"Just connect with me on LinkedIn" has genuinely replaced the business card exchange in plenty of professional settings — but the two aren't quite substitutes for each other, and dropping physical cards entirely has a real cost in certain situations.
LinkedIn wins for depth and ongoing visibility
A LinkedIn profile shows work history, mutual connections, posts, and endorsements — far more context than a card ever could, and it stays updated automatically as your career changes, unlike a printed card.
A physical card wins for the in-person moment itself
Pulling out a phone to search and send a LinkedIn request mid-conversation is more friction than handing over a card, and it interrupts the natural flow of a first meeting in a way a quick card exchange doesn't.
Not everyone you meet is easy to find on LinkedIn
Common names, inactive profiles, or people who simply aren't big LinkedIn users make a "I'll just look you up" plan unreliable — a card guarantees the contact information actually gets exchanged regardless.
Some industries and regions still lean heavily on physical cards
In several business cultures and industries, particularly customer-facing and retail-adjacent sectors, a printed card remains the default professional courtesy — showing up without one can read as unprepared.
The practical answer: use both, and let each do its job
Hand over a card for the immediate exchange and the physical gesture, and let LinkedIn handle the ongoing relationship and deeper context afterward — a QR code on the card linking straight to your profile bridges the two smoothly.