Why Isn't My ZappyCard Working? — Troubleshooting

If you tap your phone to your ZappyCard and nothing happens (or you see an error), don't worry — almost every issue has a quick fix. Work through the steps below in order.

1. Is the card programmed?

If you just received your card, it arrives blank and must be programmed through the Zappycards app before it will do anything. If you tap an unprogrammed card, you might see "Empty Tag" or nothing at all — that's normal.

Fix: Follow the setup guide to program your card.

2. Are you on Android? Check NFC is enabled

On iPhone, NFC is always on. On Android, it's often turned off by default.

Fix: Go to Settings > Connections > NFC (the exact path varies by phone manufacturer) and toggle NFC on. Here's a quick video: How to enable NFC on Android

3. Check the redirect link

This is the #1 cause of "the card isn't working" tickets. Open the Zappycards app, tap your card to edit it, and check the Redirect Link field. Common issues:

• Business name included as a prefix: a URL like MY BUSINESS https://g.page/r/ABC/review won't work. Delete the business name so only the URL remains: https://g.page/r/ABC/review
• Double https://: the URL has https:// twice. Keep only one.
• Google search result URL: a URL from a Google search page is very long and full of parameters. That's not the right URL. Get the clean review link instead:
  1. Open Google Maps
  2. Find your business
  3. Tap Write a Review
  4. Copy that URL — that's the one to use

4. Is the URL too long?

If your redirect URL is extremely long, the card may fail to write it. Shorten it with a free URL shortener like free-url-shortener.rb.gy and update the card with the shortened version.

5. Re-save the card in the app

In the Zappycards app:

1. Open your card from the dashboard
2. Make sure the Business Name, Address, and Redirect Link look correct
3. Tap Update Business Location if you need to fix the link
4. Tap Save Changes
5. When prompted, tap the card with your phone to re-write the NFC chip

6. Remove your phone case

Thick, metal, or wallet-style phone cases can block NFC signals. Try tapping the card with your case off.

7. Tap the top back of your phone

The NFC antenna is at the top back of most phones, not the center or bottom. Hold the card to that spot for a second or two.

Still not working?

If you've worked through every step and multiple phones can't read the card, the NFC chip itself may be defective. Contact our support team and we'll send a replacement — no need to return the original.

It helps to send a short video showing the setup attempt from start to finish so we can see what's happening.