Your Nol Card, the trusted little piece of plastic that gets you access on public transport without the need of your wallet has more way more benefits than you may realise, and even more on the way.
As well as helping you get from A to B on the tram, bus, water bus or metro, the Nol card, which now functions as a smart card, offers so many more opportunities that could see you leaving your credit card at home for good in the very near future.
After we were inundated with emails of thanks from readers following our report on the numerous benefit you can get from your Emirates ID card, we decided to update you on all the cool things you can also get from the Nol card (*do note some of these are services that will come soon):
Travel around Dubai and pay for parking using a single card
With Nol Card, all you need to do is ‘touch & go’, which means you simply tap your card on a the card reader at the entry and exit gates of Metro and water bus stations; at the entrance of every RTA Bus and on all RTA parking metres. The system will automatically deduct the correct fare from your card. Cards must have more than the minimum Dhs1.80 in order to check in.
Enter Dubai Public Parks
According to Mohammed Julfar, assistant director general for corporate support sector at Dubai Municipality, major public parks across Dubai will be fitted with smart gates, where you can use your Nol card to enter. The gates are expected to launch within the first quarter of 2017. “The system will work similar to the public transport system where each person will use their own Nol card to enter parks,” said Julfar.
Pay For Your Taxi, Uber Or Careem With Nol*
While you can currently pay for your RTA taxi journey with your Nol card (only a limited amount of taxis cars allow this service), you will soon be able to pay for your Uber and Careem, too. According to Channel4fm: “The new service will be called the RTA transit hub, and will allow customers to pay for services like taxis, buses, metros and trams, as well as services that have not has access to Nol Card payment before like The Palm Jumeirah Monorail, the Dubai trolley, and limo services.”
Read: 18 Dubai #FirstWorldProblems We Can All Relate To
Read: Dubai Is Second Most-Improved Liveable City In The World
Read: Driverless Taxis Are Coming To Dubai
Pay For You Groceries*
After RTA launched a Nol credit card in collaboration with EmiratesNBD, there has now been talks of enabling Nol cards for grocery shopping.
Free Travel For Travellers With Disabilities
Disabled people travel free-of-charge on Dubai Buses and Metro. UAE National senior citizens and students from all nationalities get 50 per cent off with Nol Blue Card.
How To Get To A Nol Card In Dubai:
Where to Buy:
You can purchase a Nol card from any RTA customer service centre or at the metro stations. For more information, visit RTA online.
Nol card prices
There are four different cards to choose from.
Nol Red Ticket a paper-based card ideal for day-trippers visiting the emirate. It’s valid for 90 days from the day of purchasing or maximum allowed trips have been consume. It can be loaded with 10 trips and used only on one mode of transport at a time.
Nol Silver Card can be loaded with up to Dhs1,000 for non-registered and Dhs5,000 after registration. The card can be purchased at any ticket office and some ticket machines for Dhs25 (includes Dhs19 e-purse value). It can used on all modes of transport.
Nol Blue Card can be loaded with up to Dhs5,000. You can use this card on all modes of transport. Enjoy a secure card balance if your card is lost or stolen. Enjoy a variety of secure and personalised online services and receive SMS and email notifications to keep you updated.
Nol Gold Card has the same features as the Silver Card, but also gives access to Metro’s Gold Class seats for premium charges.
When used on other modes of transport with no Gold Class, you will not be charged the premium.
