An extremely simple, low‐cost, chipless RFID reader is demonstrated. The reader consists of only a single voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) as the detector front end. The information from the chipless RFID tag appears as a low‐frequency variation on the VCO DC bias supply which is readily detected and demodulated. Experimental results are shown for successful detection of a 10‐bit RFID tag, operating over the frequency range 2.4–3.4 GHz. The results when compared with those taken from a vector network analyser (VNA) prove that the VCO detector can provide a similar level of performance to the more sophisticated VNA arrangement. The proposed solution provides a significant simplification of the chipless RFID reader.