How I Booked an €8,000 Business Class Flight for Free with Amex Points

My laptop screen flickered at 23:47 on a Tuesday evening in my apartment in Antwerp. I was staring at a confirmation email from Emirates: two return tickets from Brussels to Malé, via Dubai, in business class. Total value according to the website: €8,127. Total paid in euros: €0. Zero. Nothing. Points only. Honestly, I had to read the email three times before I believed it. Flying business class for free from Belgium with Amex points: it sounds like a marketing gimmick, but I actually did it. And I'm going to explain exactly how.

Let me rewind for a moment. A year earlier, I had applied for the American Express Platinum card, mainly for the lounge access at Brussels Airport and the travel insurance. I saw the welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points as a nice extra. At the time, I had no idea that those points would literally deliver me a dream trip.

What followed was a year of smart spending, saving points, and striking at the right moment. No complicated hacks, no obscure tricks. Just a Belgian credit card that, when used strategically, completely turns your travel budget upside down.

From 0 to 160,000 points: how I earned them as an ordinary Belgian

Let me be honest: I'm not a businessman who puts €20,000 on his card every month. My Amex Platinum cost me €65 per month, which works out to €780 per year. That's not nothing. But the way I accumulated points made that investment more than worthwhile.

It started with that welcome bonus. Via the TravelLux.be referral link I received the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points. That's more than what you get if you apply directly via the Amex website. Those 150,000 points immediately formed the foundation of my entire strategy.

In addition, I activated the Booster option for an extra €10 per month, which meant I earned 4 points per €1 spent instead of the standard 1 point per €1. My monthly spending of around €2,500 (groceries, fuel, restaurants, online purchases) therefore yielded about 10,000 points per month. After ten months, on top of that welcome bonus, I had accumulated over 100,000 additional points. In total: more than 250,000 points.

One thing I only discovered later, and which gave me enormous peace of mind: Membership Rewards points never expire, as long as your card is active. No pressure to spend them quickly. No points vanishing on 31 December. That gave me the calm to wait for the perfect moment.

The booking: BRU to MLE via DXB in Emirates Business Class

I had my heart set on the Maldives. Two weeks, my girlfriend and I. If you simply book that flight on the Emirates website, you'll easily pay €4,000 per person for business class return. For two people: €8,127, including taxes.

But here's where it gets interesting. Amex Membership Rewards points can be transferred to more than 15 airline partners. Emirates Skywards is one of them. The transfer is 1:1, meaning 1 Membership Rewards point equals 1 Emirates Skywards mile. For a return business class flight BRU to MLE via DXB, I needed 136,000 miles per person. Wait, that's more than my 150,000 welcome bonus. Correct. But because I had saved extra points in the meantime, I had more than enough.

I transferred a total of 160,000 points to my Emirates Skywards account and 112,000 to my girlfriend's (she also had an Amex Green card as a supplementary card, which is free with the Platinum). The transfer took exactly 48 hours. After that, I booked the flights directly on emirates.com. Business class, lie-flat seats, champagne upon boarding, a three-course meal at 35,000 feet. The only costs: the airport taxes of €127 per person.

Just to be clear: I paid €254 in total for two return tickets worth €8,127. That's a value of more than 3 cents per point. Financially speaking, that's one of the best ways to redeem Membership Rewards points.

How it felt: the business class experience from Brussels Airport

The morning of departure, we drove to Brussels Airport. Normally, I hate airports. The crowds, the queues, the stress at security. But with the Amex Platinum, you get access to the Fast Lane security at Brussels Airport, a benefit that normally costs €169 per year. We were through the checkpoint in four minutes. Four minutes.

Then: the lounge. With Priority Pass Prestige, included with the Platinum card, you have access to more than 1,550 lounges worldwide. At Zaventem, we chose the lounge with hot dishes and a decent wine list. My girlfriend had a glass of prosecco, I had a coffee and a croissant. Calm. Relaxed. The kind of start a holiday deserves.

The flight itself was everything you'd expect from Emirates business class and more. The seat went fully flat, there was a minibar on board, and the entertainment system had more films than I watch in a year. Between Brussels and Dubai, I ate grilled sea bass with truffle sauce. Between Dubai and Malé, an Arabic breakfast with fresh dates and labneh. My girlfriend slept six hours straight, something she never manages in economy.

On the return flight, we had a twelve-hour layover in Dubai. Emirates arranged a complimentary hotel room in the transit hotel, including shower and meal. Those kinds of details make the difference. You don't step off the plane exhausted, but well-rested. And all of that for points I had saved simply by running my daily expenses through the card.

Why this works so well specifically for Belgian travellers

I often hear from friends: "Yeah but, those credit card tricks are mainly an American thing, right?" Honestly, I used to think so too. But the Amex Platinum card in Belgium offers benefits that are specifically tailored to the Belgian market, and they make all the difference.

Take the Dining for 2 benefits: three times a year a complimentary two-course menu for two at top restaurants in Belgium. Value: up to €300 per year. Or the Brussels Airport exclusives: besides the Fast Lane, you also get the Dining Experience at Black Pearls (pick up twice a month) and Lounge On the Go (premium takeaway twice a month). These aren't benefits you use "maybe someday" — you use them every month.

Then the travel insurance, something many Belgians don't think about. Through Chubb and Europe Assistance, you're automatically covered when you pay with the Platinum: trip cancellation, flight delay, lost luggage, medical expenses abroad. Last year, a friend of ours missed her flight due to a delay on the train to Zaventem. She called the Amex number, and within two hours she had a new flight booked at their expense.

And then there's something that personally really appeals to me: no foreign transaction fees on overseas payments. In Thailand, Japan, the US — everywhere you pay exactly what's shown on the screen. No hidden 2% or 3% surcharge like with most Belgian bank cards. Over a two-week trip, that easily saves you €50 to €100.

The Fine Hotels + Resorts collection also deserves a mention. More than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide, and with every booking you get a complimentary room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast for two, and a welcome gift of around €100. In the Maldives, we booked our resort through FHR and received an upgrade to an overwater villa. The total added value of that single stay? Easily €650.

The bottom line: is €780 per year worth it?

I understand the hesitation. €780 per year for a credit card feels like a lot of money. It is a lot of money. But let me add up what I concretely got in benefits over the past year.

Add that up and you easily exceed €5,500 in concrete value. Against €780 in annual fees. Even if you don't use half of those benefits, you still come out ahead. The card pays for itself, and that's not a marketing pitch. That's my actual experience as a Belgian traveller who flies three to four times a year.

Honestly: if you only fly once a year to an all-inclusive in Turkey, this card is probably overkill. But if you travel regularly, take business trips, or simply love comfort and smart deals, then the Amex Platinum is one of the most powerful tools that exist for Belgian travellers.

Step by step: how you can do this too from Belgium

Right, enough about my experience. Let me lay out concretely how you as a Belgian traveller can also book a business class flight with points. No vague promises, just a clear plan.

Step one: apply for the Amex Platinum via a referral link to receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 points. You need a minimum gross annual income of €30,000, no payment arrears, and a Belgian tax residence. The application takes ten minutes online.

Step two: activate the Booster option (€10/month) so you earn 4 points per €1 spent. Use the card for all your daily expenses. Groceries, fuel, restaurants, online purchases, subscriptions. Everything counts.

Step three: choose your dream destination and find out how many miles you need. Emirates Skywards, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, British Airways Avios: each airline partner has different prices for award flights. Compare them. For a return business class flight from Brussels to Asia or the Middle East, you typically need 80,000 to 150,000 miles per person.

Step four: transfer your Membership Rewards points to the chosen airline partner. You do this in your Amex online account. Most transfers are 1:1 and take 24 to 72 hours.

Step five: book your award flight on the airline's website. Pay only the airport taxes (usually €50 to €200 per person). And enjoy.

One tip I wish I'd had when I started: book as early as possible. Award seats in business class are limited, and popular routes from Brussels (think BRU to BKK, BRU to NRT, BRU to JFK) fill up fast. I usually book 10 to 11 months in advance. Flexibility with dates helps enormously.

Frequently asked questions about flying business class for free with Amex points in Belgium