The Amex Platinum Concierge: 7 Things I Had Them Arrange (and What It Cost)
It was half past ten at night, I was sitting in a taxi on my way to the Marriott in Lisbon, and my girlfriend called in a panic. The restaurant where we were supposed to eat the next day for her birthday had lost our reservation. Fully booked, they said. No availability. I hung up, opened my contacts, and called the number on the back of my Amex Platinum card. Within 45 minutes, the concierge had secured a table for two. At the same restaurant. On the terrace, no less, with a view of the Tagus.
That was the moment I understood: the Amex Platinum concierge is not just a phone number. It's a personal assistant available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And yes, this service is simply included with your card.
Since then, I've used the concierge for all sorts of things. Some requests were impressively successful. Others, honestly, somewhat disappointing. In this piece, I share seven concrete things I had them arrange, what it cost, and whether it was worth it. So that you, as a Belgian traveller, know exactly what to expect.
How does the Amex Platinum concierge service work exactly?
First the basics, for those not yet familiar with it. As a holder of an American Express Platinum card in Belgium, you have access to a personal concierge. You call the number on your card, or you send an email. No twenty-minute queue like with your telecom provider. In my experience, I was always assisted within two minutes by someone who actually spoke English or French (Dutch worked too, though it was sometimes slightly slower).
The concierge can essentially arrange anything you would ask a personal assistant. Restaurant reservations, finding flights, booking hotels, sending gifts, finding event tickets, looking up information about visas or vaccinations. The service itself costs nothing extra. You obviously still pay the bill for the restaurant, hotel, or flight tickets they book for you.
What many Belgian travellers don't know: the concierge sometimes has access to tables and rooms that you wouldn't get as a private individual. That's because American Express has commercial relationships with thousands of restaurants and hotels worldwide, including the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme with more than 14,000 luxury hotels.
The 7 things I had the Amex concierge arrange
Below I share chronologically seven requests I submitted to the concierge over the past year and a half. With the actual costs, response time, and my honest assessment.
The story I told above. I called at 22:47, the concierge called me back at 23:32 with confirmation. A table for two at Ponto Final, the next day at 13:00. They had even asked whether there were any dietary requirements. The restaurant bill itself was €74 for two people. The concierge service cost nothing extra.
My verdict: Impressive. This is exactly what the service exists for. I had already called three times myself and got nowhere.
March last year. Brussels Airlines cancelled my flight to Rome Fiumicino due to a strike day. The app showed no alternatives, the queue at the counter at Brussels Airport was absurd. I called the concierge. Within 20 minutes they had rebooked me on a Lufthansa flight via Frankfurt, that same evening. Free of charge, because it was a cancellation by the airline.
My verdict: A lifesaver. While other passengers were still standing in line, I was already in the Priority Pass lounge with a coffee.
I was on a business trip in Dubai and had almost forgotten my mother's birthday. Time difference, busy schedule, you know how it is. I emailed the concierge early in the morning (Belgian time it was night) and asked to have a luxury bouquet delivered to her home in Antwerp, that same day. By noon it was there. They even sent me a confirmation photo.
The flowers cost €65, delivery €20. I could probably have arranged it myself for €55-60 if I'd had the time to search. But I didn't.
My verdict: Convenient, but the added value is mainly in the ease. Price-wise, you pay a little bit more than when you do it yourself.
This was the big test. I wanted to book an overwater villa in the Maldives for my girlfriend and me, route BRU → DXB → MLE with Emirates. The concierge selected three options within the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme, with price comparison. I ultimately chose the Constance Moofushi: four nights, €2,340 total.
What I received on top thanks to the FHR booking via Amex: free room upgrade to a better overwater villa, daily breakfast for two, a welcome gift of $100 resort credit, and late checkout until 16:00. If I had booked directly, I would have paid at least €2,100 for the same room, but without those extras. The added value of FHR alone: roughly €500-650.
My verdict: This is where the concierge truly shines. They know the FHR programme inside and out, and the extra benefits are significant.
Honestly: this is where the concierge failed. I asked for two tickets to a sold-out Rufus Du Sol concert at Paleis 12. They tried, called me back two days later, but couldn't find anything. No access to a special allocation, no VIP option. They advised me to check Ticketswap.
My verdict: Disappointing, but fair. The concierge isn't a magician. For truly sold-out popular events in Belgium, they don't always have a solution.
I wanted to rent a convertible in Sicily, picking up in Catania and dropping off in Palermo. That's a one-way route, so many rental companies charge a hefty surcharge. The concierge found a deal at Hertz (where as an Amex Platinum holder you already have Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status): €287 for five days in a Fiat 500C Spider, including the one-way fee and full insurance.
I had checked the Hertz website myself and came to €340 for the same thing. The €53 difference isn't enormous, but it also saved me half an hour of searching.
My verdict: Solid. The combination of Hertz Five Star status via Amex and the concierge booking resulted in a better deal than I found myself.
Less glamorous, but perhaps the most useful request. I was planning a trip to Tanzania (Kilimanjaro climb) and asked the concierge for a complete overview: visa requirements for Belgian passport holders, recommended vaccinations, best travel period, and safety information. Two days later I received a detailed email with everything laid out. Including links to the ITG (Institute of Tropical Medicine) and the FPS Foreign Affairs.
Could I have googled this myself? Yes. Would it have taken me two hours? At least. Those two hours were now better spent.
My verdict: Surprisingly useful. The completeness of the overview especially exceeded my expectations. Ideal for destinations where you're unsure about the administrative requirements.
What the Amex concierge can and cannot do: honest expectations for Belgian travellers
After a year and a half and these seven requests, I have a fairly good picture of what you can expect as a Belgian cardholder. The concierge is brilliant for restaurant reservations, hotel bookings (especially via Fine Hotels + Resorts), travel information, and logistical matters like car rental or flight alternatives. Those are precisely the situations where you save time and stress.
Where the concierge is less strong: popular events in Belgium where they have no special access, and very specific niche requests. I've also heard of people who tried to have a handyman arranged. That probably works, but the service isn't really designed for that.
One thing that struck me: the quality of the service is best when you are very specific in your request. "Find a good restaurant in Barcelona" yields a generic result. "I'm looking for a seafood restaurant in the Barceloneta neighbourhood, terrace, for two people, Friday evening 20:30, budget around €120" yields gold. The more specific you are, the better they perform.
How much is the Amex Platinum concierge service actually worth?
Let me do the maths. The Amex Platinum costs €65 per month, so €780 per year. For that you get not only the concierge, but also Priority Pass lounge access (value: ~€500/year), Fast Lane at Brussels Airport (€169/year), Dining for 2 (up to €300/year), travel insurance via Chubb, no foreign exchange fees, and Membership Rewards points.
The concierge as an isolated service? Hard to put a price on. But if I look at what I saved on the Maldives booking alone (roughly €500-650 in FHR benefits), then the concierge earned back a large portion of the annual fee in a single booking. Add the flight change on top (no extra costs, where I might otherwise have spent €200-300 on a last-minute ticket), and the picture quickly turns positive.
Honestly: if you travel two to three times a year, and you make use of Fine Hotels + Resorts, the lounge access, and the concierge, the card more than pays for itself. Through the TravelLux.be referral link you also receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points. Those are points you can transfer to Brussels Airlines, Emirates, or Qatar Airways for business class flights.
My 5 tips to get the most out of the Amex Platinum concierge
After all these experiences, I've learned a few lessons that I'd like to pass on.
- Be as specific as possible. Provide dates, times, budgets, preferences. The more information, the better the result.
- Call for time-sensitive matters. Email works fine for research, but if you urgently need a restaurant or flight, call. Response time by phone is minutes, by email sometimes hours.
- Use the concierge for FHR bookings. This is where the real value lies. The concierge knows the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme and can compare options that you won't easily find on the website.
- Set realistic expectations. The concierge can't work miracles for sold-out events. But for 90% of requests, they deliver excellent work.
- Don't forget the car rental benefits. Thanks to Hertz Five Star and Avis Preferred status via your Platinum card, the concierge can often arrange better deals than you find online yourself.
Frequently asked questions about the Amex Platinum concierge in Belgium
What can the Amex Platinum concierge in Belgium arrange for you?
The Amex Platinum concierge can make restaurant reservations, book flights and hotels (including Fine Hotels + Resorts), find event tickets, send flowers or gifts, arrange car rental, and look up travel information about visas, vaccinations and safety. The service is available 24/7 and fully included in the annual fee of €780.
Is the Amex Platinum concierge service free?
Yes, the concierge service itself is free and included with your Amex Platinum card (€65/month, €780/year). You do of course pay for the services the concierge books for you: restaurant bills, hotel rooms, flight tickets, and so on. No additional service fees are charged by the concierge.
How do you reach the Amex Platinum concierge from Belgium?
You can reach the concierge 24/7 via the phone number on the back of your Platinum card. You can also send an email. At TravelLux.be we advise calling for urgent matters (average wait time: less than 2 minutes) and emailing for non-time-sensitive research.
How many points do you get with the Amex Platinum welcome bonus in 2026?
Through the TravelLux.be referral link you receive up to 150,000 Membership Rewards points as a welcome bonus. This is the maximum welcome bonus for the Amex Platinum in Belgium, more than when you apply directly via americanexpress.com/be. The points can be transferred to more than 15 airline partners.
What is the difference between the Amex concierge and regular customer service?
The Amex Platinum concierge is a personal assistance service that actively arranges things for you: reservations, bookings, research, sending gifts. Regular customer service only helps with questions about your card, invoices or account. The concierge functions as a personal assistant that saves you time on travel- and lifestyle-related requests.
Want to experience the Amex Platinum concierge yourself? Through our referral link you receive the maximum welcome bonus.
✦ Apply via referral link — 150,000 points€65/month · Same price as directly with Amex · More welcome points via TravelLux.be