Smart credentials
13.56 MHz smart cards & fobs
13.56 MHz ISO/IEC 14443 Type A cards and fobs for the most widely installed contactless smart-card deployments — hotel locks, gyms, campus and office systems. This is the standard smart-card family; it remains ideal for continuity of an installed system, though new high-assurance deployments should specify our secure or encrypted lines.
Available as a compatible-by-specification credential after we verify your reader and facility format.
What are 13.56 MHz smart cards?
The standard 13.56 MHz contactless smart card runs on ISO/IEC 14443 Type A, with 1K or 4K of sector-organized memory, and is used by hotel locks, gyms, campus systems and office doors. American Key Cards supplies these cards, fobs and wristbands with the sector layout and UID length matched to your system before production. Its encryption is legacy, so new high-security deployments should specify our encrypted smart card line instead.
Overview
About 13.56 MHz smart cards
The standard 13.56 MHz contactless smart card is the most widely deployed credential of its kind ever made — hotel door locks, gym lockers, campus cards, laundry payment, city transit and countless office doors run on its 13.56 MHz, ISO 14443 Type A interface. When those systems need cards, they need them in volume and to spec: 1K or 4K memory, correct sector layout if the application writes data, printed or blank.
We supply this stock across cards, fobs and wristbands, and we are direct about its position in 2026: its legacy encryption was broken years ago, so it is the right choice for continuity of an installed system, not for new high-security designs. Systems that need real cryptography should look at our encrypted and secure smart card lines — and we will say so when asked.
Technical details
13.56 MHz smart cards & fobs specifications
- Frequency
- 13.56 MHz
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 14443 Type A
- Memory options
- 1K (16 sectors × 4 blocks × 16 bytes) or 4K (40 sectors)
- UID
- 4-byte NUID or 7-byte UID variants
- Card dimensions
- CR80 ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 — 85.6 × 54 mm
- Thickness
- 30 mil / 0.76 mm
- Typical read range
- Up to ~4 in (10 cm), reader-dependent
- Printing
- Dye-sub direct-to-card printable; fobs and wristbands available
- Security note
- Legacy encryption; specify our secure or encrypted 13.56 MHz lines for new secure designs
Available configuration
Choose the form factor after the technology
Where it fits
Common 13.56 MHz smart cards applications
Hotels & resorts
Guest key cards for 13.56 MHz lock systems, blank or printed with property branding, in the volumes front desks actually burn through.
Gyms, spas & lockers
Member cards and wristbands driving locker locks and check-in readers on the same credential.
Campus & membership cards
1K cards with application data written to agreed sectors for cafeterias, libraries and print-release systems.
Office access continuity
Ongoing card supply for buildings whose readers and panels are settled on this technology and working fine.
Before you order
How to order 13.56 MHz smart cards correctly
- 1K vs 4K memory
Most access and hotel applications live comfortably in 1K’s sixteen sectors. Choose 4K only when your application vendor specifies it — paying for unused memory helps nobody.
- UID length matters to some systems
These chips exist in 4-byte NUID and 7-byte UID variants, and enrollment behavior can differ. We match what your system already uses.
- Security posture, stated plainly
This chip’s encryption is legacy. Fine for hotel doors, lockers and low-risk membership; wrong for data centers and payroll. We recommend up-tier when the risk justifies it.
Questions we actually get
13.56 MHz smart cards FAQ
Will these cards work with my hotel lock system?
If the locks read standard 13.56 MHz smart cards — most PVC-card hotel systems from the last fifteen years do — then yes. Send the lock brand and a sample card and we verify the sector requirements before production.
Can you print our logo on the cards?
Yes, full-color printing on one or both faces with numbering if desired. Artwork is proofed before any card is pressed.
What is the difference between standard and encrypted 13.56 MHz cards?
The standard card is an older memory-card design with broken legacy encryption; the encrypted card is a modern AES-secured platform. The standard card keeps installed systems running economically; encrypted cards are what new secure deployments should specify.
Do you stock fobs and wristbands too?
Both — same chip family, so a gym can hand members a card, fob or silicone wristband and the readers treat them identically.
Need help identifying the technology?
Send a photo of the credential and the reader model. We'll identify the format before we quote a compatible product.
Lifetime parts & workmanship guarantee on every card