A QR code that's ready to dial
Scanning this opens the phone app with your number already entered — one tap to call, nothing to save first. It's the leanest QR format on this site, which is exactly why it holds up on signage that gets scanned from a distance: vehicle decals, yard signs, delivery vans, reception desks.
Fill in the fields to see a live preview.
Logo added — error correction bumped to H to help tolerate the overlay. Scan-test the finished code before printing.
- Static
- No expiry
- No redirect
- Generated in your browser
Why not just use a vCard?
A vCard QR code is the right tool when you want someone to save a full contact — name, company, email, address — for later. It's the wrong tool when the only thing that matters is getting a call started right now. Scanning a vCard ends at a "save contact" prompt, which is an extra decision and an extra tap between the scan and the phone actually ringing. A tel: link skips that: it hands the number straight to the dialer, pre-filled, nothing to save, nothing to decide. For a vehicle decal, a yard sign, or a service tag, that one-step difference is the whole point — most people scanning a sign on a moving truck or a lawn sign from the sidewalk aren't going to stop and fill out a contact card first.
The tradeoff is that a plain phone code carries no other information — no business name, no website, nothing to fall back on if the person isn't ready to call immediately. That's a deliberate simplicity, not a missing feature: if you also want people to save your details or visit a website, that's what the vCard and URL generators are for. Use this one when the entire goal, start to finish, is "get someone dialing."
How it works
- Enter the phone number, including the country code with a leading + (e.g. +1 555 123 4567).
- Skip everything else — this is a one-field code on purpose. No name, no company, no fallback URL to fill in.
- Check the preview at the size you'll actually print it, not just on screen — a decal on a van door needs to hold up from a few feet away, not a few inches.
- Download the SVG for vinyl, decals, and anything getting resized (SVG scales without going blurry); grab the PNG for a screen or a quick print job.
- Place it wherever someone would want a one-tap way to call — a van door, a yard sign, a delivery box, a reception desk placard.
Good to know
- Always include the country code, even for a strictly local business — it guarantees the number dials correctly regardless of where the scanning phone's region settings are configured.
- A tel: link is the leanest QR payload there is — just digits — which makes it the most forgiving format to scan from a distance or at a small size. That matters most on vehicle decals and yard signs, scanned from feet away, sometimes through a car window.
- Resist the urge to swap this for a full vCard code — a contact card adds a "save contact" step between the scan and the call. If the goal is "tap and call right now," the tel: link gets there in one step.
- For a work van or trailer, print it at least 1.5–2 inches square and test-scan it from about 6 feet in daylight before you commit to vinyl — that's roughly the distance someone glancing over from a parking spot will be standing.
- If the number has an extension, decide up front whether you actually need it in the code at all — for a direct line meant for one-tap calling, a bare number without an extension is usually the more reliable choice (see the FAQ below on why).
Questions
Does this place the call automatically?
No — scanning opens the phone's dialer with the number entered. The person still has to tap call.
What format should I use for the number?
Include the country code with a leading + (e.g. +1 555 123 4567) so it dials correctly regardless of where the scanner is.
Can I add an extension?
Support is inconsistent, so it's worth knowing the details rather than guessing. Some dialers accept a comma (,) as a short pause before auto-dialing digits that follow — e.g. +15551234567,101 — while others expect a semicolon (;) for "wait for input" instead. Neither is universal, and a few dialers just fail on the combined string. Test the exact code on a couple of phones before printing it anywhere permanent, and for public-facing signage, a bare number without an extension is usually the safer bet.
What's the difference between this and just writing the number as text?
Scanning still requires reading digits either way, but a QR code removes typos entirely — no risk of someone mis-keying a digit from a photo or a glance.
Why use this instead of a vCard QR code with my full contact info?
A vCard is right when you want someone to save your details for later. This tel: code is for the opposite moment — someone in front of a van or sign who wants to call right now, straight to the dialer, no "save contact" step in between.
How big should the code be on a vehicle decal or yard sign?
Bigger than feels necessary. A rough rule of thumb: a QR code scans reliably from about 10 times its own width, so a code meant to be read from 6 feet away wants to be roughly 7 inches across — not a 2-inch sticker that only looks fine up close. Err large and test outdoors before a full print run.
Does this work for a landline or only mobile numbers?
Either — the tel: format doesn't distinguish between mobile and landline. It hands the number to whatever the scanning phone treats as its default calling app.