Smart credentials
Hotel lock RFID key cards
Blank RFID key card stock compatible with the major electronic hotel lock platforms — encoded at your own front desk exactly like the cards you use today. Supplied plain or custom printed with your property branding. This is issuance stock for properties: existing guest and master keys are never copied.
For new deployments or authorised credential issuance. Existing secured cards are not copied.
What are hotel lock RFID key cards?
Hotel lock RFID key cards are the 13.56 MHz smart cards that electronic hotel locks read. Properties buy them blank and encode each guest key at the front desk through their own lock system. American Key Cards supplies this stock plain or custom printed with property branding, matched to the chip family the locks read. Existing guest and master keys are never copied.
Overview
About Hotel key cards
Every RFID hotel key card starts life the same way: as blank chip stock the property encodes at its own front desk. The lock vendor sells the locks and the software; the cards themselves are consumables — standard 13.56 MHz smart-card or single-use ticket chips in a printable card body — and buying them well is a purchasing decision, not a locksmithing one.
We supply that stock for the major 13.56 MHz electronic hotel lock platforms, plain white or custom printed with your property's branding, artwork and key-packet details. This includes the data-on-card systems where access rights are written by your own encoder at the front desk or an online wall reader — on those systems the expensive part is the locks and software, and the plastic is exactly what we supply, without the dealer markup or wait. Send your lock brand and a photo of a current card; we confirm the chip family your locks actually read before anything ships. Legacy magstripe locks: our magstripe card line covers those.
Technical details
Hotel lock RFID key cards specifications
- Frequency
- 13.56 MHz
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 14443 Type A
- Chip options
- Standard 13.56 MHz smart-card chips (1K/4K) and single-use ticket chips — matched to your lock platform
- Platform coverage
- The major 13.56 MHz electronic hotel lock platforms, including data-on-card systems issued from your own encoder
- Issuance route
- Encoded on your existing front-desk encoder / property management system — supplied blank
- Card dimensions
- CR80 ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 — 85.6 × 54 mm, 30 mil / 0.76 mm
- Printing
- Full-color custom printing with your property branding, or plain white stock
- Excluded
- Duplication of existing guest, staff or master keys, and any lock-system keys or software
Available configuration
Choose the form factor after the technology
Where it fits
Common Hotel key cards applications
Hotels & resorts
Branded guest key cards encoded at your own front desk, in volumes from a single property to a management group.
Boutique & independent properties
Small-batch custom printing without the OEM minimums — same chip stock, your design.
Vacation rentals & aparthotels
Blank stock for self-check-in kiosks and smart-lock systems that issue RFID keys.
Gaming venues & clubs with room blocks
Key cards that double as branded touchpoints, printed with comps, Wi-Fi details or promotions.
Before you order
How to order Hotel key cards correctly
- Chip family must match the locks
Different lock platforms read specific 13.56 MHz smart-card chip families, and generations vary by install. We verify from your lock brand and a current card before production — a beautiful card that the lock ignores helps nobody.
- Issuance stays with the property
Your front-desk encoder and lock software issue every key. We supply stock only — no existing guest, staff or master key is ever copied, and no lock-system keys are involved.
- Print for the guest journey
Key cards are the one piece of print every guest carries. Full-color branding, room-number write panels and matching key packets are all available on the same stock.
Questions we actually get
Hotel key cards FAQ
Will these cards work with my hotel locks?
If your locks read standard 13.56 MHz smart cards — as the major RFID hotel lock platforms do — yes, once we match the chip family and generation your installation reads. Tell us the lock brand and send a photo of a current key card; we confirm compatibility before you commit to a print run.
Can you copy our existing master or guest keys?
No — and nobody reputable can offer that. Hotel keys are encoded by your lock system with its own keys and expiry logic. We supply blank stock; your front desk issues every credential, exactly as it does today.
Do you print custom designs?
Yes — full-color printing with your property branding on the same chip stock, from boutique-scale runs to group volumes. Plain white stock is always available for properties that print on site.
Our locks use magstripe cards — do you cover those?
Yes, under our magstripe card line: standard and high-coercivity stripes in the same CR80 card body, also available custom printed.
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