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Updated: 15 July 2026

Amex App Belgium: 7 Hidden Features That Save You Money

Honestly: I used the Amex App for months just to check my balance. Twenty seconds, screen off, done. Chances are you do the same. And that's a shame, because the Amex App in Belgium contains features you won't find anywhere in the standard welcome email, but that are collectively worth hundreds of euros per year.

Not exaggerated hundreds, by the way. I've kept track. In 2025, I got about €340 in discounts, avoided costs, and extra points through app features I had never touched before. That's not a fortune, but it covers almost half of the annual fee of €780. And that's just by paying slightly more attention in an app I already had on my phone.

What follows are seven of those features. Some are truly hidden (you have to click through to a submenu that nobody ever opens), others are technically visible but are simply ignored by most Belgian cardholders. I'll explain what they do, what they're worth, and where they did or didn't work for me.

1. Amex Offers: the silent piggy bank in your Amex App Belgium

Of all hidden features in the Amex App, this one is the most underrated. Amex Offers are personalised discount deals that appear in your app based on your spending pattern. They are not advertised with push notifications (at least not by default), and you have to activate them yourself by tapping "Add to card." If you don't, they expire unused.

The offers vary per cardholder and per period. Over the past months, I've seen a handful that were particularly interesting for Belgian travellers: 10% back at Booking.com (up to €50 cashback), €20 back on a €100 spend at Uber (including Uber Eats), and 5% back at petrol stations in the Shell network. Not spectacular per deal, but it adds up.

My calculation over twelve months: I activated 14 offers and effectively used 9 of them. Total return: €187. That's not an estimate, that's the exact amount that appeared as a statement credit on my bill. It literally takes you thirty seconds per week to scroll through the offers. Most Belgian cardholders I know never do it.

One caveat: not every offer is interesting. Regularly a discount appears at a brand where you would never shop anyway. The trick is to only activate offers at shops or services you would use regardless. Then it's pure profit. If you spend extra to "earn" an offer, you're missing the point.

2. Points transfer to airlines: directly from the app

Most Platinum cardholders know this in theory. But few realise you can do it entirely from the Amex App, without having to switch to a browser. Transferring Membership Rewards points to an airline partner, confirming the transfer, and tracking the status: it's all in the app under "Points" or "Rewards."

Why is that useful? Because timing matters with points transfers. When Brussels Airlines or British Airways runs a promotion on Avios or Miles & Smiles, you want to be able to act quickly. The desktop version of the Amex website sometimes loads slowly, requires double verification, and works poorly on mobile. The app is faster and more reliable.

Last year I transferred 40,000 points to British Airways Avios for a return flight Brussels-London in business. Transfer time: less than two minutes in the app, points were in my Avios account within 24 hours. That flight would have cost about €650 in cash. Via Avios I paid 40,000 points plus €80 in taxes. That's a point value of over 1.4 cents per point, which is quite decent.

Note: points transfers are irreversible. Once you send points to an airline, they don't come back to your Membership Rewards account. So always check first whether the award flight you want is actually available before you transfer. I made that mistake once. Not fun.

3. Spending analysis by category: knowing where your money goes

The Amex App has a built-in spending tracker that automatically categorises your expenses: travel, restaurants, groceries, subscriptions, transport. It's tucked away under the "Activity" tab and then the filter or chart option at the top. Not everyone finds it straight away.

I'll admit that at first glance this isn't a feature that directly saves you money. But indirectly it absolutely does. When I first looked at my annual overview, I discovered I had spent €2,300 on takeaway meals and restaurant visits in three months. That was honestly more than I thought. That insight alone was worth it.

For Amex Platinum cardholders considering the Booster option (4 points per €1 for €10/month extra), this feature is particularly handy. You can see exactly how much you spend monthly and calculate whether that €120 per year for the Booster pays for itself. At less than €1,000 per month in Amex spending, the answer is usually no. At more than €2,000 it becomes interesting.

4. Digital card and Apple Pay/Google Pay for foreign payments without exchange fees

A feature many Belgian travellers forget: the Amex Platinum has zero exchange fees on payments in foreign currency. That's not a given. Most Belgian bank cards charge 1.5% to 2.5% in exchange fees. On a week in Florida with €2,000 in spending, that saves you €30 to €50.

Via the Amex App you can add your Platinum card to Apple Pay or Google Pay. That sounds basic, and it is. But the point is that this allows you to pay contactlessly abroad with your phone, without having to pull out your physical card. And yes, those contactless payments also come with zero exchange fees.

I use this consistently in Thailand and Vietnam, where contactless payments are becoming increasingly common, at least in the larger cities and tourist areas. In Bangkok I was able to pay with Apple Pay virtually everywhere on my last trip. In Hanoi it was more variable: street vendors and smaller restaurants still work with cash. But the larger hotels and restaurants accepted it without any issue.

One nuance I should honestly mention: Amex acceptance in Belgium itself is more limited than Visa or Mastercard. At Colruyt, Aldi, or the local bakery, you can't use it. Abroad, especially in the US, the UK, and Australia, acceptance is much better. Thailand and Vietnam fall somewhere in between. I always carry a Visa card as backup, but always try the Amex first for the points.

5. Looking up and activating lounge access via the app

The Amex App contains a full lounge finder that shows you which lounges are available at the airport where you are, or where you're flying to. Priority Pass, Centurion Lounges, Plaza Premium, and partner lounges: everything is listed, with opening hours, location within the terminal, and the type of access.

That might sound like something you can also do via the Priority Pass app, and that's true. But the Amex App combines it with your digital card and your boarding pass, meaning you need one fewer app. At Brussels Airport it's particularly handy because you can immediately see which lounges you can enter free of charge as a Platinum cardholder, including your free guest.

The value of this: a Priority Pass Prestige membership is worth about €500 per year on its own. As an Amex Platinum cardholder you have that included, with access to 1,550+ lounges worldwide, unlimited, cardholder plus one guest. In the app you can also check whether a specific lounge is busy (sometimes there are reviews from other cardholders) and whether dining options or showers are available. Handy if you've just arrived after a long flight to Sydney and want to freshen up before heading into the city.

Honestly, I mainly use the lounge finder to determine whether I should show my Amex or my Priority Pass card at the entrance. At some lounges the Amex relationship works directly; at others you need to go through Priority Pass. The app makes that distinction visual, which prevents confusion at the desk. Small detail, but it saves an awkward moment.

6. Dining for 2 and Black Pearls reservation tracking

The Amex Platinum offers Belgian cardholders 3x per year a free 2-course menu for 2 people at participating top restaurants. Value: up to €300 per year. Additionally, there's the Dining Experience at Black Pearls at Brussels Airport, where you can pick up for free 2x per month.

In the Amex App you can track both benefits: how many Dining for 2 invitations you still have, which restaurants participate, and when you last used Black Pearls or Lounge On the Go (2x per month premium takeaway). It's essentially a tracker that prevents you from letting benefits expire.

This sounds trivial, but in the first year I let two of my three Dining for 2 vouchers expire because I simply forgot they existed. That's €200 I could have used and didn't. Since then I check every quarter in the app how many I still have. Takes me thirty seconds and saves, well, quite a bit.

The Black Pearls feature is specifically for those who regularly fly via Brussels Airport. If you only depart from Brussels a few times a year, you'll never fully utilise those 2x per month. That's fine. Not every benefit needs to work for every profile. But if you pass through weekly, it's a nice extra.

7. Push notifications for suspicious transactions and real-time spending alerts

The last feature is less sexy but perhaps the most important: real-time transaction notifications. Every time your Amex Platinum is used, you receive a push notification within seconds with the amount, the merchant name, and the location. This is turned off by default in the app. You need to activate it yourself under "Settings" and then "Notifications."

Why does this save you money? Two reasons. First: you immediately see if a transaction occurs that you didn't make. With credit card fraud, speed matters. The sooner you report a suspicious payment, the greater the chance that Amex blocks and reverses it immediately. Second: it makes you more aware of your spending. Every ping on your phone is a small reminder that you just spent something. It sounds simple, but for me it worked as a brake on impulse purchases.

Last year I also spotted a double charge once thanks to the real-time notification. A restaurant in Miami charged €86, and five minutes later another €86. Without the push notification I wouldn't have noticed that until weeks later on my statement. Now I was able to raise it on the spot. Resolved in two minutes.

Who is the Amex App (and the Platinum card) less interesting for?

It wouldn't be fair to only list the benefits. The Amex Platinum card costs €780 per year. That's not nothing. If you fly fewer than three times a year, rarely pay abroad, and find most Amex Offers irrelevant to your spending pattern, then you probably won't get that €780 back. The app features are nice, but they assume you actually use the card regularly.

Also for people who primarily shop in Belgium, the limited Amex acceptance is a real issue. You always need a Visa or Mastercard as backup. If that bothers you, then the Platinum might not be for you. No shame, just a matter of profile.

The profile where the card does pay off: Belgian travellers who fly 4+ times a year (especially from Brussels Airport), regularly pay abroad, and are willing to dive into the app to activate benefits. For that profile, the calculation is usually positive: €500 in lounge value, €300 in Dining for 2, €150-400 in Amex Offers, plus no exchange fees. That quickly adds up above the €780.

How do you get started with the Amex App in Belgium?

Download the American Express App via the official Amex Belgium website, log in with your card details, and take five minutes to go through all the tabs. Activate Amex Offers, turn on push notifications, and add your card to Apple Pay or Google Pay. Those are the three things you can do today that together already make all the difference.

If you don't have an Amex Platinum yet but are considering applying for one: via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points. That's more than with a direct application. Note: to receive the full bonus, you need to spend approximately €4,000 to €6,000 in the first 3 months. This bonus is one-time only, you cannot earn it again as an existing cardholder. The application requirements: at least 18 years old, a gross annual income of €30,000+, and a Belgian tax residence.

I also receive points if you apply via this link. That's why I stick to one rule: only recommend it if the numbers work for you.

Also read:

• Amex Platinum Belgium review: is the €780 worth it?
• Membership Rewards points: how do you get the maximum value?
• Best credit card for travelling from Belgium