First week
Time
5 min
Cost
AED 25 (incl. AED 19 credit)
Difficulty
Easy
What to bring
Cash or card
Not needed: Any ID. Nol Silver is anonymous
Not needed: Emirates ID (only the personalised Blue card wants it)
Your options
Nol Silver
The default. Buy it at any station
AED 25 incl. AED 19 credit
Sold at every Metro station machine and counter. Tap in/out on Metro, tram, and buses; fares deduct by zones travelled.
Nol Blue (personalised)
Photo card with balance protection
AED 70
Registered to you, refundable if lost, and required for student/senior discounts. Order online; takes a few days.
Monthly passes
For daily commuters
AED 140 to 350/mo
Zone-based unlimited passes loaded onto your Nol. Worth it only if you ride the Metro twice a day, every day.
Prices checked June 2026
Do it
- 1
Buy a Silver card at any Metro station
Machines and staffed counters both sell them. AED 25 gets you the card plus AED 19 of credit.
- 2
Top up
Machines, the RTA app, or auto top-up online. Keep AED 7.5+ on it or the gates refuse entry.
- 3
Tap in and out every ride
Fares are zone-based (AED 3 to 7.5). Forgetting to tap out charges the maximum fare.
- 4
Use it beyond transit
Nol pays for RTA parking meters, water buses, and tap-payments at some shops and pharmacies.
Words you'll hear
Nol cardnole
The transit card. Metro, tram, buses, even some taxis. AED 25 at any station, with credit included.
Saliksah-LIK
The automatic road toll. AED 4 to 6 per gate, billed to the car. Why your taxi fare jumps on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Common questions
Which Nol card do I get?
The silver card (AED 25 with AED 19 credit) covers almost everyone. Gold class costs double per trip for a quieter cabin, a luxury, not a necessity.
Can I actually live car-free?
In Marina/JBR, Downtown, Deira, yes, metro plus Careem covers it. JVC, Mirdif, and villa land assume a car; check the neighbourhoods comparison before signing a lease.
What's Salik?
The road toll, AED 4 to 6 per gate, charged automatically to the car. It's the driver's cost (and shows up in some taxi fares), not something pedestrians touch.
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Settli app for Dubai.