It’s always a pleasure to enjoy many of the activities Ghent offers for adults and children: museums, theatre performances, sports, concerts and other exciting events. But did you know that with a special Out-in-Ghent card (UiTPAS) you can save points at each of them, and use the points to get a discount for your next ticket or a freebie?

What is an UiTPAS?

The Ghent pass UiTPAS, a part of the Flanders-wide UiTPAS initiative, is a simple plastic card that you can purchase from the city of Ghent. It costs between 1 and 5 euro, depending on your age and circumstances.

The card comes preloaded with 3 points to get you started and one of the following:

• One free entrance to a museum
• One free entrance to a swimming pool
• One free bike & hiking map of Destelbergen
• One free Trage Wegen hiking map of Merelbeke

The UiTPAS is issued for a specific person, so each family member will need their own. Don’t forget to bring your residence permit card/eID card (and everybody else’s) with you when you buy it. The card can be purchased at 13 different locations around the city:

• Stadswinkel
• Uitbureau
• Mobiel Dienstencentrum
• Jeugddienst
• Hoofdbibliotheek De Krook (geen UiTPAS met kansentarief)
• GentinfoPunt Campus Prins Filip
• GentinfoPunt De Knoop
• GentinfoPunt OCMW Sint-Martensstraat
• GentinfoPunt Welzijnsbureau Sint-Amandsberg
• GentinfoPunt Welzijnsbureau Gent-Noord
• GentinfoPunt Welzijnsbureau Brugse Poort
• GentinfoPunt Welzijnsbureau Nieuw Gent
• GentinfoPunt Welzijnsbureau Bloemekenswijk

You can find the addresses & opening hours via this link.

Collecting and redeeming points

You collect points when you visit a participating event or venue. You can recognise these venues by the blue-purple card reader they have at their entrance or ticket desk, while some of them also have an UiTPAS logo and info on their website.

Once you have collected enough points, you can redeem them for a discount on your next ticket or a present. You can find the full list of benefits on the website of Uit in Gent. So what can you expect for your points? Here are some examples:

• 0 points will get you a 3 euro discount for tickets for De Centrale arts centre (yes, you will always have a discount for the exciting events at De Centrale!)
• 3 points will get you a lovely bicycle seat protection cover or a coffee at your local service centre for seniors (lokaaldienstcentrum)
• 5 points are rewarded with a free drink at ‘Bij De Vieze Gasten’
• 7 points will get you a cotton backpack with the logo of De Krook library
• With 10 points you will get one free entrance to the Design Museum
• For 15 points you can enjoy a free behind-the-scenes guided tour of Vooruit

Who is it meant for?

UiTPAS is available for all residents for Ghent, but also for people from outside of Ghent. So you can buy it even if you live in Merelbeke or Lochristi. However, if you are a tourist and visiting just for a few days, consider choosing the CityCard Gent instead. This gives you access to the city museums and public transport for 48 or 72 hours.

If you are entitled to reduced doctors’ fees (verhoogde tegemoetkoming) or are in a debt restructuring programme, you can buy the special ‘UiTPAS met kansentarief‘. It costs 1 euro and gives you an 80% discount on entrance tickets for all participating venues. This special card can only be obtained from the Stadswinkel, the mobile city hall service (Mobiel Dienstencentrum) and the Campus Prins Filip infopoint. UiTPAS met kansentarief is issued only to residents of Ghent.

How to use it?

Use the card by swiping it against an electronic terminal at each venue to collect points. Each activity will give you 1 point. You can only add points when you actually come for the event, not when buying the ticket.

Instead of carrying the UiTPAS with you, you can also download the free app which you activate with your UiTPAS number. To collect points, simply scan the QR at participating venues.

To have an overview of your account and see how many points you have managed to save, register your card online.

Where to collect points?

The blue-purple card can be swiped at (some) of the following venues in Ghent. Look out for the card swiping point at:

• swimming pools,
• city libraries,
• museums,
• cinemas,
• summer camps for children,
• sports activities (e.g. dance schools, sports’ halls)
• KAA Gent football matches.

The full list of participating venues is published and regularly updated on the Uit in Gent website.

Do you have a favourite UiTPAS venue in Ghent? Or have you found a great way to redeem your points? Let us know in the comments below!

Author: Nina Jere