Dubai Metro Card Price – NOL Card Cost, Fares & Monthly Pass
Complete Dubai Metro card price guide — how much every NOL card type costs to buy, all metro fare prices by zone, daily caps, monthly pass prices, student and concession rates, and which card gives the best value for your travel pattern.
🥈 Silver NOL Card: AED 25 (AED 5 fee + AED 20 credit) — standard fare card for all passengers
🥇 Gold NOL Card: AED 25 — Gold Class cabin access, ~2x Silver fares on metro
🎓 Student NOL Card: Free — ~50% discount fares, enrolled students only
🔵 Blue NOL Card: Free — for People of Determination and concession groups
📅 Monthly Pass (Silver): AED 350 | Monthly Pass (Gold): AED 700
Dubai Metro Card (NOL Card) Purchase Prices
The Dubai Metro card is officially known as the NOL card — a prepaid contactless smart card issued by RTA Dubai and accepted on all Dubai Metro, RTA Bus, Dubai Tram, and Water Bus services. There are five NOL card types, each with a different purchase price and fare structure. The most widely used is the Silver NOL card — available to anyone at any metro station TVM without registration or eligibility requirements.
| Card Type | Purchase Price | Card Fee | Usable Credit | Who Can Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥈 Silver NOL Card | AED 25 | AED 5 | AED 20 | Anyone — no restrictions |
| 🥇 Gold NOL Card | AED 25 | AED 5 | AED 20 | Anyone — no restrictions |
| 🔵 Blue NOL Card | Free | None | — | People of Determination only |
| 🎓 Student NOL Card | Free | None | — | Enrolled UAE students only |
| 🔴 Red NOL Ticket | AED 2 + fare | AED 2 | 1–10 trips | Tourists — single/multi trip |
Dubai Metro Fare Prices by Zone – All Card Types
Dubai Metro fares are zone-based — the price you pay depends on how many fare zones your journey crosses, not the number of stops. Dubai Metro is divided into zones — Zone 1 covers shorter journeys of 1–3 stops, Zone 2 covers longer intra-zone journeys, and the All Zones fare applies to any journey crossing multiple zone boundaries. The daily cap means your total fare deductions stop once you hit the cap — all further journeys that day are free.
| Journey Zone | Silver Fare | Gold Fare | Student Fare | Blue (Concession) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 (short) | AED 4.00 | AED 8.00 | AED 2.00 | AED 1.00 |
| Zone 2 (medium) | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 | AED 2.50 | AED 1.50 |
| All Zones (long) | AED 7.50 | AED 14.00 | AED 4.00 | AED 2.00 |
| Daily Cap | AED 18.00 | AED 36.00 | AED 9.00 | AED 4.00 |
| RTA Bus | AED 3.00 | AED 3.00 | AED 1.50 | AED 1.00 |
| Dubai Tram | AED 3.00 | AED 3.00 | AED 1.50 | AED 1.00 |
Dubai Metro Fare Examples – Popular Routes
Use these common Dubai Metro journey fares as a quick reference for your trip planning. All prices are for a Silver NOL card single journey one-way fare. Return journeys simply double the fare unless the daily cap is reached.
| From → To | Line | Zone | Silver Fare | Gold Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Airport T3 → Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall | Red | Zone 2 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| Dubai Airport T3 → Dubai Marina | Red | All Zones | AED 7.50 | AED 14.00 |
| Union → BurJuman | Red/Green | Zone 1 | AED 4.00 | AED 8.00 |
| Deira City Centre → Mall of the Emirates | Red | Zone 2 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| Rashidiya → UAE Exchange | Red | All Zones | AED 7.50 | AED 14.00 |
| Dubai Airport T1 → T3 | Red | Zone 1 | AED 4.00 | AED 8.00 |
Dubai Metro Monthly Pass Prices
The NOL card monthly pass is the most cost-effective option for anyone using Dubai Metro daily. At AED 350 for Silver, the monthly pass pays for itself in as few as 20 return journeys — compared to paying per trip at AED 5–7.50 each way. The pass provides unlimited rides across all metro zones, all RTA buses, and Dubai Tram for one full calendar month from activation date.
🥈 Silver Monthly Pass
AED 350/month
Unlimited metro + bus + tram. All zones. Best for daily Silver class commuters.
🥇 Gold Monthly Pass
AED 700/month
Unlimited Gold Class metro + standard bus + tram. All zones. Best for premium daily commuters.
🎓 Student Monthly Pass
~AED 175/month
Unlimited student-rate metro + bus + tram. Enrolled UAE students only. Applied via nol.ae.
| Pass Type | Monthly Cost | Break-Even Trips | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Monthly Pass | AED 350 | ~47 Zone 2 trips | Daily commuters, 20+ trips/month |
| Gold Monthly Pass | AED 700 | ~50 Zone 2 trips | Daily Gold Class commuters |
| Student Monthly Pass | ~AED 175 | ~35 Zone 2 trips | Students commuting daily |
| Pay Per Trip (Silver) | Varies | — | Occasional travellers, tourists |
Which Dubai Metro Card Is Best Value for You?
🏙️ Daily Commuter
Best: Silver Monthly Pass AED 350 — unlimited rides, pays back in ~3 weeks of daily commuting. Saves AED 100–150 vs pay-per-trip monthly.
✈️ Tourist (3–7 days)
Best: Silver NOL Card AED 25 — AED 20 initial credit covers most tourist trips. Top up if needed. Red ticket only worth it for 1–2 trips.
🎓 Student
Best: Student NOL Card — Free — ~50% off every trip. Apply via school. Saves AED 175+/month vs Silver card for daily commuters.
💼 Business / Premium
Best: Gold Monthly Pass AED 700 — guaranteed comfortable seat, no crowding, productive commute. Worth it for 5-day-week metro users.