Amex Platinum vs Miles & More Credit Card: Which is Better for Belgian Flyers?

Last autumn I was standing at Brussels Airport with two credit cards in my wallet. One: my Amex Platinum. The other: a Miles & More credit card I had applied for a year earlier because I thought I was "a true Lufthansa flyer." I was flying BRU to Munich, then onward to Bangkok. And as I walked into the Priority Pass lounge with my girlfriend, free of charge, without paying anything extra, I realised that Miles & More card had been sitting untouched in my wallet for months.

That moment was honestly the tipping point. Since then I've thoroughly compared both cards — not from a spreadsheet but from real trips, real costs, and real benefits. If you're a Belgian flyer torn between the Amex Platinum and the Miles & More credit card, this article is for you.

Why Belgian flyers are increasingly torn between these two cards

Let's be honest: when you fly from Belgium, you're in a unique position. Brussels Airport is a Lufthansa Group hub thanks to Brussels Airlines, but at the same time there are daily flights departing from Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and dozens of other carriers. You're not tied to a single alliance. And that actually makes your credit card choice more important than you'd think.

The Miles & More credit card is the logical choice if you only look at the Lufthansa ecosystem. You earn miles on every purchase, and those miles can be redeemed for flights with Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Swiss, or Austrian Airlines. Sounds good. But the problem lies in the word "only."

I've experienced it myself. Last year I wanted to fly BRU to the Maldives via Dubai. The best deal was with Emirates: business class at a very reasonable price. My Miles & More points? Useless for that route. My Membership Rewards points via the Amex Platinum? I could transfer those to Emirates Skywards and score a significant discount on the upgrade. That difference in flexibility is enormous.

The best travel credit card for Belgium is one that moves with your travel pattern. And for most Belgians I know, that pattern is far more varied than purely Lufthansa Group.

How much does the Amex Platinum cost versus the Miles & More credit card in Belgium?

This is where the biggest difference lies, and I'm not going to pretend it's nothing. The Amex Platinum costs €65 per month, so €780 per year. The Miles & More credit card (the Gold variant) costs approximately €110 per year. That's a world of difference on paper.

But here I always make the same comparison. What do you get for that money? If you add up the benefits of the Amex Platinum, you arrive at a value well above that €780. The Priority Pass Prestige alone (value: approximately €500 per year) gives you access to more than 1,550 lounges worldwide, for you and a guest. The Fast Lane at Brussels Airport is worth €169 per year. And I haven't even mentioned Dining for 2 (three times a year a complimentary 2-course menu for two at top Belgian restaurants, value up to €300), the Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits, and the travel insurance.

The Miles & More Gold credit card gives you access to Lufthansa Business Lounges if you're flying on the same day with a Star Alliance ticket. Outside that specific situation: no lounge access. No Fast Lane. No dining benefits.

I understand that €780 is a lot of money. When I applied for the card, I also thought about it for two weeks. But after my first trip, where I sat in four lounges, used the Fast Lane at Zaventem, and received a room upgrade via Fine Hotels + Resorts in Lisbon, I felt the card had already paid for itself.

Earning and redeeming points: Membership Rewards vs Miles & More miles

This is personally the most important difference for me. And it's also where many Belgian travellers go wrong.

With the Miles & More credit card you earn miles in the Miles & More programme. Those miles can be used for flights with Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance partners. Fine if you always fly the same routes. But those miles expire after 36 months of inactivity, and the redemption value has dropped significantly in recent years due to devaluations.

Membership Rewards points from the Amex Platinum work fundamentally differently. You earn 1 point per euro spent (and with the Booster option for €10 per month even 4 points per euro). Those points never expire as long as your card is active. And the best part: you can transfer them to more than 15 airline partners.

Let me make that concrete. Say you want to fly from Brussels to Tokyo. With Membership Rewards you can transfer points to:

• Brussels Airlines (Star Alliance, direct flights BRU-NRT available)
• Lufthansa (via Frankfurt or Munich)
• Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul, often the best business class deal)
• Singapore Airlines (via Singapore, fantastic service)
• Air France-KLM (via Paris or Amsterdam)

With Miles & More you're stuck with the first two options. That might sound like a small difference, but if Brussels Airlines has no award availability on your date (and believe me, that happens often), then you're left with miles you can't use.

Last year I transferred my Membership Rewards points to British Airways Avios for a return flight BRU to Marrakech. 25,000 points for two people in economy. That simply wouldn't have been possible with Miles & More, because Royal Air Maroc operates that route and isn't part of Star Alliance.

What specific benefits do you get at Brussels Airport?

If you depart from Zaventem (and as a Belgian that's probably the case), this is an important part of the comparison.

The Amex Platinum gives you at Brussels Airport:

Honestly, that difference is huge if you regularly fly via Zaventem. The Fast Lane alone is worth it on busy mornings. I once stood for 45 minutes in the security queue on a Monday morning in September. Since then I always use the Fast Lane. You're through in five minutes, after which you can calmly have breakfast in the lounge.

The Dining Experience at Black Pearls is also a nice bonus that I regularly use when I arrive back at Zaventem late in the evening. Taking a warm meal home after a trip? Those little things make the difference.

Travel insurance and extra benefits: the Lufthansa credit card vs Amex Platinum

Both cards offer travel insurance, but the coverage differs considerably.

The Amex Platinum travel insurance (via Chubb and Europe Assistance) covers trip cancellation, flight delay, missed connections, lost luggage, and medical expenses abroad. That insurance is automatically activated as soon as you pay for your trip with the card. I used it last year when my flight from Istanbul to Brussels was delayed by eight hours. Claim filed, reimbursed within three weeks. Smooth and hassle-free.

What I also appreciate: no foreign transaction fees on international payments. When you pay in Thailand, Japan, or the US with your Amex Platinum, you pay the exact exchange rate without any additional commission. That easily saves 1.5 to 2% per transaction. Over a two-week trip in Asia, that can be dozens of euros.

The Miles & More credit card also offers travel insurance, but it's more limited. The lounge access without Priority Pass makes the package less attractive for those who don't fly exclusively Star Alliance.

And then there are the extras you might not expect. The Amex Platinum gives you Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status and Avis Preferred status. Sounds like a detail, but when you rent a car on holiday (which I almost always do in Portugal and Greece), it means: no queue, direct upgrade if available, and a car that's already waiting for you.

I've honestly only used the 24/7 concierge service twice, but both times it was handy. Once to book a last-minute restaurant in Barcelona, and once for help with a cancelled hotel stay in Rome.

Fine Hotels + Resorts: the benefit that tips the balance

If you love luxury travel (and if you're reading this on TravelLux.be, I suspect you do), then Amex's Fine Hotels + Resorts programme is perhaps the most underrated benefit.

You book a hotel through the FHR programme, from a selection of more than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide. For the same price as the regular room rate, but you automatically receive: a complimentary room upgrade (if available), early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast for two, and a welcome gift worth approximately €100.

I used this during a three-night stay at the Belmond Reid's Palace in Madeira. The room upgrade alone was worth an ocean view suite. Breakfast was spectacular every morning. And upon departure I received a spa credit as a welcome gift. The total added value of that single booking? Easily €500 to €650.

The Miles & More credit card simply doesn't offer this. No hotel benefits, no room upgrades, no breakfast-included deals. For anyone who stays at a nice hotel a few times a year, this alone is reason enough to choose the Amex Platinum.

For whom is the Miles & More credit card actually a good choice?

I want to be honest, because not everyone has the same travel habits. The Miles & More credit card can be the better choice if you meet three conditions:

You fly exclusively with Lufthansa Group airlines (Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian). You already have a high Miles & More status (Senator or HON Circle) meaning you already have lounge access anyway. And you don't want to spend €780 per year on a credit card because you don't travel enough to fully utilise the benefits.

If that's your profile: the Miles & More Gold credit card is fine. You earn miles, you consolidate everything in one programme, and the annual cost is manageable.

But for most Belgian travellers I know — people who fly two to five times a year, sometimes Lufthansa but sometimes also Ryanair, Emirates, or Turkish Airlines, and who occasionally want to stay in a nice hotel — the Amex Platinum is the card that gives more value back.

The welcome bonus: 150,000 points to get started

One thing I always mention when friends ask me which card they should get: start with the welcome bonus. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive up to 150,000 Membership Rewards points as a welcome bonus. That's the maximum bonus — more than when you apply directly via americanexpress.com/be.

150,000 points. Let that sink in. That's enough for multiple return flights in economy within Europe, or a substantial contribution towards a business class ticket to Asia. I used my welcome points at the time for a return BRU to Athens for two people, and still had points left over for an upgrade at a later date.

The Miles & More credit card also offers a welcome bonus, usually around 20,000 to 30,000 miles. That's comparable to a single flight within Europe. Good, but not in the same league as 150,000 Membership Rewards points that you can transfer to any airline of your choice.

To apply for the Amex Platinum you must be at least 18 years old, have a gross annual income of at least €30,000, no payment arrears, and a Belgian tax residence. Payment runs via SEPA direct debit, so fully automatic.

My personal conclusion after having both cards for a year

After twelve months with both cards in my wallet, the verdict is clear. The Miles & More credit card has since been cancelled. Not because it's a bad card, but because the Amex Platinum offers more value on virtually every front for how I travel.

The lounge access at Zaventem and at every airport in the world. The flexibility to transfer points to whichever airline offers the best deal at that moment. The Fine Hotels + Resorts programme that takes hotel stays to another level. The insurance that simply works when you need it. And all those little things: Fast Lane, no foreign transaction fees, the concierge, Hertz and Avis status.

As a Belgian flyer exploring the world from Brussels, the Amex Platinum has become the card I can no longer do without. And honestly: those 150,000 welcome points made the decision a lot easier.

Want to learn more about how Membership Rewards points work? Then read our guide to Membership Rewards points. And if you're curious about the best way to book luxury hotels with your Amex, check out our Fine Hotels + Resorts experiences.

Frequently asked questions about Amex Platinum vs Miles & More in Belgium