller |
| Virtual review card on your phone | Your phone shows the QR code; the customer scans it, or you send the link | Mobile jobs, sales handovers, anyone who's with the customer in person | You need your phone with you, and the customer has to be there or receive the link |
Most businesses do best with two: something printed for take-home moments, and a virtual card for face-to-face ones. If you only need a printed code, our free review QR code generator makes a print-ready PNG with your own text. To get the link the code should point to, use the Google review link generator.
Which one should you use?
- You go to your customers (trades, mobile services, sales, dealership handovers): a virtual card on your phone, so you can ask the moment the job is done.
- Customers come to you (salons, restaurants, offices): a printed code on the receipt, invoice or take-home card, plus a virtual card for staff who talk to customers.
- You want to be asked less often: automate it. A review link sent after each job reaches everyone, including customers you never saw. See how to ask customers for reviews for scripts.
Virtual review card for iPhone
Review Card: your review QR code, always in your pocket
Review Card turns your phone into a review card. Open the app and your branded, scannable QR code is on screen. The customer scans it with their own camera and lands on your review page. There is nothing to print, lose or reorder.
- ✓Instant. The app opens straight to your QR code.
- ✓Your platform. Works with Google Business Profile, Facebook, Trustpilot and Yelp.
- ✓Send it too. Share your review link by SMS, WhatsApp or email when the customer isn't in front of you.
- ✓See what works. It tracks scans and clicks per platform, so you can see where reviews come from.
- ✓Works offline once it's set up.
Disclosure: we make Review Card, as well as Plaudit. It's a new app. It runs on iPhone (iOS 17 or later), and also on Mac with Apple silicon and Apple Vision. On the App Store it is listed as "Rcard: QR Code Google Reviews". Check each platform's rules before you ask for reviews: Yelp, for example, asks businesses not to request them.
How to set up a Google review card in three steps
- Get your direct review link. Search for your business in our Google review link generator, or copy it from Business Profile using "Ask for reviews".
- Make your card. Paste the link into the Review Card app for a virtual card, or into the QR code generator for a printed one. Scan it yourself to test.
- Use it every time. Show it or send it right after a good moment, to every customer, the same way.
Keep it within Google's rules
Asking is allowed. Offering discounts, freebies or entries in exchange for a review is not, and neither is asking only your happiest customers. A steady trickle of reviews also looks more natural than a burst, which matters if a review ever goes missing.
Want the ask to happen automatically after every job, without carrying a card at all? Plaudit sends your review link by email or text for you and follows up once. See how review automation works.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Google review card?
A Google review card is a card, sticker, sign or phone screen that carries a QR code or NFC tag linking straight to your Google review form. A customer scans it with their camera or taps it with their phone, and the review box opens without them searching for your business.
Do I need to buy a physical card?
No. You can print a QR code yourself, use a sign or sticker, or show a virtual card on your phone. Physical cards are useful for handing out or leaving in a place, but they aren't required, and the link they carry is the same one you would use anywhere else.
Do NFC cards work on every phone?
Many recent phones can read NFC tags, but not all of them can, and some people have NFC switched off. That is why most NFC review cards also print a QR code as a backup, and why a QR code is the safer default if you only pick one.
Is a virtual review card as good as a physical one?
They suit different moments. A virtual card is always with you, so it works for mobile jobs and in-person handovers, and it can't be lost or run out. A physical card works when you aren't there, such as on a counter or in a delivery. Many businesses use both.
How much does a Google review card cost?
A QR code for your review link is free to make with our review QR code generator. Physical NFC cards and stickers are sold by many shops at their own prices, so check each seller. The Review Card app is free to download, with a Pro plan that has a 7-day free trial. See the App Store for current pricing.
Can customers leave a review without a Google account?
No. Google asks people to sign in before they can post a review. Most phone users are already signed in, but someone who isn't will be prompted to log in first, so keep your request short and friendly.
Where should I put a review card?
Take-home places are a safe default: receipts, invoices, thank-you cards and packaging. Be careful with prompts at the counter or checkout. In a small 2026 study of five businesses hit by a review-posting block, Sterling Sky found on-site requests and QR codes at counters among the shared patterns. That is a small sample, not a Google rule.
Put your review card in your pocket
Get your review QR code on your iPhone in minutes, and ask the moment a customer is happy.
Review Card: free to download, iPhone · Plaudit: 7-day free trial, no credit card