Dubai Metro online Nol top-up may take 48 hours

If you are planning a trip on public transportation in Dubai and you would like to use the online top-up facility to (re)charge your Nol card, it is important to complete this transaction at least two days in advance, or you might find yourself in front of closed doors.

The Nol card is the payment method used for almost all public transportation means in the emirate. Apart from the option to recharge the card at the point of departure, the top up can be done online, using a debit or credit card.

However, a 48-hour period should be taken in consideration as the new Nol card balance may not be immediately updated.

“All Metro gates and parking meters may take up to 48 hours to receive your top up request made through Nol eServices,” reads a notice on the website where the online deposit can be done.

“We are working on a system where all the machines will be online and can instantly update the Nol balance when customers tap their card on it,” said Khalid Al Awadhi, Director of the Automatic Collections System (ASC) at the Road and Transport Authority (RTA).

When a customer tops up the balance of a Nol card online, the money is stored on the card.

The top up will only be activated when the traveler taps the card at a payment facility. However, these facilities are not instantly updated.
To be on the safe side, the RTA requires 48 hours to update all the Metro station readers, parking machines and ticket vending machines, he explained. 

The online top up facility became available in 2011, when the Silver and Gold Nol card could be personalised for the first time.

By inserting the number of the card and filling out the personal details requested, the Nol card is registered and can be topped up. The Blue Nol card can be topped up without prior registration as it is already personalised.

The online facility is expected to rise in popularity, pointed Khalid out. “The numbers are increasing by the day, and these numbers will be increased dramatically in the near future due to the penetration of electronic and online channels.”

Louloua Yousif Al Asmakh, Deputy Director and Clearing and Settlement Manager at the Unified Automated Fare Collection Department at RTA mentioned earlier: “There are 6 million active Nol card users.

“Imagine that all these users would charge their Nol card at the station vending machines. This would create a huge congestion.”

However, ticket offices and ticket vending machines will continue to exist, as cash payment continues to represent a large share of the total money flow in the emirate.

As Khalid pointed out: “Online payment is getting popular but is not 100 per cent on the market. To address the major cash market we need to maintain the ticket office at each Metro station.”

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