> The tram system didn’t require any faffing around - tap your debit/credit card. There’s a maximum charge per day. It’s probably cheaper if you purchase something in advance but didn’t seem worth it.<p>Nope, that's the way to do it: it's <i>more expensive</i> if you buy the ticket in advance. There are also dozens of billboards declaring that 'your bank card is your ticket', yet, strangely, only perhaps 1% of people use them.<p>When paying by bank card, a single journey is €2.10, with a maximum daily price of €7.50.<p>When purchasing a paper ticket, a single journey is €2.60, but the day ticket is a flat €8.00. Thus, you can commit in advance to buying the day pass, but it's not cheaper than the maximum daily fare with a bank card.<p>With a 'Brupass', you additionally have access to the wider network operated by De Lijn and TEC, as well as regional trains by SNCB/NMBS; effectively, this the 'outer zone' ticket for Brussels. You probably won't need these, because the STIB/MVIB zone alone is very large. The standard Brupass is €2.40 for a single journey and €8.40 for a day ticket. You'll also need to purchase an electronic MOBIB card separately, costing an additional €5.00. Brupass tickets <i>do</i> have discounts for bulk purchases (for instance, purchasing 100 single tickets in advance), but these aren't particularly big savings.<p>In conclusion, you will only save money by buying in advance if:<p>- you intend to use the wider Brussels transport network for the majority of days that you are in Brussels, or<p>- you are eligible for a residents', concessionary or employment offer - although if so, don't you already know about this? :) - and you load tickets onto your personal MOBIB card, or<p>- you are going to make close to a hundred journeys, either on STIB/MVIB or with a Brupass.<p>I think the message they are very strongly trying to make is: don't bother ;)<p>My funny story about that: the police and STIB/MIVB did a spot ticket inspection whilst I was on the tram after FOSDEM. When I showed the officer my VISA bank card, he stared at it for a second, then excitedly called down the tram to his colleague, saying something along the lines of "Pierre, come here! Quickly! We have a bank card!" - upon which, the one person carrying the special bank card validator came to check my fare. So there we have it - despite being the cheaper and less complicated option, a passenger paying by bank card is unusual enough to be the highlight of a Belgian police officer's day!