Short answer: a Nol card is the single ticket for Dubai's metro, tram, buses and water buses. A Silver card costs AED 25 and arrives with AED 19 of travel credit on it. Fares depend on how many zones you cross: AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two adjacent zones and AED 7.5 for anything longer. You need at least AED 7.5 on the card before a gate will let you through, so top up before you plan a long ride.
Which Nol card to buy
Four cards cover every type of traveller. The differences are the price of the card itself, how long it lasts and whether the balance can be recovered if you lose it.
| Card | Price | Credit included | Valid for | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Ticket | AED 2 | none | 90 days, up to 10 journeys or 5 day passes | a short visit or a single airport run |
| Silver | AED 25 | AED 19 | 5 years | most visitors and residents |
| Gold | AED 25 | AED 19 | 5 years | Gold class cabin on metro and tram |
| Personal (Blue) | AED 70 | AED 20 | 5 years | concession fares, balance protected if lost |
The Red Ticket is paper and disposable, so it is the wrong choice if you expect more than a handful of trips. Gold is the same card as Silver with one difference in use: the Gold class cabin is charged at double the normal fare, which the table below shows in full. The Personal card is the only one issued in your name, which is why it is the only one where a lost balance can be recovered.
Anonymous Silver and Gold cards hold up to AED 1,000. Register the card with RTA and the ceiling rises to AED 5,000.
Dubai metro, bus and tram fares in 2026
Dubai charges by zone, not by distance or by time. One journey may include a bus, the metro and a tram; as long as you tap out within the same journey it is priced once, by the zones you crossed.
| Journey | Silver | Gold | Personal (Blue) | Red Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within 1 zone | AED 3 | AED 6 | AED 3 | AED 4 |
| 2 adjacent zones | AED 5 | AED 10 | AED 5 | AED 6 |
| More than 2 zones | AED 7.5 | AED 15 | AED 7.5 | AED 8.5 |
Two numbers matter most in practice. The AED 7.5 top fare is what a long cross-city ride costs on Silver, and it is also the minimum balance the gate looks for. Gold sits at exactly double the Silver fare on every line of the table, so the Gold cabin is a comfort decision rather than a fare band.
Children aged 5 and under travel free. People of determination travel free on a personal card.
Travel passes: when they pay off
If you are riding several times a day, a pass replaces per-trip charging with a flat price for unlimited travel in the zones you choose.
| Pass | 1 zone | 2 zones | All zones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver, 7 days | AED 50 | AED 80 | AED 110 |
| Silver, 30 days | AED 140 | AED 230 | AED 350 |
| Gold, 7 days | AED 100 | AED 160 | AED 220 |
| Gold, 30 days | AED 280 | AED 460 | AED 700 |
| Personal, 7 days | AED 25 | AED 40 | AED 55 |
| Personal, 30 days | AED 70 | AED 115 | AED 175 |
The arithmetic is straightforward. An all-zone Silver 7-day pass at AED 110 matches about 15 long journeys at AED 7.5, so it starts paying for itself at roughly two long rides a day. A 30-day all-zone pass at AED 350 works out at under AED 12 a day, which is less than two long journeys. Quarterly and annual bundles exist as well; RTA sells them on the same zone basis.
Personal card holders pay the lowest pass prices because those rates are concession fares, tied to a card issued in the holder's name.
Minimum balance and how much to top up
Two limits are worth writing down before your first ride:
- AED 7.5 is the minimum balance needed to use public transport. Below that, the gate will not open, whatever your journey costs.
- AED 20 is the minimum top-up at a metro ticket vending machine, so plan for that as your smallest recharge at a station.
A practical habit: keep the balance above the cost of a full cross-city return, which is AED 15 on Silver. That way an unexpected change of plan at the far end of the line does not leave you stuck at a gate.
How to check your Nol balance
The balance is shown to you at several points, and none of them requires registration:
- At the gate. The reader displays the remaining balance and the fare just charged when you tap out.
- Ticket vending machines. Place the card on the reader and the machine shows the balance without starting a purchase.
- Ticket offices and RTA customer happiness centres. Staff can read the card and print the balance.
- Online. RTA runs its Nol services at nol.rta.ae, where a registered Silver or Gold card is linked to your account.
Registering matters for more than convenience. An unregistered card is a bearer instrument: whoever holds it holds the money on it. Registration is also what raises the balance ceiling to AED 5,000.
How to recharge a Nol card
RTA sells and tops up cards through the same set of channels:
- Ticket offices at metro and tram stations
- Ticket vending machines, with AED 20 as the smallest top-up
- RTA customer happiness centres
- Authorised sales agents, including supermarkets and convenience shops near stations
- Online, through Nol services
Buy the card where you land if you can. Dubai International is the world's busiest airport for international traffic, and the machines in the arrivals area are the quickest place to start, before the queues at the first metro station you reach.
Lost, damaged or unreadable card
What you can do depends on which card you hold.
A lost Personal (Blue) card should be reported to RTA customer service on 800 90 90 straight away. Because the card carries your name, the balance can be protected and moved to a replacement.
A lost anonymous Silver or Gold card is only recoverable if you registered it. That is the single strongest reason to spend two minutes on registration when you buy the card.
If a card stops reading at gates but is not lost, take it to a ticket office rather than buying a new one. Staff can test the card and transfer the balance if it has failed.
Planning your trips around the zones
Because the fare is set by zones crossed, grouping errands in one part of the city is what actually lowers the cost, not travelling at particular hours. A day spent along one metro line usually stays inside one or two zones; a day that pairs Deira with Dubai Marina will not.
If you are building a schedule from scratch, our 3, 5 and 7-day Dubai itineraries group sights geographically, which keeps most days inside a single fare band. The same logic applies to a photo route: many of the city's most photogenic spots sit within walking distance of a metro station.
FAQ
How much is a Nol card in Dubai?
A Silver or Gold card costs AED 25 including AED 19 of travel credit. A Personal (Blue) card costs AED 70 including AED 20 of credit. A paper Red Ticket costs AED 2 with no credit on it.
What is the minimum balance on a Nol card?
AED 7.5. Below that the gate will not let you start a journey, even a short one.
How much is a single metro trip in Dubai in 2026?
On a Silver card, AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two adjacent zones and AED 7.5 for longer journeys. Gold class costs double at every step.
Is a monthly pass cheaper than paying per trip?
For an all-zone Silver 30-day pass at AED 350, yes, if you make about two long journeys a day. Below that, per-trip charging is cheaper.
Can I check my Nol balance online?
Yes, through RTA's Nol services at nol.rta.ae, provided the card is registered. Unregistered cards have no online record, which is also why their balance cannot be recovered if the card is lost.
Do children pay on the Dubai metro?
Children aged 5 and under travel free. People of determination travel free on a personal card.
Fares and card prices in this guide follow RTA's published tariffs. Prices are set by the operator and can change, so check rta.ae before buying a long pass.