Do NFC cards require Bluetooth?
No. NFC and Bluetooth are separate technologies that operate independently. NFC business cards work whether or not Bluetooth is enabled on either phone.
How NFC and Bluetooth differ
Bluetooth is a protocol for continuous wireless data exchange between paired devices — headphones, speakers, keyboards. NFC is for one-time, close-range data transfers that initiate automatically without pairing. They both transmit data wirelessly but serve entirely different purposes. NFC is for 'tap to exchange a small piece of data.' Bluetooth is for 'maintain an ongoing wireless connection.'
What NFC cards do and don't need
NFC cards need: an NFC-enabled phone on the receiving end, a live internet connection to load the profile page. NFC cards don't need: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi on the sharing end, any app installed, NFC turned on in settings on most modern phones (it's on by default). The chip in the card draws power from the phone's NFC field — there's no wireless configuration involved.
Does NFC work with Bluetooth turned off?
Yes. The two are completely independent. NFC works with Bluetooth off, and vice versa.
Is NFC faster than Bluetooth for sharing contact info?
For a single tap-to-profile transfer, NFC is faster — sub-second. Bluetooth requires discovery and pairing, which takes several seconds even in best-case conditions.
Can NFC and Bluetooth be used together?
Yes, but not for business card purposes. Some protocols use NFC to initiate a Bluetooth pairing handshake. For business cards, NFC alone handles the entire interaction.