Transform your everyday travel into valuable rewards with these proven strategies that most Belgian travellers are missing out on. Whether you’re an occasional explorer or a frequent flyer, these tricks can significantly enhance your travel experience without requiring major time investment. Read on to learn more about free travel perks for Belgians!
Enjoy! by Brussels Airport: Your Gateway to Free Lounge Access
Brussels Airport’s official Enjoy! loyalty program offers one of the easiest accessible paths to premium airport experiences for Belgian travelers. The program operates on a simple Hearts-based system where you earn 25 Hearts for each flight registered at Brussels Airport, with every fourth flight awarding 125 Hearts instead.
Getting started is remarkably straightforward: register for free and immediately receive 50 welcome Hearts, complete initial surveys for another 75 Hearts, and you’re already well on your way to your first free lounge access. After just four flights from Brussels Airport, including your welcome bonuses, you can redeem 225 Hearts for free Diamond Lounge or The View Lounge access. For comprehensive details on maximising this program, check out our complete guide to Enjoy! by Brussels Airport.
Uptrip: Turn Every Lufthansa Group Flight into Digital Rewards
Uptrip transforms routine flights into an engaging rewards game for anyone flying with Lufthansa Group airlines (including Brussels Airlines, Swiss, Austrian, and Lufthansa). This official mobile app converts every boarding pass into collectible digital trading cards that unlock substantial travel benefits.
The system works by scanning your boarding pass after each flight to receive four digital cards – typically featuring departure/arrival cities, the airline, and aircraft type. You select two cards per flight and combine them into collections that grant rewards ranging from award miles to business lounge access vouchers, WiFi credits, and even frequent traveller status.
New users can receive additional cards through referral: registration includes two welcome cards redeemable and when using referral code JO-3E474FB5-01F3 you can receive additional free cards for both you and me (the referrer). The app even allows retroactive scanning of 2 flights taken up to six months before registration.
For the complete strategy on maximising your Lufthansa Group flights, explore our detailed Uptrip guide.
Frequent Flyer Programs: Status & Miles Building for Belgians
Frequent flyer programs fundamentally changes your travel experience, particularly when you achieve a status which provides lounge access, priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, and upgrade priority across all member airlines. For Belgian travelers, several programs stand out for their accessibility and value. But one in particular I would like to mention because even though you are not flying enough to achieve status, it is still worth collecting miles with these programs.
Aegean Miles+Bonus emerges as the most strategic choice for status-focused travelers. The program offers unique advantages including non-expiring award miles and a retention model that’s significantly easier than initial qualification. Silver status requires 24,000 tier miles or flying Aegean twice plus earning 12,000 tier miles, while the retention requirement drops to just 16,000 tier miles or two Aegean flights plus 8,000 tier miles. Even when you’re not flying enough, you can use Aegean Miles+Bonus to collect award miles with minimal effort that can stack up after multiple flights and can then be redeemed for economy or business class flights. This applies for flights on Star Alliance. However, for cheap economy flights on Lufthansa Group, you may end up earning nothing with Aegean Miles+Bonus. In that case, you should look into Miles & More.
Our comprehensive guides cover airline status strategies for Belgians and booking cheap flights to maximise your frequent flyer potential. This guide includes Lufthansa Group’s Miles & More and Aegean Airlines frequent flyer programs. Do know that you can perfectly stack Uptrip Rewards, Enjoy! By Brussels Airport and airline miles, allowing you to maximise earning potential for a flight you were already planning to make!
Strategic Cashback: Transform Daily Spending into Travel Funds
Cashback platforms create a powerful combination for travel-focused spending optimisation. The fundamental principle involves routing all your expenses through cashback platforms for online purchases. Why wouldn’t you, if you’re planning the expense anyway?! It is basically free money for little effort.
Cashback platforms can provide immediate returns on travel bookings, with TopCashBack offering up to 15% on hotel reservations and certain percentages on airline bookings. Belgian-specific options include Shopbuddies and Viking Deals for Mobile Vikings customers, which can convert cashback into subscription credits.
Explore our detailed analysis of Belgian cashback strategies for implementation specifics.
Hotel Programs: Strategic Loyalty for Accommodation Benefits
Hotel loyalty programs offer a great reward system in travel, as hotel booking using points do rarely require taxes like with airline tickets. An example of a great hotel program is Accor’s ALL providing fixed-value redemptions where 2,000 points always equals €40. This eliminates the complexity of dynamic pricing and award chart devaluations common in other hotel programs. However, hotel loyalty programs like Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Radisson and many more are great as well, especially when you have complimentary status through status matches or the American Express Platinum card.
Discover comprehensive hotel program strategies in our Accor travel hacking guide and cheap hotel booking methods.
Premium Travel Benefits Through Strategic Credit Cards
While premium travel credit cards require annual fees, the value proposition often exceeds the cost through included benefits and earning potential. American Express Platinum Belgium currently offers substantial welcome bonuses that fluctuate over time – check our current American Express welcome bonus details for the latest offer. However, the American Express Platinum could For comprehensive credit card selection guidance, review our Belgian travel credit card comparison to determine which premium cards align with your lifestyle or travel patterns.
Platinum benefits extend beyond points earning: unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for both the primary cardholder and additional cardholders (each with guest privileges), automatic hotel elite status with major chains, €300 annual dining credits, and Brussels Airport fast lane access. The card essentially provides premium travel lifestyle benefits that would cost significantly more if purchased or achieved individually.
Strategic point utilization maximizes value: American Express points convert to British Airways Avios and various hotel programs, providing flexibility for both flight and accommodation redemptions. Hotel transfers to Hilton or Marriott at 1:1 ratios provide excellent value for premium stays.
For comprehensive credit card selection guidance, review our Belgian travel credit card comparison to determine which premium cards align with your travel patterns.
How to start
Begin with signing up to programs like Enjoy!, Uptrip, an airline loyalty program (e.g. Agean’s Miles+Bonus and/or Miles & More) and a hotel loyalty program (e.g. Accor) to establish immediate value, then gradually increase your knowledge in cashback potentials and the credit card game. The key to success lies in consistent application across multiple benefit streams rather than focusing on any single program.
