Skip the Nol Card: How to Buy and Use Dubai’s New QR Tickets
Leaving your physical transport card at home is no longer a travel disaster in Dubai. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has introduced digital QR tickets, allowing commuters to board the Dubai Metro, Tram, and public buses straight from their smartphones without needing a physical nol card.
Getting your hands on one is straightforward, but you have to follow a few specific rules to avoid getting stuck at the turnstile.
How to buy and scan your digital ticket
You can purchase your digital pass before you even step foot near a station by opening either the nol Pay or S’hail app. On the nol Pay app, you can log in using your UAE Pass or simply proceed as a guest. From there, pick either a Single Trip or a 1-Day Pass, choose your travel zones or your exact starting and ending points, select how many tickets you need, pick between Regular or Gold Class, and complete the payment.
Your pass appears instantly in the app, but there is a major catch: you must keep an active internet connection to display and scan it. Taking a screenshot will not work because the QR code refreshes automatically.
When you reach your transport gate, the scanning process depends on where you are:
- Dubai Metro: Open the ticket in the app and hold your phone so the QR code faces the scanner at the blue entry gate until it validates.
- Dubai buses: Hold your phone over the red nol reader near the entrance with the screen facing upwards.
- Dubai Tram: Scan your digital pass directly at the designated nol reader.
Fare structure
Prices vary depending on your zone selection and class, with a Dh2 service fee already bundled into the totals.
| Ticket Category | Class | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| Single Trip (One Zone) | Regular / Gold | Dh6 / Dh10 |
| Single Trip (Two Adjacent Zones) | Regular / Gold | Dh8 / Dh14 |
| Single Trip (All Zones) | Regular / Gold | Dh10.50 / Dh19 |
| 1-Day Pass (All Zones) | Regular / Gold | Dh22 / Dh42 |
Validity, refunds, and rules
Unused digital QR tickets remain valid for 90 days from the purchase date. Once you activate a 1-Day Pass, it stays valid only until midnight on that same day, rather than lasting for a full 24 hours from activation. According to the RTA, Single Trip tickets allow up to 10 trips, while one-day passes allow up to five trips.
You can buy multiple tickets in a single transaction if you are managing group travel; once you use a ticket, just tap ‘North’, wait, tap ‘Next’ in the app to pull up the next QR code. Keep in mind that every ticket is strictly personal, meaning you cannot forward, share, or transfer it to another passenger.
If you end up with unused tickets you no longer need, you can claim a cash refund at any Ticket Office Machine within 30 days of purchase, provided the QR code is still valid and has never been scanned. A Dh2 refund fee applies to each ticket, and any passes that were copied, shared, or ruined by misuse will be rejected. These digital passes work exclusively on the Dubai Metro, Tram, and public buses, and cannot be used on other transport networks.
