Dubai: How to personalise your silver nol card and get more benefits like saving on public transport costs

Dubai: If you link your silver nol card with your Emirates ID, you could potentially unlock hundreds of benefits like shopping vouchers and even recovering the balance on your card if it gets lost or stolen.

If you have a silver or gold nol card, you can link it to your Emirates ID to ‘personalise’ it through the ‘nol Pay’ app and upgrade it to make it a ‘personal smart card’. Here is how.

Why you should pay to upgrade your silver or gold nol card

1. Earn more points with the ‘nol Plus’ programme

RTA has a ‘nol Plus’ loyalty programme that rewards nol users with points every time they use their card. Those who have a personalised nol card only need to spend Dh1 to earn one point, while those who have an unregistered nol card, need to spend Dh2 to earn a point. So, if you have a personal nol card, you earn twice as many points.

These points can be redeemed to get vouchers and exclusive discounts at shops, hotels and other attractions or be used to top up your nol card or your friend’s nol card. To know more about how you can take advantage of the nol Plus programme, click here.

2. Redeem your nol card balance if it gets lost, stolen or expired. Details of how you can do this are provided below.

How to link your silver nol card with your Emirates ID

You can personalise your nol card in a few minutes with the ‘nol Pay’ app if you have a UAE Pass account. The ‘nol Pay’ app is available for Apple, Android, and Huawei devices. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. First, download the app.
2. Open the app and tap on the ‘Get Personal Card’ button.
3. Next, tap on the ‘Personalise your existing silver/gold nol card’.
4. Scan your nol card on the app through the Near Field Communication (NFC) feature, which is a method of wireless data transfer available for iPhone and Android users.
5. Your nol tag ID will show up. Then, enter your name, mobile number, and email address.
6. Tap the ‘Submit’ button.
7. You will be transferred to the ‘Digital Dubai’ payment channel, which is the official online payment platform for Dubai government services. Pay the service fee, which is Dh30.
8. Next, you will get a pop-up notification on the app that the payment of successful and that a unique PIN code will be sent by SMS later.

After Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA), reviews the application, the waiting time for the SMS can take up to one day. After you receive the text message, go back to the ‘nol Pay’ app, tap on ‘Get Personal Card’ and select the option ‘+ Link a Personal nol Card’. The app will then connect to the UAE Pass app to verify your identity.

10. Next, enter the PIN code you received via SMS, and tap ‘Link’. You will then receive a notification that you have successfully personalised your card.

How to redeem your nol card balance if it gets lost, stolen

If your nol card gets lost, the first thing you should do is call the RTA customer service at 800 90 90 to report the loss immediately, so they can block the card.

Here’s how to refund the balance from your nol card

1. To apply for a refund for your nol card visit the website: https://www.rta.ae/wps/portal/rta/ae/public-transport/nol/nol-refund?lang=en
2. Enter your nol tag ID, which is the ten-digit number behind your nol card and mobile number. When you call the customer service centre, you would need to provide your Emirates ID number after which the representative will give you your nol tag ID number.
3. Select the reason for replacement – lost, stolen, or expired.
4. Enter your PIN code. This is the same PIN code you received in Step 8 above.
5. Enter personal details – such as full name, mobile number, Emirates ID, home address and nationality.
6. Review the details of the refund application and agree to the terms and conditions.
7. Confirm the application and pay the service fee.
8. The card-blocking request is created on the card after applications confirmation.
9. The new card is issued, and the refund is approved after four days from the date of applying. The new card will be delivered to your home address.

According to RTA, the nol balance is transferred to the new personalised nol card with no service fees.

Cost of the service

The cost of personalising the Silver or Gold nol card is Dh30.