The NOL card is a rechargeable card that you can obtain at any METRO station. It works for entering and exiting any metro/tram, but also for all public taxis (you will pay as if using a debit card). For us, it was a game-changer as it allowed us to save a lot of money (we had been in Abu Dhabi months before – same taxi rates – and we had spent much more on transportation, even though it was already convenient). Moreover, it is really useful because you can recharge it when and how much you want, which speeds up your travel tremendously.
Note: with the NOL card, you can also return to Abu Dhabi airport. Unfortunately, you cannot purchase the NOL card at the airport, but it is accepted on your return journey, and the fare will be 25 AED instead of 36 (so just over 6€).
But which NOL card should you choose?
The available options are:
Red Card: Suitable for very short stays. It can be recharged for a maximum of 10 trips, and the initial cost of the card is 2AED (0.50€).
Silver Card: The card costs 25AED (6.30€) and includes 19AED (4.80€) of credit that you can use. You can recharge it infinitely, and it never expires. With the SILVER card, each trip costs less. For example, a 5AED trip with the silver card costs 6AED with the red card.
Gold Card: It is the same as the silver card, but each trip costs double. It allows you to use the Gold Class (VIP) compartments. It may seem like an unnecessary expense (and we didn’t take it), but during peak hours, the metro is crowded, while in the GOLD compartments, you will always have more space.
Important: You can recharge NOL cards at any desk with operators, but also at all automatic ticket offices, both with cash and with a debit card.
Every time you use the NOL card to enter/exit a vehicle, you will see the remaining credit on the turnstile.
Which card did we choose?
We opted for the NOL SILVER card, not only because we didn’t know how many metro trips we would take (in the end, it was a lot!) but also because for a few AED of initial cost difference (=1€), we saved a little on each trip, as explained above.
