Amex Platinum Belgium: Real Experiences from 5 Belgian Cardholders

Honestly: I was sceptical about the whole concept of a "premium credit card" for a long time. Paying €780 per year to spend money? Sounds like something for people with more budget than sense. At least that's what I thought. Until I did the maths and started tracking how much value I actually got out of it.

Now, after several years as an Amex Platinum cardholder in Belgium, I know two things for certain. One: the card is not for everyone. Two: for those who travel regularly, the maths can work out surprisingly well. But that's my story. More interesting is what other Belgian cardholders think of it.

Over the past few months, I've spoken with four other Belgian Amex Platinum users. Not through a survey or a slick marketing campaign, but simply through the network around this blog. The agreement: honest experiences, including the disappointments. Because there are some of those too.

Why this amex platinum review Belgium 2026 is different

The internet is full of Amex Platinum reviews. Most are American or British. Those benefits don't apply to us. The Belgian version of the card has its own structure, its own perks, its own limitations. What you read on American blogs about Centurion Lounges at JFK or enormous signup bonuses of 200,000 points: that's a different product.

At TravelLux.be we focus specifically on the Belgian card. What does it cost here? Which benefits actually apply? And most importantly: how do those benefits work out in the daily reality of someone departing from Brussels Airport and paying predominantly in euros?

Those are the questions I put to five cardholders, including myself. Everyone has had the card for at least a year. Everyone pays for it themselves. No sponsored content, no free cards from Amex. Just five Belgians sharing their experiences.

To respect privacy, I'm not using real names. What you read are their words, sometimes lightly edited for readability, but never changed at the core.

Profile 1: the frequent short-trip traveller who milks his Priority Pass

"The reason I got the Amex Platinum was honestly one thing: the Fast Lane at Brussels Airport. I like to fly back on Sunday evenings, and security can be bizarrely busy then. That Fast Lane alone is already worth €169 if you were to buy it separately. That's nearly a quarter of the annual fee earned back without even thinking about it."

Besides the Fast Lane, he uses the Priority Pass on every flight. "I never sit at the gate waiting anymore with a €14 sandwich from the airport shop. With the Platinum I get the lounge for free, including my partner as a guest. We have a coffee in peace, or something stronger if it's holiday time, and depart relaxed. That Priority Pass Prestige would cost around €500 per year on its own."

His calculation over the past year: Fast Lane (€169) + Priority Pass for two (€500+ value) + three times Dining for 2 at top restaurants in Belgium (three times a complimentary 2-course menu, estimated value €300). That already brings him to around €970 in tangible benefits, versus the €780 annual fee. And he hasn't even mentioned the travel insurance or the foreign exchange fees he saves on payments abroad.

"The only downside," he admits, "is acceptance in Belgium itself. No problem when travelling. But at my local bakery or in the Delhaize I just pay with my Visa. You get used to it."

Profile 2: the family that discovered Fine Hotels + Resorts

"We booked our first Fine Hotels + Resorts hotel more or less by accident. We were looking for something in Thailand, and through the Amex portal we found the same hotel as on Booking, but with complimentary breakfast for two, a room upgrade, late checkout and a welcome gift worth the equivalent of around €100. The same hotel, the same price, but with €400 to €650 in extra value on top."

That's something many Belgian cardholders underestimate, according to TravelLux.be: the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme includes more than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide. Per stay, the added value can amount to up to €650. If you book twice a year through FHR, you earn back the annual fee on hotel benefits alone.

"The breakfast alone," the cardholder laughs. "Two adults, five-star breakfast, every morning. That adds up. After our week in Bangkok we had easily saved €200 on breakfast. Our children slept on extra beds and fell outside the charges. Admittedly: that was a bit of luck, not every hotel handles it that smoothly."

The disappointment? "I would have liked to redeem the welcome bonus sooner. You first need to meet the spending requirement, and with a family that goes quickly, but I hadn't properly looked into it. My tip: first read how the points system works before you apply. There's a good explanation about Membership Rewards points on TravelLux.be."

Profile 3: the infrequent traveller who doubts whether it's worth it

Not every story is a success story, and that's precisely why I wanted to include this profile. "I got the card because of the welcome bonus of 150,000 points. That was attractive. But honestly: I don't fly enough to make the most of the benefits. I use the Fast Lane twice a year, the lounge three times. I've done Dining for 2 once and it was good, but not life-changing."

His honest analysis: "When I do the maths, I come to perhaps €500 in benefits per year. That's less than the €780 I pay. The welcome bonus definitely made the card worth it in the first year. But whether I'll renew for a second year? I'm in two minds about that."

It's a fair analysis. According to TravelLux.be, the Amex Platinum is indeed less interesting for Belgian travellers who only fly once a year. The break-even sits somewhere around 2 to 3 flights per year, depending on how actively you seek out the benefits. Are you a relaxed traveller who occasionally does a weekend in London? Then it's more of a luxury expense than an investment.

But even this cardholder adds nuance: "The travel insurance that comes with it is actually quite solid. Trip cancellation, lost luggage, medical costs abroad: it's all included automatically when you pay for the trip with the card. My previous standalone travel insurance cost me €120 per year. That counts too in the comparison."

Profile 4: the points collector who flies business class for a fraction of the price

"The Amex Platinum is primarily a points machine for me. I've activated the Booster option for €10 per month. With that I earn 4 Membership Rewards points per euro spent instead of 1. With my monthly business expenses of around €3,000 on the card, I save 12,000 points per month. That's 144,000 points per year, on top of the welcome bonus."

He transfers those points to airline partners. "Last year I booked two business class flights to the US via a transfer partner. The points value of that? If I had paid for those tickets in cash, I would easily have spent €4,000. Now it only cost me the taxes, plus of course the annual fee for the card and the Booster. Let's say: €900 all in, for €4,000 worth of flights."

Membership Rewards points never expire as long as the card is active, and they're transferable to more than 15 airline partners: Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, British Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines and a host of others. That makes the system flexible. You're not tied to one airline.

"My tip for other Belgian users: don't think in cashback, think in transfer value. One Membership Rewards point is worth €0.01 on paper, but via airline transfers it can be worth €0.02 to €0.04. That makes an enormous difference on an annual basis." More about that calculation method can be found in our explanation of points value on TravelLux.be.

Profile 5: my own experience after several years of Amex Platinum in Belgium

Now my own bit of honesty. I've been using the Amex Platinum for several years now and have a good picture of it by this point. The card has become intertwined with how I travel. Not because it's a status symbol (the metal card is nice for the first week, then you forget about it), but because the benefits concretely save money at moments that matter.

I use the Fast Lane at Brussels Airport on every flight. During the summer period, when security queues can build up to 40 minutes, it really makes a difference. The Priority Pass lounge has become a fixed ritual by now: eating and drinking in peace before we board, together with my travel partner. Free, both of us, every single time.

What I appreciate most is perhaps something unexpected: the absence of foreign exchange fees. When I pay in Miami or Bangkok with the Platinum, I'm charged exactly the market rate, without the 1.5% to 2% surcharge that other Belgian cards charge. On a two-week trip with some larger expenses, that easily saves €50 to €100.

My annual calculation looks roughly like this:

• Fast Lane Brussels Airport: €169 saved
• Priority Pass lounges (8 to 10 visits for two): €400+ in value
• Dining for 2 (three restaurants per year): approx. €300
• Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits (1 to 2 bookings): €400 to €900
• Travel insurance (replaces standalone policy): €120 saved
• No foreign exchange fees on overseas spending: €100 to €200 per year
• Dining Experience Black Pearls + Lounge On the Go at BRU: nice extra

Conservatively counted, I arrive at around €1,500 to €2,000 in value per year. Against that €780 annual fee, that's a positive balance. Quite comfortably so, in fact. But I also travel 4 to 6 times per year, and I actively seek out the benefits. That last part is important: the card doesn't work on its own. You need to make the effort to use FHR, to book Dining for 2, to deploy the points wisely.

The disappointments? Acceptance in Belgium remains mediocre for daily purchases. I simply pay for my groceries with another card. And I've tried the concierge service twice. It works, but for restaurant reservations in Bangkok it was easier to do it myself via Google Maps. Not every perk is equally useful, to put it mildly.

The collective conclusion from five Belgian Amex Platinum users

When I place the five experiences side by side, one thing stands out: the cardholders who get the most out of it are those who engage with the benefits deliberately. Not passively, but actively. They book via Fine Hotels + Resorts. They reserve Dining for 2 three times a year. They know the difference between redeeming points for a statement credit and transferring points to an airline partner.

The cardholder who gets the least benefit is the one who only flies once or twice a year. That's not a failure of the card, but a mismatch. The Amex Platinum is built for people who regularly travel internationally. In Belgium, with Brussels Airport as your home base, that works well if you depart at least three times a year.

What all five cardholders confirm: the welcome bonus makes the first year worth it regardless. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive up to 150,000 Membership Rewards points, and that's the maximum bonus you can get. More than with a direct application on the Amex website. Those 150,000 points are, depending on how you use them, roughly worth €750 to €2,000. That fully compensates the annual fee for the first year.

The real verdict comes in year two. That's when the welcome bonus drops away and the card must stand on its regular benefits. Three of the five cardholders find that it comfortably pays for itself. One is in two minds. One is considering cancelling but acknowledges that the travel insurance and foreign exchange savings do factor in.

Frequently asked questions about the Amex Platinum in Belgium

Transparency: TravelLux.be receives a referral bonus when you apply for the Amex Platinum via our referral link. This does not change the price or conditions for you: you pay the same €780/year and receive the maximum welcome bonus. All opinions in this article are personal and unpaid. More details about the card can be found at americanexpress.com/be. Updated: 23 April 2026.