I'm looking for the English word to describe a card which can be sold to a customer which contains several tickets. For instance, in a fitness center you can buy a card which allows you to participate in classes 10 times.

The closest thing I have is "punch card", but not having English as my main language, I'm not sure if that is correct.

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    Carnet? a book of tickets, travel coupons, etc – user66974 Oct 31 '14 at 11:59
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    I think 'book' would be nearest. A set of 10 raffle tickets is called a book. – Mynamite Oct 31 '14 at 12:04
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    If they're distinct, a book of tickets. If it's a card that can be marked or hole punched, a punch card. – SrJoven Oct 31 '14 at 12:06
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    I'm not clear on what the physical transaction is that is taking place here, and that tends to determine the name. If there are physical tickets torn out, it is a book of tickets. If it is a card which is scanned and not physically altered, it is a "pass". If it is a card which is punched or otherwise physically marked, it is, as OP and @SrJoven mentioned, a "punch card". – Digital Chris Oct 31 '14 at 16:54
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    Is there any localization here? In the US, "punch card" sounds right to me. – Joe Oct 31 '14 at 18:33

12 Answers 12


The French word carnet is used in English public transport networks for a ticket (or a book of tickets) which can be used on more than one journey.

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑːneɪ/

  1. A book of tickets for use on public transport in some countries.


Carnet tickets

If you travel regularly to and from London but not often enough to buy a Season ticket, the Carnet ticket booklet could save you time and money.

You can buy a Carnet booklet of either five or 10 single journey tickets and you’ll save 10%. Your Carnet tickets will need to be used within three months and only from selected stations. Don’t forget that Carnet tickets are one-way, so you’ll need a separate book of Carnet tickets for your return journeys.

There are two types of Carnet tickets to choose from:

  • Anytime tickets - unrestricted travel

  • Off-Peak tickets - choose this if you:

    • Arrive in London after 10:00 Monday to Friday
    • Leave London after 09:30 Monday to Friday
    • Travel before 16:30 and after 19:01 Monday to Friday
    • Travel on public holidays

Please note that Carnet booklets are only available as Standard Class fares.

Thameslink Railway

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    Carnet is only used in the U.K.; I have never seen it in the U.S. On the commuter rail systems I have used, these are called "ten-trip" or "ten-ride" tickets, exhibiting a sad lack of vocabulary in the U.S. – Peter Shor Oct 31 '14 at 12:35
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    I don't think it's universally understood in the UK either: only in areas where the local transport authority has used it. – Colin Fine Oct 31 '14 at 13:01
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    At least ten-ride ticket is clearly understood by all English-speaking people @PeterShor! :-) If you asked my for my "carnet" on a train, I might say I only carry it on days when I have band rehearsal. lol! – Kristina Lopez Oct 31 '14 at 14:10
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    @KristinaLopez - Ticket Inspectors would usually ask for tickets, not for carnets. Carnet is just a way to call a group of tickets when you buy them. But as noted it is probably a European usage...France and Italy use 'carnet' in that sense. – user66974 Oct 31 '14 at 14:18
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    I've never heard of "carnet". – Lightness Races in Orbit Oct 31 '14 at 16:32

If it's a solitary card from which 10 uses is used and somehow marred/marked, then calling it a punch card in the USA is easily understood, even if physical "punches" aren't used.

A good alternative could be called a Voucher Card. I can't speak for English usage for slang/jargon outside the USA though.

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    I don't think "punch card" would be understood to mean that in the UK. – David Richerby Oct 31 '14 at 17:48
  • I was afraid of that, thus the caveat :-/ Thank you for the clarification, David Richerby. – kayleeFrye_onDeck Oct 31 '14 at 22:15

Ticket Booklet? Not entirely sure if this is what you are looking for, as this is not a single card, but a small book of many tickets. Thought I'd suggest it though.


In Italy a group of ten separate bus tickets are called carnet, but they have translated the expression as 10-trips book of tickets.

It's not a single word but it's perfectly comprehensible, and I imagine that whoever translated the French term knew that many non UK English speaking people would be unfamiliar with the expression, carnet.

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You could shorten it to multi-trip or ten-trip tickets, I think this solution is more elegant and self explanatory at the same time.

If a person wishes to purchase a limited subscription to a gym (in my experience subscriptions are monthly or annual, but maybe that's only true in Italy) then I'd suggest

  • multi-gym session (entry)
  • ten gym sessions (pass)

In our country it is called a 'subscription card'. It may vary, either for 8 classes or 12. But still it is a subscription. To say about a gym - probably 'gym membership' card

About public transport - travel card or pass.

  • I'm from Belarus. – Sharkusha Oct 31 '14 at 14:43
  • We have that name in Russian language but in English it's almost the same meaning – Sharkusha Oct 31 '14 at 14:43
  • I don't think that term would be understood in the UK. – David Richerby Oct 31 '14 at 17:47
  • Well, yeah, probably in dedication to gym - it may be gym membership card. As for public transport - we use travel card or pass. – Sharkusha Oct 31 '14 at 17:49
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    Membership card and travel pass are both existing terms that refer to something quite different from what is being asked here. If you have a card/pass that allows you unlimited usage within a given period (usually a month), that's a membership card or travel pass. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Nov 1 '14 at 10:07

The kind of card with a number of locations on it to punch holes or stamp with ink is the earliest form of a customer loyalty card. Generally called a punch card or a stamp card and usually result in getting a gift when all of the holes are punched/stamped (e.g.: buy 10 and get one free).


For a fitness center, I'd use "10-visit pass."


Ten-ride Ticket (or Ten-rides Ticket, I've seen both) is the phrase various public transport organizations in the Netherlands use in English information for tourists.

Not sure if that is officially English, but at least it is pretty clear what it means.

Carnet is used in France and Italy and also by English public transport, but I have never heard it used as a common term by native speakers (I have lived in the UK for a while).

I just asked an American colleague what she would call it and she, after a lot of thought came up with "Gee, I don't know... Maybe a ticket-book or something like that ?"
She actually preferred the Dutch "Ten-ride Ticket" term as a better name, when I mentioned that to her.


The term multi-ride is used by numerous transit authorities in the US to describe passes that allow either a set number of trips or unlimited trips within a set period of time. The term is usually followed by a term such as car, pass or ticket.

A web search of multi-ride provides examples, such as this one.


Depending on context it may be preferable to simply use the local word for such tickets. If you use an existing English word you risk implying some assumptions that are not necessarily true for this specific ticket system.

If you happen to be the issuer of such tickets you have some freedom in choosing what translation you want to use for your specific ticket system. It is more of a marketing decision than a question about what is correct.

Fore reference, here is a Danish klippekort:

It could be called a punch card or a rebate card. When used in context most Danes would probably understand either of those terms. 10-trip rebate card would not need as much context to be understood. But the term is both a bit long for common reference, and technically imprecise, as the card may also be used for fewer longer trips.

The seemingly fitting description travel card would not be acceptable in Denmark as that refers to a different ticketing system. You can't safeguard against such translation mistakes without knowing the local context.


There is no single (non-British) English word to describe 'a' card which can be sold to a customer which contains several tickets. 'A' card cannot contain multiple tangible objects.

  • You can have a single punchable\mark-able\tab-removable\magnetic-swipable card;

  • Or you can have (containing multiple, individual card stocks) a ticket book, also sometimes known as season tickets; if they are bound. If they are not bound, they're just a stack of tickets.

I'd suggest against using the word, carnet, which is used "in [only] some [areas of English speaking] countries".


I would call it a Season Ticket.

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    Misunderstanding, I think: a season ticket allows as many journeys as you want within the specified period, what is sought is something that allows you to make exactly ten trips, with no (or not much) time restriction. Myself I call it a carnet in italics, because I first encountered it when the Paris Metro sold literally ten cardboard tickets in a paper wrapper for the price of nine(?). Ah, the old days. – TimLymington Oct 31 '14 at 14:20
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    No. That is one meaning of season ticket. This is another. I have a booklet from the Halifax Thespians with a tear-off voucher for each play in their season: I do not have a ready word for this, but if pressed, I would call it a season ticket. – Colin Fine Oct 31 '14 at 14:22
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    I would have to say that if you chose to call your Halifax booklet a "season ticket", then you would be mis-using the term; I agree with @TimLymington that a season ticket is a single item that allows you unlimited entry within a defined period. – Hellion Oct 31 '14 at 15:24
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    @Hellion - It's context dependent. If I get a season pass at my local skating rink, I can skate for free anytime there's public skating at the rink. If I get season tickets for a local theater company, though, I get one seat at each production for that season, sometimes assigned to a particular night (e.g., I might have a ticket for the Friday night production, but not the Saturday night production or the Sunday matinee). – J.R. Oct 31 '14 at 20:04
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    @Helion, I suggest you google 'Theatre "season ticket"' or 'Orchestra "season ticket"' and see how many other organisations "mis-use" the phrase in a similar way to how I "mis-use" it. I rather take exception to being down-voted for saying how I use a word, particularly when I can show that I am not alone! – Colin Fine Nov 1 '14 at 13:25

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