Dubai Metro tickets & fares 2026: calculator, Nol cards & passes
Fare calculator
Pick two stations to see all four fare types, zone count and daily-cap note.
Dubai Metro fares at a glance
| Ticket / card | 1 zone | 2 zones | 3+ zones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Nol / Blue (personal) | AED 3.00 | AED 5.00 | AED 7.50 |
| Gold Class | AED 6.00 | AED 10.00 | AED 15.00 |
| Red Ticket (standard) | AED 4.00 | AED 6.00 | AED 8.50 |
| Red Ticket (Gold) | AED 8.00 | AED 12.00 | AED 17.00 |
- Myth: The daily fare cap is AED 20 (or AED 40)
- Fact: Some sites claim AED 20 or AED 40 daily caps - wrong. The cap is AED 14 for regular (non-Gold) travel on Silver and Blue cards.
The cap matters more than most visitors realise: once your regular-class trips total AED 14.00 in a day, every further metro or bus ride that day is free. Three or more longer trips in one day and you have effectively bought an unlimited day pass without doing anything.
Popular journeys, priced
| Journey | Zones | Stops | Silver Nol | Gold Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airport Terminal 3 → Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall | 2 | 12 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| Airport Terminal 3 → Mall of the Emirates | 3 | 16 | AED 7.50 | AED 15.00 |
| Airport Terminal 3 → Sobha Realty | 3 | 20 | AED 7.50 | AED 15.00 |
| Union → BurJuman | 2 | 1 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| BurJuman → Gold Souq | 2 | 3 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| Al Rigga → Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall | 2 | 8 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| Ibn Battuta → Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall | 2 | 11 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| Centrepoint → Expo 2020 | 5 | 30 | AED 7.50 | AED 15.00 |
| Business Bay → DMCC | 2 | 8 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
| Dubai Airport Free Zone → Al Ghubaiba | 2 | 10 | AED 5.00 | AED 10.00 |
Which Nol card should you buy?
Visiting for a few days
Silver Nol — AED 25.00
Includes AED 19.00 of credit (AED 6.00 is the card itself). Buy at any station machine or counter, top up as you go. The default choice for 95% of visitors.
Want the quiet front cabin
Gold Nol — AED 25.00
Same price and credit as Silver, but rides the Gold Class cabin at double the fare per trip. Worth it at rush hour or with luggage; a luxury tax the rest of the time. You can hold both and choose per trip - the card you tap decides the cabin you may sit in.
Living in Dubai
Blue (personal) Nol — AED 70.00
Registered to you, includes AED 20.00 credit. Balance is recoverable if lost, tops up online, and it is the only card that unlocks 50% concession fares (students, 60+, social-care categories) and free travel for People of Determination. Apply once via the RTA; takes a few days.
One or two rides only
Red Ticket — AED 2.00
Paper ticket for occasional riders: valid 90 days, holds up to 10 trips, single transport mode only, and each trip costs about a dirham more than Nol. If you will ride more than twice, Silver pays for itself.
Gold Class, explained in one minute
The front cabin of every train is Gold Class: leather-style seats, guaranteed calmer space, and the best front-window view on the driverless network. It costs exactly double the Silver fare (so AED 15.00 for the longest trips) and requires a Gold Nol card or Gold Red Ticket before boarding - sitting there on a Silver card is an AED 100 fine, and inspectors do check. Verdict: worth it for airport runs with bags and peak-hour commutes; skip it off-peak when the regular cabins are half-empty.
Travel passes: 7, 30, 90 and 365 days
Frequent riders can load an unlimited-travel pass onto a Nol card instead of paying per trip. The headline numbers: a 30-day all-zones pass costs AED 350.00 (AED 175.00 concession on a Blue card). Weekly, quarterly and annual versions exist at machine and app pricing we are currently re-verifying against the RTA - we publish exact figures only once confirmed, and this section will carry the full matrix shortly.
- Passes activate on your first journey, not when you buy them - buy Saturday, first ride Monday, and the clock starts Monday.
- Anonymous cards (Silver/Gold) can only hold 7-day passes. For 30 days and longer you need a registered (Blue or personalised) card.
- Break-even for the 30-day pass is roughly two 3-zone round trips a day - a normal commute clears it easily.
Transfers, tap-out and the fine print
- 30-minute rule: switching between metro, tram, or bus within 30 minutes counts as one journey (up to 3 transfers). Changing lines at Union or BurJuman happens inside the gates and never costs extra.
- Always tap out. Failure to tap out = maximum fare deducted from the card
- Children aged 5 and under travel free (and under-5s do not need a card at all when accompanied).
- Keep at least the minimum balance for your trip on the card - gates check on entry.
Fares & Nol cards: your questions answered
How much does the Dubai Metro cost?
With a Silver Nol card: AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two zones, AED 7.50 for three or more zones. Gold Class doubles those; the Red Ticket adds about a dirham per trip.
How much is a Nol card at the airport?
Same as everywhere: AED 25 for a Silver card including AED 19 of credit. Machines and counters at the airport metro stations sell them - that starting credit covers 2-3 typical trips.
Is there a daily spending cap?
Yes - AED 14 per day for regular-class travel on Silver and Blue Nol cards. After that, further metro and bus rides that day are free. Claims of AED 20 or AED 40 caps are wrong.
What is the difference between Silver and Gold Nol cards?
Both cost AED 25 with AED 19 credit. Gold lets you ride the Gold Class front cabin at double fare; Silver rides the regular cabins. The card decides the cabin.
What is the Blue Nol card?
A registered personal card (AED 70 incl. AED 20 credit): recoverable balance if lost, online top-up, and the only route to 50% concession fares and free travel for People of Determination.
Do children travel free on the Dubai Metro?
Children aged 5 and under travel free. Students from age 6 can get 50% concession fares, but that requires a registered Blue card with student status.
Is there a tourist day pass?
There is no separate tourist pass - and the AED 14 daily cap makes one unnecessary: ride enough and your Silver card simply stops charging for the day. Unlimited 7-day passes exist for heavier use.
How do zones affect my fare?
Dubai has 7 transport zones; your fare depends on how many your journey passes through: 1 zone, 2 zones, or 3+. The calculator above counts them for any station pair.
How much is the metro from the airport to Downtown?
Airport Terminal 3 to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall crosses two zones: AED 5 on a Silver Nol card, AED 10 in Gold Class, about 25 minutes.
How much is the metro from the airport to Dubai Marina?
Airport Terminal 3 to Sobha Realty (Marina) spans three zones: AED 7.50 on Silver, AED 15 Gold Class, roughly 55-60 minutes.
Can I pay with a credit card or phone instead of Nol?
Fare gates work on the Nol system. Buy a physical card, or use the Nol Pay app ecosystem for top-ups; do not count on open-loop bank-card tap-in - verify current support in the RTA app before relying on it.
What happens if I forget to tap out?
The system deducts the maximum fare from your card. If it happens, RTA customer service can review the journey - but the reliable fix is simply always tapping out.
How much is a monthly metro pass?
A 30-day unlimited all-zones pass is AED 350 on a Silver-class registered card, or AED 175 with concession status on a Blue card. It activates on first use, not purchase.
Can I share one Nol card between two people?
No - one card per passenger per journey; each rider taps their own card. Card sharing through the same gate is a fineable Nol misuse.
Is the metro cheaper than taxis in Dubai?
Dramatically. The longest possible metro trip is AED 7.50; the same cross-city run by taxi is typically AED 60-100+. A couple can cross Dubai twice on the metro for the price of one short taxi hop.
Fares verified against the RTA; boundary-case journeys re-checked against the official calculator (see editorial policy). Corrections: contact us.