Belgium train tickets: weekend discounts and Train+
Compare ordinary fares with Train+ for your own journeys. Age, weekend travel and the Brussels Airport supplement change the calculation.
For a Belgian city break, price the journeys you actually want before buying a discount product. Two short trips and several long day trips can produce very different answers. Train+ reduces eligible fares; it is not a pass for unlimited train travel.
Use SNCB's own planner with each passenger's age entered correctly. A price shown for an adult aged 26 to 64 is not the starting point for every traveller.
The current choices
The SNCB Train+ guide lists these arrangements, checked on 8 September 2026:
| Traveller | Without Train+ | Train+ option |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 26 to 64 | Standard weekday fare; 30% discount at weekends and on public holidays | €6 for one month, with eligible off-peak discounts and a €14 second-class journey cap |
| Under 26 or aged 65+ | 40% reduction on the standard fare | €4 for one month, with further eligible discounts and a €5.50 second-class journey cap |
The Brussels Airport supplement is outside those caps. Train+ is personal, and you still need a ticket for each journey. Check the precise off-peak boarding windows before choosing a restricted fare.
The current weekend offer applies to Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Do not assume an old Friday-evening return-ticket rule still applies. From 15 May 2026, bridge days are treated as weekdays.
Check the first train's departure time
SNCB's Train+ page, checked again on 15 October 2026, defines weekday off-peak boarding as 00:00–06:00, 09:00–16:00 and 18:00–24:00. For a connecting journey, the first train determines the applicable time band. Weekends and public holidays allow off-peak boarding all day.
The ordinary adult weekend reduction and the extra Train+ reduction are applied in stages. They are not percentages to add together. Enter your age, departure time and Train+ status in the official planner and compare its final prices. Temporary promotions may change the result for particular dates.
Do the comparison once
Write down your outward and return journeys, then compare the total with and without Train+, including its purchase price. A small saving on one journey may not cover the card cost, while a longer itinerary can justify it quickly.
Use the totals returned for the same journeys and passenger. These are invented comparison examples, not SNCB route quotes:
| Example | Tickets without Train+ | Discounted tickets plus one-month Train+ | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult with small ticket savings | €20 | €17 + €6 = €23 | Keep the €20 tickets |
| Adult with larger ticket savings | €40 | €26 + €6 = €32 | Train+ saves €8 |
| Eligible younger or senior traveller | €18 | €11 + €4 = €15 | Train+ saves €3 |
Include any airport supplement in both totals when the journey needs it. A fare cap does not cover that separate charge.
Keep international services separate. A domestic discount is not permission to board any Eurostar or other international train travelling through Belgium.
Make the day trip comfortable
Check the return timetable before leaving, particularly when engineering work is shown. Choose the station nearest your accommodation as the starting point for the search, rather than automatically buying from the best-known station in the city.
If the trip continues to London, allow for the different Eurostar boarding and border process. A domestic train's simple platform arrival does not describe a London-bound departure.