We get many comments asking which ticket a particular user should buy for their journeys. Unfortunately we are unable to respond to every request as it would involve knowing exactly what journeys you make, how frequently, which zones you travel through and whether you have access to a registered Nol card so that you can buy longer length season tickets.
Once we have this information, we still need to make calculations based on what you tell us and we simply don’t have the resources to do that.
What you need to do if you are wondering which Dubai Metro ticket you should buy (or indeed which ticket for all public transport in Dubai – Metro, Tram and Bus), is to work out how many journeys you do each day, or each week, or for the duration of your trip and how much they will cost.
You can check how many zones you will be travelling through on the map page (just count the zones and ignore the zone numbers). Then find the journey price on the tickets page.
Add up the cost of the tickets that you will be purchasing separately and see if that cost comes to more or less than the price of the season ticket you are looking at (whether that is daily, weekly or monthly etc). If you are going to pay more in single journey tickets then you should buy the appropriate season ticket. You can also find season ticket prices on the tickets page.
If you want anything longer than a weekly ticket then you either need a blue Nol card or a registered silver or gold Nol card to be able to purchase one.
Each traveller needs their own ticket, you cannot share tickets (Nol cards). Children under 5 years old and under 90cm can travel free. Otherwise they pay the normal fares.
Best Ticket for Visitors
Note that if you are a visitor and you are looking to buy a season ticket then you will only be able to buy the daily or the weekly season tickets and not ones that last any longer. You can buy the daily ticket for 20 dirhams on a red ticket. You can buy weekly tickets on a silver (or gold) Nol card.
If you are wondering whether to buy a red ticket or a silver ticket (without buying a season ticket) then you also need to work out how many journeys you will make and at what cost.
The red Nol costs 2 dirhams to buy and the silver costs 6 dirhams (plus the value of the tickets on the card) but journeys generally cost 1 dirham more using the red Nol card so if you make more than 4 journeys it might be worth getting the silver card rather than the red one. Also, the red ticket is only valid for 90 days and the silver ticket is valid for 5 years so if you are likely to visit Dubai again it may be worth buying the silver ticket to use it on another visit.
It can be quite confusing but we have tried to provide all of the information that you might need to work out your best option for you.
Hi I’m planning on getting a silver nol card. Is the single fare based on how many trips or just which zone? For example, if I am doing trips all day back and forth but within the same zone, then is the charge every time I travel or just once for being in the zone?
Also, if i buy a single ticket at the metro but also catch a bus after the metro, will that be two tickets or covered by the single fare purchase at the metro station? So in short, does the single fare cover switching all transport type?
Thanks
A single ticket allows you to take a trip on multiple forms of transport as long as you transfer over within 30 minutes. You will need to buy a separate ticket for each trip otherwise. if you travel all day within one zone you are better off buying a day ticket.
I want to buy Weekly Silver Class – where can I buy it?
You can buy it at the ticket offices at Metro stations.
Hello. I have 7 days to dubai. So i want to ask:
1. I travel to 2 zones. If i take the red nol for 10 trips how is the total of it?
2. Can i take also bus-tram with red nol?
3. Can i pay to the auto-machines with digital/phone pay?
4. If i buy the silver card and top-up an amount, if i don’t use it, can that be re-funded?
5. Where can i find tickets to terminal A, in the airport?
Thanks.
Hi, sorry we don’t have the capacity to answer individual questions on costs – please see this page.
You can also use the nol card on the bus and tram and can pay with your phone. No, you can’t get amounts refunded.
Hello, I’m going to travel to Dubai for 5 days, with my family, two children aged 4.9, two adults. what is the most affordable price for the metro
The children don’t need tickets as they are under 5. Both adults need their own ticket and you can check out what is best by reading this post.
Hi,
We are a family with 3 A and will be stay at Dubai 3 days.
what the difference between day pass and red Nol card? If we use a Red Nol Card from Zone 6 to Zone 5 one trip, after that from Zone 5 to Dubai marina, thats mean we have have to refill the card before we take the trip again?
Best regards
Fanny
You can pay for individual trips on the red nol on the same form of transport or you can buy a one day ticket. In any case you have to pay before you travel.
Hi
Can I pay with the silver card for water bus or monorail?
If i buy a weekly ticket on my silver card for 1 zone does it mens that i can use it only in one zone or i just can’t cross zones with one fare ?
If i i have a silver weekly tictet for 1 zone and I will need to go to another zone , how shall i do it?
Best Regards
Tomas
You can use the silver nol for water bus but not palm monorail.
If you buy a weekly pass for 1 zone you can only travel in that zone with the weekly ticket. That is why you must have a minimum balance of 7.50 dirhams on your card as this will be used to pay for a journey that is outside your weekly ticket.
hello ! I’m going to Dubai for the first time in December, what type of ticket should I buy for a week and what does it cover for all the trips I need to get to know the city (round trip to the GSS Palace hotel). What value should the card have, so as not to have any type of problem using the subway or bus or train. Can I buy the NOL card online? thanks for your help! greetings Nicoleta
Hi, sorry we can’t answer detailed questions individually – please see this post for more information.
Hi, My boss is going to visit Arab heath 2023, he will stay there for 7 days, and he need metro card for 7 days for 2 zones ( Zone 6 & Zone 2), is the silver Nol cards is ok for him for multiple trips for 7 days ?
Can after buy silver Nol cards of 6 dirhams with credit amount of 80 Dirham is sufficient for unlimited trips for 2 zones ?
Is this valid for metro only or for Bus and tram too ?
Hi, yes he can buy a silver Nol for 25 dirhams which includes 19 dirhams in credits. He can then load that with a weekly ticket if that is what works out best for him, or just load up with cash and pay for each trip if that works out cheaper. The Silver Nol is valid on metro, bus and tram.
For Silver NOL, as a tourist what documents required to purchase it from the ticket counter? I guess Passport and Visa. Or anything more?
Anyone can buy a silver nol, you don’t need any kind of ID.
HI I am three days in Dubai & I want to visit Burj khalifa / Dubai Gold souk/ Dubai Marina
& Miracle garden with my family so which card I have to buy & My hotel near to Dubai Airport (DXB).
Its best one day pass for three day or one week pass good.
Please advise me thanks
Hi I’m sorry we can’t answer individual queries – you need to work out how many journeys you are going to make and see if the daily ticket makes it cheaper. All prices are shown here.
Hi I’m travelling to Dubai in September 2022 for a week and was wondering other than dubai mall, mall of emirates and gold souk stops what other places are popular/recommended stations to get off at? Also I’m a British student, will I be eligible for the blue concession nol card?
Hi, there are lots of things to see in Dubai at many of the stops but we are unable to give personal recommendations. You can only get the blue Nol card for a student if you are studying at a UAE establishment.
Hellow, what ticket will i need for my 5days stay in dubai near the union metro station and will be working at dubail internet city. Thank you
Hi, check out which ticket should I buy?
Hi
I’m travelling to Dubai will be staying in The Al Barsha Area. I will be travelling couple to times during the day to zone 2-6. which pass will allow me to travel unlimited number of times during that one day?
Thanks
Hi, if you buy a one day pass then that allows you unlimited journeys, as do any of the specified time passes.
Do i need to buy tickets for my 2 yr and 7 yr old children
Hi, the 2 year old is free but 7 year old will need to pay – see FAQs.
are disable child and his parents traveling for free ?
People of Determination can travel free with a Blue Nol card but as we understand it, parents need to pay the full fare.
I will be in Dubai from December 29 2019 to January 2 2020 I think that I will only be traveling in zone 6 from the ADCB metro station to the Business station. It will probably be one trip each way per day. What do you think I will need to get for a NOI card and how many dirham’s should I plan to load on it.
Thanks
Greg
You will probably only need a red nol card and you can load each trip on there. It holds up to a maximum of 10 trips. You load the exact amount for each trip.
Hi,
I am tourist.
I am coming to dubai in next month.I have question.
which is near by station to citymax hotel bur dubai.
how to reach the palm Atlantic aquaventure by metro?
how to reach la mer beach by metro?
Hi Amit, and sorry for the delay in replying. ADCB is the nearest metro station. You can reach Aquaventure by using the Palm Monorail (not the metro). Unfortunately La Mer is not particularly near a metro station.
Thanks dear for reply 😊
You mean its better to buy silver nol and charge it every day with (for example 15 dhs) which covers 2 maximum trips ?
Or its better to buy red card trip by trip separately?
You could buy the red nol but that is only valid for 10 single trips and they cost more on the red nol. Silver card comes preloaded with 19 dirhams, so yes you can buy that and top up. Check out this page for more info: http://dubai-metro.me/nol-card/
Hi, I have two inquiries
1) i’ll be in dubai this month for a course for 5 days, am planning to make a daily shopping trip from Nakheel station to Dubai mall or to mall of Emirates, so its a one trip daily after course and coming back, that’s may be around 10-12 trips during this stay, what is the best ticket for me?
2) i’ll be with my family (3 other members) on december for about 10 days, we need to make daily trip to one specific mall and come back, so about 10 trips to malls and 10 trips back during the stay for 4 persons, what is the best ticketing solution here?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Temo, if you only make 2 trips per day then you would probably be better off just doing a pay as you go with a silver Nol card during both trips. The maximum fare for one trip is 7.5 dirhams so it is not worth paying for a daily ticket for 20 dirhams or a weekly ticket for 110 dirhams unless you make more trips.
I am a tourist will be traveling to Dubai and will be staying for 4 days. Which NOI cards should I buy to avail trips for 4 days.
it really depends on which trips you are going to make as per the above article.
Im starting from rashydia and getting down at oud Mehta both r in 1 zone 5 but it’s passing thru zone 6. Charges will be 1 zone or 2 zones..
Apologies but the map had an error in the zones which has now been corrected. That journey is 2 zones.