You no longer need a paper Red Ticket for an occasional Dubai Metro trip. Since early October 2026 the RTA has sold digital nol QR tickets in the nol Pay and S’hail apps: you buy on your phone, then scan the QR code at the gate. The tickets work on the Metro, the Tram and Dubai buses. Silver, Gold and Personal (blue) Nol cards carry on as before; the QR ticket is an extra option, mainly for visitors and people who ride now and then.
What you can buy
- Single Trip QR ticket. Priced by the zones you cross (1 zone, 2 adjacent zones or all zones) in Regular or Gold class. It can be used once and stays valid for 90 days from purchase, so you can buy ahead of a trip.
- 1-Day Pass QR ticket. Regular or Gold. You have 90 days to start using it; once you first scan it, it covers unlimited Metro, Tram and bus travel until midnight that day. It is one calendar day, not 24 hours: start at 11 PM and it still ends at midnight.
- Paper QR ticket. A single trip bought from a ticket vending or ticket office machine, valid until 11:59 PM on the day you buy it.
You can buy up to 10 single trips or 5 day passes in one transaction. The RTA adds an AED 2 service fee per transaction, in the apps and at the machines. If you are not sure how many zones your trip crosses, enter your start and destination in the app and it picks the right ticket; our fare calculator shows the zones too.
How to buy one
- Open nol Pay or S’hail. You can log in with your account or UAE Pass, or continue as a guest.
- Choose QR Ticket, then Single Trip or 1-Day Pass.
- Choose to travel by zone or by destination, then the number of tickets and the class (Regular or Gold).
- Pay by credit or debit card, Google Pay, noqodi or net banking. The ticket appears in the app straight away, with a booking reference by email and app notification.
Using it at the gate
- Metro: open the ticket in the app and hold the QR code facing the reader on the entry gate until it opens.
- Tram: hold the QR code to the scanner at the tram stop until the reader confirms it.
- Bus: hold your phone screen-up over the red nol reader by the entrance until the ticket is validated.
You need a working internet connection to show the ticket. Metro and Tram stations have Wi-Fi, but do not count on it at a bus stop.
Rules worth knowing
- It is personal. Do not share, forward or screenshot a QR ticket for someone else. The RTA can cancel a ticket that has been shared or copied, with no refund.
- Refunds: unused tickets can be refunded in cash within 30 days of purchase, at a Ticket Office Machine. The RTA lists Sobha Realty and DMCC stations for this.
- Where it works: Metro, Tram and Dubai buses only — not the Dubai Ferry, taxis, parking or shops that accept Nol cards.
- Gold class: the Gold Class cabin needs a Gold ticket, whether it is a card or a QR code. Fines apply as they do for cards; see our rules and fines guide.
QR ticket or Nol card?
For one or two trips, the QR ticket saves you buying a card and queueing at a machine. If you will ride regularly, compare the price the app shows with the Silver Nol card fares on our fares page: a card costs money up front but has its own per-trip fares, and the balance can be topped up and reused. Visitors staying a few days should also read our Nol card guide for tourists, which compares pay-per-trip with day and weekly passes.
Travelling on Etihad Rail too?
The same apps sell an Etihad Rail Combined QR Ticket: one QR code for your train journey with an optional nol 1-Day Pass for the Metro, Tram and buses in Dubai. You choose Etihad Rail Ticket in nol Pay or S’hail and complete the booking on Etihad Rail’s platform. Our Etihad Rail guide covers fares, the timetable and getting to Al Yalayis station by Metro.