Glossary: UK transport

Terms that appear on the railcard, Tube status, airport and visa/ETA pages of this site.

Railcard

A discount card sold by the UK rail industry (such as 16-25, Senior or Family & Friends) that gives roughly a third off most rail fares for a year.

Oyster card

A reloadable smart card used to pay for travel on London's Underground, buses, trams, DLR and most rail services within the city.

TfL

Transport for London, the local government body responsible for most of the transport network in Greater London, including the Underground and buses.

ETA (UK)

Electronic Travel Authorisation: a digital permission that most non-visa visitors need to travel to the UK, applied for online or via the UK ETA app before travel.

ESTA (US)

The United States' Electronic System for Travel Authorization — a separate scheme from the UK's ETA, often confused with it because the names and purpose are similar.