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Not sure which RFID hotel key card your property needs? You are not alone. Hotel key cards often look similar even when they use different chip technologies, and ordering the wrong card can lead to encoding failures, lock errors, and unnecessary delays.
The good news is that you can usually identify the correct card by checking a few things at the property. Use this step-by-step guide before placing your next order.
1. Check your lock manufacturer
Start with the lock on your guest room door. The manufacturer name is often printed on the lock hardware, inside the battery cover, or in your property documentation.
Common hotel lock brands include Saflok/Dormakaba, Onity, and VingCard/ASSA ABLOY. Knowing the lock brand helps narrow the possibilities, but it does not always tell you the exact RFID chip you need.
2. Look at your current hotel key card
If you still have a working card from your current supplier, check any packaging, labels, invoices, or specification sheets that came with it. You may see terms such as:
- MIFARE Classic 1K
- MIFARE Plus
- AES
- ULC
- RFID
- NXP
Do not rely on the printed artwork alone. A plain white card and a fully custom printed card can contain exactly the same chip, while two visually identical cards can contain different technologies.
3. Check your front-desk encoder
Your key-card encoder is one of the best clues. In some systems, the encoder hardware, software, or system documentation identifies the card family or technology being used.
If your property recently completed a lock-system upgrade, ask whether the encoder or software was also changed. A property that previously used Classic 1K cards may now require an AES-capable card after an upgrade.
4. Ask your hotel brand or management company
If your property is part of a hotel brand or management group, the required key-card specification may already be standardized. Your brand, management company, purchasing department, or corporate technology team may be able to confirm the exact card type.
This is especially useful for branded properties that need cards meeting both technology and artwork requirements.
5. Do not guess—test a sample
When there is any doubt, the safest approach is to test a sample in your actual hotel system before ordering thousands of cards.
A compatibility test confirms that the card can be encoded correctly and works at the guest-room locks. This is much more reliable than choosing a card based only on appearance or lock brand.
Common hotel key-card technologies
| Card Technology | What to Know |
|---|---|
| MIFARE Classic 1K | A widely used RFID card in many hotel systems. |
| MIFARE Plus / AES | Used by many systems requiring enhanced security and AES support. |
| Other RFID technologies | Some properties use other chip types depending on their lock manufacturer and configuration. |
Does the lock brand tell me exactly which card to buy?
Not always. A lock manufacturer may support multiple technologies across different lock models and software versions. For example, two hotels using the same general lock brand may require different RFID cards.
The exact property configuration matters more than the name printed on the lock.
What if my current cards suddenly stopped working?
If you are having trouble with new cards, check whether your property recently changed lock software, encoder settings, security configuration, or card suppliers. A card that is physically the same size and shape can still be incompatible if the internal RFID technology is different.
We can help you verify the correct card
If you are unsure which hotel key card your property uses, send us the information you have—your lock-system name, current card specification, encoder information, or a photo of the existing card packaging.
Hotel & Resort Key Cards can help narrow down the correct technology, and we can provide a free sample for testing before you place a full order.
Testing first is the easiest way to make sure you get the right card for your property.