Every student and youth discount in Belval, all in one place

Today is Welcome Day at the university: free from 09:30 for new students at the Maison des Arts et des Étudiants, music and food laid on, and Belval about to get very full very fast. If you queued at the Maison du Savoir earlier this week, you’re doing the same quiet sum as everyone else: what round here is actually affordable, on a student budget, in a country that is not cheap.

I built the answer a few weeks ago and never really told anyone, which was a mistake. It went live on 17 August, just one line in a newsletter, and it’s more than doubled since. It now stands at 57 offers across 39 places, checked one by one: a price board in a window, a manager’s reply, a menu card, or the business telling me themselves. Nothing paid for, nothing guessed.

Here’s what surprised me. If you’re under 26 rather than specifically a student, the discount you’re after probably isn’t a student discount. A student card gets you a cheaper haircut and educational pricing on Apple gear, and that’s about it. Everything else on the page, the coffee, the cinema ticket, the phone contract, runs off your age instead, through a card you can hold whether you study here or not.

Three cards, and it’s worth sitting with this for a second, because getting it wrong costs you actual money:

• A student card, your university or school ID: two salons and the Apple reseller ask for this one specifically.

• A Carte Jeunes, the European Youth Card, 12 to 30 years old, 10€ a year from Les Auberges de Jeunesse: the one behind most of what’s on the page.
• A Carte Jeunes Esch, the version co-branded with the town: at least one shop treats it better than the national card.

Worth asking which one applies rather than assuming either will do.

A few of the 57, to show the range. University Restaurants sells a full starter, main and dessert for 4.70€, against 19€ for a visitor. Dalmat CoffeeHouse’s Student Break is 6€ on a student card or a Carte Jeunes. Golden Bean takes 10 to 15% off, depending on which card. The Kinepolis Student Card takes 20% off tickets and snacks and adds a free ticket on your birthday.

All 57 are on the page, filtered by which card gets you what. It’ll keep changing as I find more, so if you know of one that’s missing, tell me and I’ll go and ask rather than guess.

If you’ve just arrived in Belval: welcome, properly this time.

All the offers →

Take Care ☀️

Aswin