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28 March 2024

Over 45,000 Nol cards will expire this month; here's what to do

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

With an estimated 46,000 Nol cards expiring in the month of August, public transportation users might end up confused when their usual swipe does not permit them the entrance to the transit mode they are so used to take.

A missed train, queuing up in the front the information desk or uncertainty about the right thing to do might be the result. “I have seen people arguing with the clerk at the information desk about the expiry of their Nol card, which caused delay for all of us. There seemed to be a lot of misunderstanding,” said Mark Francis, an irregular Metro user living in Dubai.

Sheena Khanna was perplexed when a swipe of her Nol card at the Metro gate informed her that her card had expired, although she was still able to check in. “The gate reader informed me that the balance was valid for another few weeks. But when I wanted to top up my card, I was not able to do so. I did not at first understand what was going on,” said the Indian commuter who has been traveling by metro since its inception.

Last month, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) reminded the public of the possible expiry of some Nol cards after August 1, 2014. Every Nol card is valid for a maximum period of 5 years, and the first Nol cards were issued on August 1, 2009, said Khalid Al Awadhi, Director of Automated Fare Collection at the RTA’s Corporate Technical Support Services Sector.

In the following months, around the same number of Nol cards will be affected, as this is the expected number of active Nol card users that purchased the Nol card in the early days of its existence.

In order to avoid confusion at the most inconvenient time, here are some tips to be reminded of.

· On the date of expiry, the Nol card user will be notified by the gate reader about the expiry of the Nol card. However, with a minimum balance the trip can still be made. An expired silver or blue card should have a minimum balance of Dh5.8, while gold cardholders should maintain a balance of Dh11.6 on their expired card in order to be able to check in. A minimum balance of Dh2.9 applies to personalised blue card holders.

· It is not possible to top up the Nol card once the expiry date has been reached. Before that time, however, the top up can be done. The Nol card can still be topped up one day before the expiry date.

· A new Nol card costs Dh20, of which Dh14 is the e-purse value. Regardless of the balance on the expired Nol card, the cardholder will be able to transfer the amount to a new Nol card. For this, the card holder needs to visit a ticket office at a Metro station or bus station and fill out a form with the request to transfer the amount. The amount will be transferred to the new Nol card within two working days.

· Every Nol card has an issuance date, however, this date is not shown on the card. If a person wants to find out the expiry date of the card, this can be done by inserting the Nol card into any parking meter in Dubai. If the expiry date is within one month, the meter will inform the cardholder that the new card must be applied for.