Both open a web page on a customer’s phone. The difference is how many people actually do it, and what happens when you want to change where it goes.
How each one works
A QR code is a picture the phone’s camera reads. An NFC card has a tiny chip; the customer holds their phone near it and a link pops up. Nearly every phone sold in recent years supports NFC, iPhones included, with no app needed.
Where tap cards win
- Speed: no opening the camera and lining it up. Hold the phone near the card and tap the link.
- Low light: bars, clubs and dim restaurants, where cameras struggle.
- Wearables: staff can wear a band, so the ask travels with the person.
- It feels new: customers often tap just to see what happens.
Where QR codes win
- Cost: you can print them on anything.
- Distance: a code on a poster or window can be scanned from across the room.
- Older phones and phone cases that block NFC.
Use both, on one link
The best setup is usually a tap card with a QR code printed on it, both opening the same link. Make that link one you control, so you can change where it goes (your review page today, a holiday menu next month) without reprinting anything. Then you can also count how many people tap or scan, and where.