Wondering how to pay for metro and bus rides in UAE - cash only, or do cards work too?
In both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, public transport is built around prepaid smart cards. For Dubai, that’s the Nol card. For Abu Dhabi buses, you need a Hafilat card. No cash accepted on board, and no tapping in with your foreign Visa. You’ll find top-up machines everywhere, and you can usually recharge using card or cash there. But to ride? It’s card-based only - no pay-per-ride with cash or regular credit card.
If you're using public transport in Dubai, you absolutely need a Nol card - no exceptions. I used the Silver one for a month while staying in Al Barsha and moving between coworking spaces via metro and tram. You can’t pay for individual trips with cash or foreign debit/credit cards. You can recharge the card at machines with Visa/Mastercard, but that’s it. Tourist Nol cards are available too, but the Silver one is more flexible for longer stays.
Tried to pay cash on a bus from Bur Dubai - the driver just pointed to the Nol reader and waved me off. They don’t take cash or cards, only Nol cards. I got mine at Union Station for around AED 25 and topped up with AED 50 for the week. I didn’t try using Apple Pay or anything because it’s not connected to RTA. Metro, tram, and buses are all Nol-only systems. Easy once you have it, but no pay-as-you-go.
In Dubai, you’ll need a Nol card to use public transport - they don’t accept cash or foreign bank cards at the metro gates or on buses. I picked up a Silver Nol card at the airport metro station for AED 25 (comes with AED 19 balance). You top it up at any metro station or kiosk. It’s super easy and works for metro, trams, buses, and even water buses. So no, you can’t tap your Visa or pay in cash - Nol is the way.