By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 3 min read
What types of nol card are there?
RTA names four products you will meet:
- Red ticket: the paper ticket for occasional riders.
- Silver card: the standard reloadable card.
- Gold card: a reloadable card that also lets you sit in Gold Class on the Metro.
- Blue personal card: a registered card. People of determination travel free on Dubai buses and Metro on it, and students, residents and UAE national seniors get 50% off.
Visitors normally need only the first three. If you are staying in a hotel, the Blue card is not for you.
RTA does not publish card prices or validity on its fare and card pages, so look at the ticket machine for the purchase price before you pay.
Red ticket or Silver card: which should a tourist buy?
Compare the RTA fares per trip.
| Trip | Red ticket | Silver card | Gold card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within 1 zone | AED 4 | AED 3 | AED 6 |
| 2 adjacent zones | AED 6 | AED 5 | AED 10 |
| More than 2 zones | AED 8.50 | AED 7.50 | AED 15 |
Children aged 5 and under ride free on all cards.
A Silver card is cheaper on every trip. The Red ticket makes sense for two or three rides in a short stay, because there is no card to carry afterwards. Staying a week or more with daily trips favours Silver.
The Metro guide lists the stations you will use and the opening hours.
Where can you buy a nol card at DXB and in the city?
RTA lists these points of sale: ticket offices, ticket vending machines, RTA customer happiness centres, authorised sales agents and online. Metro stations at the airport are Airport Terminal 3 and Airport Terminal 1 on the Red Line. Check the station you plan to use for which card it sells.
If you arrive at night, no train is running. Metro hours end at midnight on most days and at 01:00 on Fridays. Our late-night arrivals guide covers the other ways in.
How do you top up and check a nol card balance?
RTA runs a nol services portal at nol.rta.ae for balance and online services. The card page confirms a minimum balance of AED 7.50 to check in on the Metro. RTA also advises registering Silver and Gold cards online, which protects the balance if the card is lost.
The balance matters in two ways. A card with less than AED 7.50 may not open the gate. And RTA fines AED 200 for travelling without a valid card.
What else can you pay for with a nol card?
Silver and Gold cards are RTA’s cards for Metro, tram and bus trips. RTA seats ferry passengers in Silver and Gold class, the same names as the cards, but we have not confirmed nol payment on each boat, so check at the marine station. Abras take cash. For the boats, read Dubai water taxi, ferry and abra.
Parking is a separate system with its own payment methods, which the Dubai parking guide explains.
What happens to the leftover balance when you leave?
RTA’s pages do not describe a refund process for unused balance. We have not confirmed one. Either spend the balance before leaving, or keep the card for your next visit. For an official answer, call RTA on 800 90 90.
Metro fares by zone, travel passes and the alternative
RTA also sells 7-day travel passes. On Silver, the 7-day pass costs AED 50 for 1 zone, AED 80 for 2 zones and AED 110 for all zones. Gold is twice the price. Anonymous cards can only apply for the 7-day pass, not the longer ones.
Add up your own trips before buying. A pass beats single fares only when you ride the Metro most days. If your plan is one airport arrival and a few hotel hops, a car is simpler. See airport transfers and a car with driver for the other end of the trip, and the Dubai travel guide for the wider plan.
Photos in this guide
Blue leather seats and a wave-pattern floor inside a Gold Class Dubai Metro cabinTim Adams / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Gold Class platform marking and screen doors at BurJuman Metro station on the Green LineTim Wu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Platform screen doors at a Dubai Metro station with the Green Line route map overheadFabio Achilli / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
