Dubai’s next-generation nol–Jaywan card has started appearing this November, marking the first stage of a wider upgrade that will eventually connect everyday public-transport use with the UAE’s national Jaywan payment network.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) says the new card is now available through ticket vending machines and ticket office machines, while additional payment and digital features will be introduced progressively over the coming months.
For regular commuters, the important point is simple:
your existing nol card has not suddenly become unusable, and RTA has not told every passenger to replace it immediately.
What exactly is nol–Jaywan?
The new card brings together two systems.
nol is Dubai’s established transport-payment platform used across services such as Metro, Tram, buses and other RTA services.
Jaywan is the UAE’s national card-payment scheme, operated by Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE.
RTA and Al Etihad Payments have partnered to combine the two as part of Dubai’s move towards an account-based ticketing system.
The longer-term idea is for one card to support both mobility and broader digital-payment services.
Is the new card available already?
Yes — the physical card rollout has started.
RTA’s current campaign says passengers can obtain the new nol–Jaywan card at:
- ticket vending machines; and
- ticket office machines.
The new card currently retains the familiar transport functions people already use through nol.
RTA describes this as the first step in a wider evolution rather than the complete launch of every future feature at once.
Do existing nol users need to replace their cards now?
RTA has not announced a mandatory immediate replacement for all existing users.
That distinction is important.
The announcement introduces the next generation of nol, but it does not say that older valid nol cards will suddenly stop working or that every passenger must purchase a nol–Jaywan card immediately.
If your current card is working normally, continue following RTA’s existing instructions unless the authority announces a specific migration requirement for your card type.
What can the new card do now?
For normal transport use, RTA says the new nol–Jaywan card continues to support the everyday journeys passengers already make across Dubai.
It can also be managed through the nol Pay app, while RTA says instant top-ups are available through:
nol Pay and S’hail.
The more significant expansion comes later.
What features are planned?
The November partnership announcement says the rollout will take place in phases, beginning with a pilot covering:
RTA public transport, other public and private transport including taxis, and public parking.
The new generation is also intended to support:
- Jaywan payment services;
- digital activation and management;
- use through Android and iOS smartphones;
- broader transport integration;
- online booking platforms; and
- more than 120 promotional offers and discounts for cardholders.
Those capabilities should be understood as part of the evolving system rather than assuming every feature is already active everywhere.
What is account-based ticketing?
The upgrade is part of RTA’s move towards Account-Based Ticketing, or ABT.
Under a traditional card-based system, much of the journey information and stored value is associated directly with the physical card.
An account-based system can instead connect travel and payment activity to a digital account.
That creates the potential for more flexible payment methods, easier account management and eventually greater integration between different transport services.
For passengers, the important outcome is not the technical term.
It is whether the system eventually makes paying, topping up and managing travel simpler.
Could the card eventually be used beyond transport?
That is one of the main reasons Jaywan integration matters.
RTA says cardholders will eventually be able to use nol for travel while also benefiting from payment services provided through the Jaywan national payment scheme.
The wider rollout is therefore intended to move nol beyond being purely a transport card.
But passengers should avoid assuming that every shop or service accepting Jaywan already accepts the new nol card today.
Acceptance will expand as the programme rolls out.
What happens to the balance on an existing nol card?
RTA has not announced a universal compulsory migration that requires all commuters to transfer their existing balances immediately.
Passengers should therefore avoid trying unofficial balance-transfer methods or buying cards from unverified sellers.
Current nol balances can still be checked through the nol Pay app or RTA’s official channels. RTA’s current nol service information also continues to provide the existing top-up and balance-management procedures.
If RTA later introduces a formal balance-transfer or card-replacement process, follow those instructions directly.
What should commuters do now?
For most passengers, there is no urgent action required.
If you want the new nol–Jaywan card, RTA says it is available at official ticket machines and ticket offices.
If your existing nol card works and you do not need the new version yet, you can wait for further rollout information.
In either case:
- use official RTA machines and apps;
- do not purchase “special” nol–Jaywan cards through unsolicited links;
- do not share card or payment credentials;
- check RTA before assuming a feature is already active; and
- keep watching for formal instructions on account migration or replacement.
Why this matters beyond a new card design
At first glance, this may look like another redesign of a familiar Dubai transport card.
The more important change is underneath.
RTA is gradually moving nol towards a system that links transport, digital accounts and the UAE’s national payment infrastructure.
That could eventually make one payment credential useful across more parts of everyday life.
The success of the project will therefore depend less on what the new card looks like and more on whether passengers actually find it easier to:
travel, pay, manage balances and move between different services.
MalluMetro Take
The useful message for Dubai commuters right now is:
the new nol–Jaywan card has arrived, but the full Jaywan experience is still being rolled out.
You do not need to rush to replace a working nol card merely because the new version has appeared.
Those who want the new card can obtain it through official RTA ticket machines and ticket offices, while everyone else can wait for the next stages of the rollout.
The bigger change to watch is what comes afterwards:
when Jaywan payments, smartphone features, wider transport integration and additional everyday uses become fully available.
That is when nol–Jaywan will become more than a new card design.
Verified source: Dubai Roads and Transport Authority and Al Etihad Payments. Current rollout status rechecked 12 November 2026.
Source: RTA announcement, 4 November 2026.