Dubai: If you want to discover an easy way to reduce your expenses and get discounts on popular venues across Dubai, a great way to level up your everyday activities is by getting a personal nol card.
The blue nol card, offered by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai, is available for students, People of Determination, and senior residents, giving them discounted ticket fares. But even if you don’t fall under any of these categories, this card can provide you with multiple benefits. Here are the details.
What is the blue nol card?
Nol cards are the public transport cards that are provided by RTA and come in different colour-coded categories. From a red ticket to a Gold card, you have multiple options that you can choose from, based on your needs.
The blue card is a personal card, in which you have your name and photograph added. This is necessary if you are seeking a discounted travel fare as a student or senior citizen. But it is also helpful for regular users, as it keeps your nol card balance secure.
In case you lose your nol card, you can apply for a new one, and the balance that you had on your card will be added to your new card.
Additionally, you can also earn double the loyalty points when you use public transport, compared to if you had a regular silver card.
How to get your personal blue nol card delivered at home
If you do wish to apply for a blue nol card, you can complete the application process online and the card will be delivered to your home in a few days. Here are the steps you need to follow:
• Download the nol Plus app, which is available for Apple, Android and Huawei devices.
• Under ‘My nol cards’, tap on the plus sign and then click on ‘Apply for a new Personalised nol card’.
• You will then be asked to sign in using your UAE Pass.
• You will then be asked to select a card type, travel class (regular or gold), customer segment (adult, student, senior citizen, Person of Determination) and card design. For the card design, you can choose ‘default’ and you will not have to pay any additional cost. But if you would like to get a special card with one of the customised designs, it will cost you Dh30.
• Confirm your selected settings and then enter your personal information. Here, your phone number and email address will automatically be filled in, as you have signed in using your UAE Pass. You only need to add your personal photo and then enter the delivery details.
• Agree to the terms and conditions and make the card payment.
As soon as you make the payment, you will receive a notification on the app, as well as an SMS from nol Pay, informing you that your request for a personal nol card has been received and you can expect a status update within four working days.
Once the card has been issued, you will once again receive an SMS, with the details of the courier delivery. You will also be provided with a card PIN, which you need to provide at the time of receiving the card.
Cost:
Dh70 for a card with the default design.
Dh100 for a card with a customised design.
In both the options, the cost includes a card balance of Dh20.
How you can maximise savings by linking your Blue nol card
Once you have your nol card with you, one final step that you must take is linking your nol card to the nol Pay app. This will help you get discounts on various retail outlets, whether you want to visit an attraction like the Dubai Miracle Garden of Glow Garden or send flowers to your loved ones.
Linking your nol card is very easy, and can be done by following these steps:
• Open the nol Pay app and you will a digital version of your nol card on the home page.
• Tap on the option to link the personalised nol card.
• You will then need to the nol card under your phone, so that the system can read the card details through NFC (Near Field Communication).
• You will then be asked to enter your card PIN. You can find the PIN in the SMS you received when your card was issued, or alternatively tap on the ‘Forgot PIN?’ option to get your PIN sent to you by entering your mobile number.
Once you have entered the PIN the card will be linked to your online account.
Now comes the fun part – tap on the ‘nol Plus’ icon from the menu on the bottom of the screen and you will be able to check all the discounts you can avail through the nol Plus programme. Options range from discounts on helicopter rides, desert safaris and amusement parks, to restaurants, flight bookings and spa sessions.
You simply need to book the offer by following the instructions provided – which can differ from one offer to the other – and present your personalised nol card at the time of your visit.
Travel for free
Every time you use your nol card for public transport, you will also earn loyalty points, which you can then convert into balance on your nol card. To find out how you can redeem your loyalty points to ride for free, click here.
