How to Create a Trackable vCard or MeCard QR Code
How to Create a Trackable vCard or MeCard QR Code
Turn your business card into a trackable digital asset. Create dynamic vCard QR codes with real-time scan analytics using QRTracker.
Table of Contents
Overview
QR code tracking allows you to measure scans, engagement, and campaign performance using a dynamic QR code system. A vCard or MeCard QR code lets anyone save your contact information instantly by scanning a single code. When you add QR code tracking, you gain visibility into how many people actually scan and save your details, where they are located, and which devices they use.
This guide walks you through creating a trackable contact QR code using QRTracker. Create a trackable QR code for your business card in under a minute.
Share Instantly
One scan saves your full contact details to any smartphone.
Track Engagement
See who scans, when, where, and on what device in real time.
Update Anytime
Change your phone, email, or job title without reprinting.
If you're new to QR codes, start with our Beginner-Friendly Guide to QR Codes before diving in.
What Is a vCard QR Code?
A vCard QR code is a digital business card encoded into a QR code. When someone scans it, their phone automatically prompts them to save your contact information, including your name, phone number, email, website, job title, and organization.
vCard QR codes are commonly used on printed business cards, email signatures, name badges, trade show booths, real estate signage, and LinkedIn profile sharing.
Static vs Dynamic vCard QR Codes
Understanding the difference between static and dynamic QR codes is essential before creating your contact code:
| Feature | Static vCard | Dynamic vCard |
|---|---|---|
| Editable After Print | ❌ Cannot change | ✅ Update anytime |
| Trackable | ❌ No tracking | ✅ Full analytics |
| Update Without Reprinting | ❌ Not possible | ✅ Change details anytime |
| Scan Analytics | ❌ None | ✅ Full dashboard |
| Works Offline | ✅ Yes | Requires internet |
Key Insight: We recommend dynamic vCard QR codes for most use cases. The ability to update your contact details and track scans makes them far more valuable for professionals and businesses. While contact QR codes themselves cannot be edited after creation, you can still measure scan performance using modern QR code tracking systems.
How to Create a Trackable vCard QR Code
Follow these steps to create your trackable contact QR code with QRTracker:
Sign up or log in
Create a free account at QRTracker or log in to access the QR code generator. No credit card required for the free tier.
Select vCard or MeCard
Choose your preferred contact format from the QR code type dropdown on the generator page.
Enter your contact details
Fill in your name, phone, email, website, job title, and organization. vCard supports richer data than MeCard.
Enable dynamic tracking
Toggle "Enable Tracking" to create a dynamic QR code with full analytics. This is the critical step that enables all tracking features.
Customize your design
Customize your QR code with brand colors and a logo. Ensure proper contrast for scannability.
Download and test
Export as PNG (for digital) or SVG (for print). Test with multiple phones before deploying.
What You Can Track
With tracking enabled, your QR code tracking dashboard shows:
- Total Scans: Raw count of every scan, including repeats
- Unique Visitors: Deduplicated scan count per device
- Timestamps: Exact date and time of each scan with trends
- Device Type: Mobile, tablet, or desktop with browser info
- Geographic Location: Country, region, and city-level data
- Campaign Performance: Compare engagement across placements and events
This data helps you understand which business cards, events, or placements drive the most engagement. To see how engagement data is measured, review our breakdown of QR code analytics and reporting tools.
Best Use Cases for Trackable Contact QR Codes
- Business cards: Print a dynamic QR code so recipients can save your info with one scan. Update your details when you change roles.
- Trade shows and conferences: Track how many booth visitors actually save your contact after the event.
- Real estate signage: Let potential buyers save your agent contact from yard signs and measure interest by property.
- Conference badges: Replace paper cards with a scannable badge that captures engagement data.
- LinkedIn profile sharing: Link your vCard to your LinkedIn URL so new connections can save everything at once.
- Email signatures: Add a small QR code to your email signature for easy contact saving on mobile.
MeCard vs vCard: What's the Difference?
Both formats encode contact information, but they differ in capability:
- vCard supports more fields (multiple phone numbers, organization, job title) and is the industry standard. It works across all modern smartphones.
- MeCard is a simpler format created by NTT DoCoMo. It generates smaller QR codes, which can be advantageous for very small print sizes, but supports fewer fields.
Recommendation
For most users, vCard is the recommended choice. Use MeCard only when you need a physically smaller QR code with basic contact fields.
Design Best Practices
Follow these guidelines to ensure your contact QR code scans reliably. For a deeper dive, see our design custom QR code guide.
- High contrast: Use dark modules on a light background. Avoid low-contrast color combinations.
- Quiet zone: Maintain at least a 4-module white border around the QR code.
- Minimum size: Print at a minimum of 2cm x 2cm (0.8in x 0.8in) for reliable scanning.
- Logo placement: If adding a logo, keep it centered and under 30% of the QR code area. Use high error correction.
Always test your QR code with the Safe Scan tool before printing to verify it decodes correctly.
Summary
Creating a trackable vCard or MeCard QR code with QRTracker gives you the best of both worlds: instant contact sharing and actionable analytics. Dynamic QR codes let you update your information without reprinting, track scan engagement across locations and devices, and measure the real ROI of your networking efforts. Whether you are handing out business cards at a conference or adding a QR code to your email signature, tracking turns a simple contact exchange into a measurable touchpoint.