What does NFC stand for?
NFC stands for Near-field Communication. Very short-range wireless communication used for contactless payments and badges. Its short range limits, but does not remove, skimming and relay attacks.
NFC is short-range wireless communication between two devices held a few centimetres apart. It works at 13.56 MHz and grew out of RFID; a phone can act as a reader, behave like a card or exchange data with another phone. Contactless payments, transit cards, door badges and tap-to-pair accessories all use it. The short range limits who can interfere, but it does not remove the risk: a hidden reader pressed close to a card, or a relay between a card and a distant terminal, can still abuse it.
NFC in practice: an example
A shopper holds a phone over a payment terminal. The two exchange data over NFC in a fraction of a second, the phone asks for a fingerprint, and the terminal receives a one-time token instead of the real card number.
What NFC is confused with
NFC vs RFID: what is the difference?
NFC is a specialised branch of RFID. General RFID tags can be read from metres away and usually just announce an identifier. NFC works only at a few centimetres and lets two devices talk in both directions. What RFID stands for
NFC vs Bluetooth: what is the difference?
Bluetooth covers metres, needs pairing and carries audio and continuous data. NFC needs no pairing but only works at touching distance, and is often used just to start a Bluetooth pairing.
Which exams cover NFC?
NFC is on the official CompTIA acronym list for two of the four exams covered here.
- Security+ SY0-801: 2.3 (Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks).
- A+ 220-1201 and 220-1202: 220-1201 1.0 (Mobile Devices); 220-1201 2.0 (Networking); 220-1202 3.0 (Software Troubleshooting).
Each number is a CompTIA exam objective and the name in brackets is its domain. The exam puts the term in a scenario; it does not ask you to recite the expansion.
Check yourself: two practice questions
Written by CertSprint for this page. They are not taken from any exam.
1. Which technology does a phone use to make a contactless payment at a store terminal?
- Near-field communication
- Infrared
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Cellular data
Show the answer
A. Near-field communication. Tap-to-pay works over NFC, which needs the phone within a few centimetres of the terminal.
2. An attacker uses two devices to extend the conversation between a victim's contactless card and a payment terminal in another room. What is this called?
- A relay attack
- A brute-force attack
- Bluejacking
- War driving
Show the answer
A. A relay attack. A relay attack forwards the NFC exchange in real time, so the terminal believes the card is present. Short range alone does not prevent it.
Sources: NIST glossary: near field communication; NFC Forum: NFC technology. The acronym and its expansion come from CompTIA's official acronym lists, linked from each exam glossary above. The explanation, example and questions are CertSprint's own, checked against these sources on 11 November 2026.