Which Dubai metro card (Nol card) should tourists buy and how to top it up

The balance can be refunded: according to a participant in August 2026, every metro station has a booth where you can hand in the card and get your money back, minus a small deduction. So, in his view, you can top up without worrying.

Asked which Nol card is better for occasional trips — for example to Dubai Marina and the beach — a participant replied in August 2026: the Silver (grey) one. In his words it costs 25 AED, 19 AED of which is loaded as credit, and the card is valid for 3 years. Fares, he said, are 3 to 7 AED; in his case the metro station was right by the entrance.

A tourist's experience in August 2026: one card per person. A year earlier she had put 100 AED on each card — that lasted a week in 2025, a week in May 2026 and another week in August, with about 20 AED still left. If you know you will come back, you can keep the balance for the next trip.

If you are going just once and will not need the card again, the same tourist suggests topping it up with only 25–30 AED, so you will not mind if the money goes unused.

Besides the silver card, the tourist mentioned red Nol cards — in her words they seem to be single-use, but she had not looked into them in detail, so check the conditions on the spot.