Nol Cards: The Definitive Guide (2023)
Hey folks, welcome to our ultimate guide for nol card users in Dubai.
In this new guide I’ll show you:
- Types of nol cards and which one to choose
- Perfect nol passes according to your needs
- How to apply for a suitable nol card
- Lots more
So without further ado, Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Types Of nol Cards
If you live in Dubai, you’ve probably used nol cards for day-to-day payments or at least you must’ve heard about it.
No problem, your curiosity about this fantastic smart card will be fulfilled before this article ends.
From its types to its endless uses, In this guide, we’ll cover every aspect of nol.
For the ease of users, RTA issued various cards for different use cases. For example: Nol silver gives you economical traveling without breaking the bank. On the other hand, nol Gold gives you a luxury experience by adding some extra dirhams. Moreover, for students, senior citizens, and people of determination, there is a special nol Blue card.
Nol Silver Card: A budget-friendly Option
When it comes to public transport, the majority of travelers want to choose an affordable option. Whether you are a daily commuter or a tourist with a limited budget, with the nol Silver card, you can save some extra bucks to manage your expenses.
Nol Gold Card: Luxury Experience in Gold Class
If you want to have a travel experience in Gold class, you can simply buy nol Gold Card. This smart card is specifically designed for the corporate class and allows you to skip the hectic of public transport and relax on your way to the office.
Nol Blue Card: A Personalized Card
The Blue Card, officially called a Personal Card, caters to the needs of students, senior citizens, and people of determination.
If you are in your student life and your age is between 5 to 23, you must know the importance of financial management.
What if I tell you this card gives you straight 50% off on public transport throughout your student life?
The only thing to remember is to renew the card every year by providing your student documents (e.g. Student ID Card)
If you are over the age of 60, or if you’ve any sort of disability, you can avail the same 50% concession in the fares of public transport.
Moreover, recently it was announced that nol blue card holders can avail of free parking with digital parking permits.
Nol Red Card: Unlimited Travel For One Day
If you are on a trip to explore Dubai for 1 day then this card should be your be your choice. nol Red card allows you unlimited travel around the city for one day (till midnight). It is a paper based red ticket.
Additionally, if you want to travel unlimitedly, than you can purchase 1-day pass.
Virtual nol Card: Only For Huawei Users
What if we can use our nol card without even carrying it? It will be easier to utilize it.
To carry on the same thought, the Roads & Transport Authority announced a Digital Card, that can be used using your Huawei Smartphone (Currently it is only available for Huawei users).
This virtual card can be used just like other nol Silver, Gold, Blue, and Red cards (as you choose). The only difference between them is digital card will be in your Wallet app rather than physically available.
Activate Virtual Card
To activate Virtual Card, you’ll just need to sign up in the wallet app using your Huawei ID. After this go to “Transportation card” and click on the + button. After providing all the required details, make the payment via “Dubai Pay”.
Digitalize nol Physical Card
In case you want to digitalize your existing physical card, you’ll have to sync. data from your physical card to the wallet app. The rest of the procedure is the same as for the new card.
Section 2: Get Your nol Card
Where to Purchase?
You can get your card from the following places:
Cost
Requirements
Section 3: Nol Card Passes
After getting your desired nol card, you can use your balance on the card as tap and go. If you travel within Dubai very rarely, this option is usable for you. But if you are a frequent traveler, you can get nol passes. It’s like a subscription model in which you can get nol pass for 1-day, 7-day, 30-day, 90-day, and 365 days.
For example, if you are someone who goes to the office daily, you can get a 90-day or 365-day pass as per your needs.
If you are on a trip to this vibrant city, you can opt for a 1-day, 7-day, or 30-day pass as per the duration of your trip.
These nol travel passes allow you unlimited commutes in different zones.
Where to Purchase?
There’re three ways to get your travel pass, The easiest one is via nol Pay App.
Simply login to the application using your UAE pass. Click on Buy Travel Pass under Buy Product section. Once done make the payment by pacing your Debit/Credit card on NFC chip of your mobile.
You can also purchase nol pass from Vending Machines or Metro Offices.
nol Pass Prices
Eligibility
Anyone with physical card or a virtual card can purchase these passes. You don’t have to be registered user to get this.
Section 4: Nol Card Usage
While Traveling in any mode of transport in Dubai, you can use nol card to pay for fares. Here are some of them:
The usage of nol card is not limited to public transport. Whether you are going for a grocery shopping or a weekend dinner with family, you can utilize it. The following merchants currently accept payments via nol cards:
Restaurants
No need to carry cash every time you go for dinner, you can use your nol balance in the following restaurants. even sometimes they offer special discounts for nol users:
Supermarkets
Getting your grocery from supermarkets make it easier for you to find everything under a roof. To keep the requirements of users in mind, RTA announced to accept nol payments at the following hypermarkets:
Fuel Stations
Sometimes we are on a long trip with a shortage of cash and we know that we are running out of fuel. Isn’t it?
Keeping nol card with some balance can save you in this scenario. One of the popular fuel station chains ENOC/EPPCO accepts nol card payments
Clinics and Pharmacies
In this era, visiting Doctors and Taking medicines daily have become everyone need. Lets suppose you asked for a medicine in pharmacy and you got to know that you are short of cash. In this case, nol balance can be a savior for you. Here is a list of Clinics and Pharmacies accepting nol cards:
AutoPro
If you are a car geek in Dubai and care for your vehicle very well, you must have visited AutoPro at least once. They provide a variety of automotive services. And the good thing about them is they too accept nol cards.
Img Theme Park
Whenever a tourist visits Dubai, one of their bucket list locations is IMG Theme Park near Global Village. And it becomes easier for the tourists to pay for the entertainment via nol wallet.
Tasjeel
From vehicle testing to RTA registrations and from driving licenses to number plate services, we all need to visit Tasjeel. As an nol user, you can pay for any type of government service.
Palm Monorail
You can now use nol card on your palm monorail journey.
Section 5: Manage Your nol Card
Check The Balance
It’s important to well manage your nol card so that when you need it anytime, you have it ready. To travel on public transport, Your card must have a minimum 7.5 AED of balance. That is why it is important to check your card balance before traveling.
To check your remaining balance, head over to the official RTA website. Go to the Public Transport page and click on the “Check nol Balance” button.
Recharge Your Card
Once you know the remaining credits in the wallet, you can easily recharge the card if it is necessary with the following methods:
nol-to-nol balance transfer:
If you do not have any option available to top-up your nol card. You can transfer the balance of your friend’s card to yours. Isn’t it interesting?
Yes, If other cardholders want to transfer their credit to your card, it can be done through the RTA app.
The only thing you need to check is your mobile has an NFC chip installed in it.
Once activate NFC on your phone, Go to the RTA app and find the “nol to nol transfer” option. After this, you’ll just have to tap the both sender’s and receiver’s cards one by one to successfully share the balance.
Section 6: Troubleshooting Typical Problems
While using your nol card, you may face certain issues sometimes. Don’t worry these can be fixed with minimal effort. Let’s discuss some of the common issues:
Section 7: RTA Partnerships
To reach out to a broader audience and benefit the maximum number of Emiratis, RTA has partnered with some big brands to launch hybrid cards.
For example: RTA and Emaar collaborated and provided Emaar nol cards to the users. In a similar way, RTA signed an MOU with Emirates to launch the Emirates Islamic Card and Emirates NBD card.
Emaar nol Card
In the collaboration between RTA and Emaar Entertainment, they’ve launched a smart card, the Emaar RTA card. It allows you to avail up to 40% off on visiting various attractions in Dubai including Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall.
Here are the places where you can get your card:
RTA Credit Card
The Emirates Islamic RTA Card is a multipurpose card. It is a card that caters to the needs of your traveling as well as daily life needs. You can use this as your regular credit card as well as nol card for transportation.
So rather than keeping 2 cards in your wallet, you can opt for this single card.
To apply for an RTA credit card, visit Emirates Islamic’s official website. Fill up the required details and submit the form.
Emirates NBD nol Card – Go4it Card
Another coalition happened between Emirates NBD and RTA to initialize the Go4it card. This card allows you to get various benefits including earning nol plus points along the way.
Apart from public transportation, you can avail discounts on movie tickets and free rides on Dubai Ferry.
Getting this card is as simple as applying for other cards. Visit Emirates NBD’s official website and choose “Go4it Visa Gold Debit Card”. Click on the Apply now button and follow the remaining procedure.
If you want to ask anything else about nol cards, feel free to ask in the comment section below.
i lost my nol card and i want to transfer all money into new nol card
Read this to know the process of transfer/refund nol balance
After this, block your lost nol card