Can you tap an NFC card through a wallet or cardholder?
NFC reads work through most standard wallets (leather, fabric, thin plastic). Metal RFID-blocking wallets prevent NFC from working. You'd need to remove the card from the wallet to tap it — which is standard practice for business card handoffs anyway.
Standard wallets
A leather bifold, fabric wallet, or synthetic card holder won't block NFC signal. You can tap the wallet against a phone and the NFC business card inside will often read, though the extra distance can reduce reliability. Practically speaking, you'll hand the card directly to someone during a networking interaction — not tap your whole wallet.
RFID-blocking wallets
Wallets marketed as RFID-blocking contain a layer of metallic mesh that creates a Faraday cage. This blocks all RF signals, including NFC. If you keep your NFC business card in an RFID-blocking wallet, no phone will read it while it's inside. Remove the card to hand it over.
Do I need to take my NFC card out to use it?
For a clean handoff: yes. You're giving someone the card to tap to their phone, so they need to hold it. Tapping your whole wallet is possible but impractical in networking scenarios.
Can I keep my NFC business card in an RFID-blocking wallet?
Yes — just remove it when you want to hand it out. The chip isn't damaged by being in an RFID-blocking wallet.
Can someone read my NFC card without me knowing while it's in my pocket?
Practically no. NFC range is under 4 cm, and a normal pocket creates enough distance and interference to prevent accidental reads.