Commuters in Dubai earlier this week became the first in the United Arab Emirates to be able to use one card across public transport systems and for retail purchases at stores, supermarkets and restaurants.
Dubai-based bank Emirates NBD has launched a multifunction credit card that also includes the contactless transit function of Dubai’s Nol card, according to a Nov. 28 press release.
The bank is issuing the Visa-branded Go4it card in collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, which released the closed-loop contactless Nol Card last year. Commuters use that card to pay for Metro fares, road tolls, parking in Dubai, and fares for public buses and ferries.
The authority has for some wanted to combine on an EMV card a credit and Nol card function usable as a transit card and as a credit card at retail locations (
Last year, the authority sought bids from banks for the issuance of a dual credit-transit chip card, an official from the transportation operator tells PaymentsSource. Emirates NBD won the bid.
The Go4it card is available in two variants–platinum, which comes with an annual fee of 199 dirhams (US$54 or 40.3 euros), and gold, which costs 99 dirhams, the release said. Applicants would need to have a minimum salary of 10,000 dirham to receive the platinum card and 5,000 dirham for the Gold card.
An auto top up feature would enable cardholders to top up their Nol accounts automatically from the linked Go4it credit card account, according to the release.
Representatives from the authority and the bank were not available to comment.
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