I used to travel for work, and I would always keep my hotel keycard. Not as a memento, even though some of the designs are fun. I'm looking at you, Chicago Athletic Association.
Hotel keycards have an NFC chip inside that you can use to trigger automations on your iPhone. Stash them around the house as reminders — like a timer that starts when you load the washing machine. We use one when either of us heads to the gym to text the other. My wife's favorite is the one in my car that texts her my location and ETA when I'm done fishing and on my way home.
The reason this works is that hotel keycards use the same 13.56 MHz NFC standard (ISO/IEC 14443) as the NFC tags you'd buy online, so your iPhone treats them the same way. If you don't have any hotel keycards, don't spend a night away from the kids just to run this automation and get a little peace. You can buy NFC tags on Amazon for a few bucks.
Can You Reuse Hotel Keycards as NFC Tags?
Yes. Most modern hotel keycards (the thin plastic ones, not the older magnetic-stripe cards) contain a passive NFC chip — usually MIFARE Classic or MIFARE Ultralight. Your iPhone's NFC reader doesn't care what the card was originally programmed to do; it just reads the chip's unique ID and uses that as a trigger inside the Shortcuts app.
You aren't unlocking the hotel room from your phone, and you aren't overwriting the card. You're using its existing ID as a "this card = run this automation" key.
What You'll Need
An iPhone XS or newer. Background NFC scanning (tap the card to trigger an automation without opening any app) requires iPhone XS or later. Older models can read NFC, but only from inside the Shortcuts app or Control Center.
iOS 14 or newer, with the Shortcuts app installed (it ships with iOS).
One or more NFC cards or tags. Old hotel keycards work; so do cheap NFC stickers from Amazon.
A few minutes per automation.
Here are the three automations we'll build:
Laundry timer
Gym departure text
Driving ETA text
Setting Up an NFC Trigger (Do This Once)
Every NFC automation in this guide follows the same setup pattern, so it's worth memorizing:
Open the Shortcuts app and tap the Automation tab.
Tap + → New Automation.
Scroll down to NFC and tap it.
Tap Scan, then hold your NFC card flat against the top back of your iPhone (where the camera is).
When prompted, name the tag something memorable (e.g., "Laundry," "Gym," "Car").
Important: toggle Run Immediately on. Without this, iOS shows a confirmation banner every time, which defeats the one-tap experience.
Pick the Shortcut you want this tag to run.
That's it. From now on, every automation below assumes you've done these seven steps.
How Do You Start a Laundry Timer with an NFC Tag?
You know the feeling: you load the washer, get on with your day, and realize hours later that the clothes are still in there — and now you're debating whether to wash them again. Not anymore.
Build the Shortcut:
In the Shortcuts app, tap + to create a new Shortcut.
Add the Start Timer action.
Set the duration to 45 minutes (or however long your washing machine cycle takes).
Name the Shortcut "Laundry timer."
Then run through the seven NFC trigger steps above, picking "Laundry timer" as the Shortcut. Stick the NFC card on the lid of your washing machine. Tap it when you load the wash, and you'll get a notification 45 minutes later.
How Do You Send a Quick Gym Text with NFC?
I send my wife a quick text when I head to the gym. She already has my location, but it's nice to know when someone's actually walked out the door. If you've already set up a personalized workout briefing on your iPhone, this pairs nicely with that.
Build the Shortcut:
Create a new Shortcut.
Add the Send Message action.
Type your Message ("Heading to the gym, back in an hour").
Pick your partner as the recipient.
Run through the seven NFC trigger setup steps and link this Shortcut to a card you keep by the door (or in your gym bag).
How Do You Automatically Send Your Location and ETA?
I keep this NFC card in my car to let my wife know how long it'll take me to get home after a long day of fishing. I said fishing, not catching.
Build the Shortcut:
Add Get Current Location.
Add Get Travel Time → set the destination to your home address, mode to Driving.
Add a Text action that combines both, e.g.,
On my way. ETA [Travel Time] from [Current Location].Add Send Message with the Text action's output as the body.
Run through the seven NFC trigger setup steps and stick the card somewhere visible in your car — center console, dashboard, or the back of your phone mount.
Troubleshooting
The automation doesn't fire when I tap the card.
Background NFC scanning needs iPhone XS or newer. On older models, you'll have to open the Shortcuts app or use the NFC Tag Reader in Control Center.
iOS asks me to confirm every single time.
You missed the Run Immediately toggle in step 6 above. Edit the automation and turn it on.
The card isn't being read.
Hold the card flat against the top third of the back of your iPhone (near the camera). NFC range is roughly 1–2 cm; if there's a thick case or wallet in the way, it won't read.
Some hotel keycards don't seem to work.
Older cards with only a magnetic stripe (no chip) won't work — those are pre-NFC. The plastic cards from major chains in the last 5–10 years have almost always had NFC.
Can I overwrite a hotel keycard with my own data?
For these automations, no, and you don't need to. iOS triggers off the card's existing unique ID. If you want to write custom NDEF data, you'll need a separate NFC writer app, but it's not required here.
Where to Go Next
Apple Shortcuts is one of those tools that compounds the more you use it. If you liked this, take a look at How to Automate Your Household Cleaning Schedule with Apple Shortcuts for another low-effort, high-payoff automation.