In short
Yes, NFC works everywhere in the world: it is an international standard and the exchange between the card and the phone goes through no network at all. The only difference when travelling: to display an online profile, the phone reading the card needs internet access.
A technology without borders
Using NFC abroad needs no special preparation: no option to activate and no app to install before you leave. Whether you are heading to a trade show in Barcelona, a meeting in London or a business trip to New York, your phone and your NFC card work just as they do at home.
NFC (Near Field Communication) is based on international standards shared by every manufacturer. An NFC card bought in France can be read by a phone bought in Japan, the United States or Brazil, and the other way round. There is no country setting, no local version and no usage fee.
Above all, NFC goes through no network: no carrier, no Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth. The card’s chip and the phone’s chip talk directly, a few centimetres apart, thanks to the magnetic field created by the phone. Reading therefore also works on a plane, in a basement or in a country where you have no mobile plan.
What needs internet: the online profile
An NFC business card such as SVCard contains a web address. NFC passes this address on instantly, anywhere; to display the matching page, however, the phone reading the card must be connected to the internet, through its mobile plan or a Wi-Fi network.
In practice, this is rarely an issue: the other person is usually at home or at a trade show with Wi-Fi. If they have no connection at that moment, the address stays in the notification or in their browser history, and your profile will open as soon as they are back online.
Roaming: what you need to know
Within the European Union, roaming is included in most mobile plans: viewing a profile costs the same as at home. Outside the EU, mobile data can be expensive; many travellers switch it off and use Wi-Fi. For a trade show abroad, remember to ask for the Wi-Fi code of the stand or venue.
An SVCard profile page is light and opens in a few seconds, even on a slow connection: it uses far less data than a video or an app download.
Contactless payment abroad
Contactless payment, also based on NFC, works in most countries: the merchant’s terminal simply needs to accept it. That is the case almost everywhere in Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and much of Asia; it is a little less common in some countries. Your bank’s rules (limits, currency fees) apply just as they do for a regular bank card.
What if the other person’s phone is restricted?
Some companies lock down their employees’ phones, or limit mobile data abroad. In that case, NFC reading still works, but the page may not open right away. Simply suggest scanning the QR code once connected to Wi-Fi, or send your profile by message: the address is the same as the card’s.
Tips for trade shows and business trips
- Check your profile language: an SVCard can automatically display in the language of the visitor’s phone (French, English, Spanish).
- Keep the QR code in mind: if someone has a phone without NFC, they scan the QR code printed on the card with the camera.
- Add your card to your Wallet: from Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, you can share your profile even without the card in hand.
- Collect contacts: with contact exchange, people leave you their details after the scan, and you find them in your leads.
