Card not working? Start here

Your RATECARDS™ cards and stands arrive programmed and ready. This page is the 60-second setup, the fix for the one thing that occasionally goes wrong on a customer's phone, and the answers to the questions we get asked most after an order ships.

1. How to tap (show this to your staff)

Hold the card or stand against the top third of the back of the phone, about 2-4 cm away, with the screen on and unlocked. The review page opens by itself — no app, no QR, no typing. iPhone XR/XS (2018) and newer and every modern Android with NFC switched on read it automatically. iPhone 7, 8 and X read it through the NFC scanner in Control Centre.

2. What your staff say: the 6-Second Ask

The card only works when someone offers it. Pick one line for your venue and have everyone use it, word for word. Short on purpose: a line nobody can remember is a line nobody says.

• With the bill: "Enjoyed it? Tap here to review."
• At the counter: "One tap helps us a lot."
• Clinic or salon, after the service: "Happy today? Tap to tell Google."

Three rules for staff

1. Ask at the end of the visit: with the bill, at checkout, after the treatment.
2. Hold the card out. Say the line and let them tap. Don't explain NFC.
3. Ask every customer, not only the happy-looking ones. Reviews come from volume, and asking only happy customers is "review gating", which Google's policy forbids.

3. Nothing happened. What now?

Work down this list — in our experience the first two solve almost every case.

• Android: switch NFC on. Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → NFC. On Samsung it is Settings → Connections → NFC and contactless payments.
• Tap the right spot. The NFC antenna sits in a different place on each phone — usually the top third of the back, sometimes the middle. Move the card slowly across the back of the phone.
• Wake the phone first. iPhone and most Androids do not read a tag while the screen is off or locked.
• Take the case off if it is a thick, metal or wallet case, or has a magnetic mount or card slot behind it. Metal blocks NFC.
• Try a second phone. That instantly tells you whether it is the card or that handset.
• iPhone 7, 8 or X? Those models do not read a tag on their own. Add the NFC scanner to Control Centre (Settings → Control Centre → NFC Tag Reader) and tap the card from there — or use the fallback below.

4. The fallback that always works

Every card is programmed with your review link, and you can use that same link without any tapping — send it by WhatsApp, SMS or email, put it on a receipt, or turn it into a QR code. Message us on WhatsApp and we will send you your business's review link as plain text.

5. Still not working after all of that

Then it is on us, not on you. Message us on WhatsApp with your order number and what you have already tried. Every standard RATECARDS™ order carries a 90-day money-back guarantee and a 3-year replacement warranty covering chip or manufacturing failure.

6. Can I change where a card points later?

Yes. If you move your business, rebrand, or want a card to open a different page — a second branch, Instagram instead of Google — message us on WhatsApp with the order number and the new link. We will tell you straight away whether it can be re-pointed remotely or needs the cards back.

7. Where is my order?

Orders ship free by DHL Express across the GCC from Dubai. Standard orders leave Dubai the next working day; delivery then takes 1–2 days in the UAE and 3–5 days in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC (customs included), and a few days more worldwide. You get the tracking number in the same WhatsApp chat as soon as the order is programmed and handed to the courier. If you have not had it, message us with your order number and we will send it.

8. I need an invoice

Message us on WhatsApp with your order number and, if you need it on the invoice, your company name and TRN. We will send the tax invoice as a PDF in the chat.

9. We will program the cards for you — we just need the page

If your order is waiting on us to know which page the cards should open, send your Google Business profile link (Google Maps → your business → Share → Copy link) or just the business name and city. You can also send it through this form. As soon as we have it, your cards are programmed and dispatched.

10. A bad review came in: the 2-Minute Review Rescue

Reply within 24 hours, in public, short and calm. Then move the conversation to private. Future customers read the reply more than the review. Fill the brackets and post:

• 1★, service or waiting time: "Hi [name], thank you for telling us. You're right that [the wait] wasn't good enough, and I'm sorry. I'd like to make it right — please message us at [WhatsApp/number]. — [owner name], [venue]"
• 2–3★, product or quality: "Thanks for the honest review, [name]. We've passed your note on [the dish/treatment] to the team. Come back and ask for me — the next one's on us. — [owner name]"
• 1★ with no text: "Hi [name], sorry we missed the mark. We'd really like to know what happened — message us at [WhatsApp/number]."
• Looks fake / not a customer: "Hi [name], we can't find a visit matching this. If we've missed something, please contact us at [WhatsApp/number] so we can look into it." Then flag it in Google Business Profile ("Report review"). Never argue in public.

Never offer a discount or gift in exchange for changing or removing a review, never reply angry, never name staff or share the customer's details. For more replies, use the free Google review reply generator.

11. Week 3 and after: keep the ask going

The first two weeks are easy. After that the ask fades, unless it becomes a habit. Four habits that keep it going:

1. Put the line where staff see it. Write your 6-Second Ask on a note at the till or the pass.
2. Share the number every Monday. Tell the team how many new Google reviews came in last week. Google shows the count on your profile.
3. Teach it on day one. Every new hire learns the line and gets a card on their first shift.
4. Keep the stand where people pay. Not by the door and not behind the till: where the bill or the bag changes hands.

Bought a stand or a kit, and the count hasn't moved after 30 days? That is what the Counter Promise is for: message us on WhatsApp and we get on a 10-minute video call with your team.

Talk to a person

WhatsApp: +971 58 235 9040 — the fastest route, and a person reads it.
Email: support@ratecards.co