A method and apparatus for reducing power consumption associated with establishing a connection in a near field communication system is disclosed. According to some embodiments, when requesting an active mode NFC connection, the initiator device can selectively extend transmission of its NFC carrier signal by an extended time period after transmitting a request frame to the target device. The extended time period, a value for which is embedded into the request frame, allows the target device additional time to stabilize its clock signal and transmit its own NFC carrier signal back to the initiator device. As a result, the initiator device may enable its NFC clock generator according to the value of the extended time period.