4 Things You May Not Know About Your Nol Card - Like Using It After Expiring 😅

Day 18 / April 29, 2023

Today, I discovered a new information about Nol cards. You probably already know most of these but in case you didn't, let me break it down to you. Because no. 4, in my opinion, is crucial and I can't believe it took me this long to get a hold of this particular detail.

1. Recharge your Nol using the nol Pay app anytime, anywhere (available on Android and iOS). It's frustrating when you get in the bus, tap your card and then the screen shows you a "not enough balance" notification. It's also very inconvenient that recharging stations are not accessible at each stop. So to put an end to this exasperation, simply download the nol Pay app. This way you can add credit to your card anytime. Not only that, you can also check your balance through the app. Most phones now contain an RF ID so you simply place your nol card at the back of your phone once it prompts you to. And that's it. Consider your commute days a breeze. There's also no need for you to go to a supermarket and have your card recharged for an extra Dirham or two!

2. You can use your Nol card as a digital wallet to purchase your items at Zoom supermarkets. But that's not all, you can use it at stores like Carrefour and Lulu in Dubai AND Sharjah! I always thought Nol cards were only valid to use in stores in Dubai. So it's good to know that there's an extension of that usage in another Emirate like Sharjah. As for other locations, please do check their website!

3. Register your Nol card through Nolplus.ae and get discounts, vouchers and more 😊 Nol partners with a couple of restaurants, apparel, jewelry and even theme parks to get you some deals. Once you've registered, you'll have an option to check out their offers. I've personally used the 30% OFF Teriyaki Boy a couple of times in the past - the best part is, you can use it multiple times up until it expires (terms and conditions apply). Moreover, when you use your Nol cards, you get points in return, and once you accumulate points, you can use it to buy vouchers or even use the points as credit. If I'm not mistaken, 1000 points = 10 aed. So you better check your Nol card because you might have already accumulated so many points and you don't even know about it!

4. Expired Nol card but you still have remaining balance? Don't worry. A Nol card's validity is 5 years, and even though you can't use it on public transportation once it expires, you still have an extra 2 years to use the rest of your Nol's digital currency at supermarkets. Do take note though, if you have not used your Nol card for 7 years, then you'll no longer be able to make use of that extra money :( You just have to accept that fact and let it go. So if you have a few nol cards lying around, be sure to check the balance via nol Pay app *wink* and use it for your groceries!

Well I hope that information helped! The only reason I found out about the expired nol card was because I was decluttering them. And for some reason, instead of throwing it away, Jing and I checked the balances from each of our card and lo and behold we had a total of 20 aed. Obviously, we weren't going to throw that money away. One of my cards had expired and we called customer service to ask if there was a possibility to use it, and the customer representative confirmed that once it expires, we had 2 more years to use the remaining balance. I did have one other nol card with 6 aed in it, it expired in 2019, but because that last time I used it was in 2015 it was considered as "deceased" LOL. It's been over 7 years since it was used so I couldn't redeem my 6 aed anymore.

So that's that!