Spring Break: 7 City Trips from Brussels You Can Pay for with Points

15,000 points for a return Brussels-Lisbon. That's less than most Belgian travellers think they need. And honestly: I myself long thought you had to save hundreds of thousands of points before you could do anything useful with them. Until I actually started calculating, destination by destination, programme by programme.

What did I find? For a spring break to most European cities you need surprisingly few points if you transfer smartly. Not every programme is equally interesting, not every route is a bargain, and sometimes simply paying cash is the better choice. But for anyone who already has an Amex Platinum in their wallet (or is considering one), it's worth knowing the options.

Below: seven concrete city trips from Brussels Airport, with calculations, transfer partners and honest caveats. No "dream destinations" but workable routes that I've personally researched or flown.

How does paying with points for flights from Brussels work?

First the basics, because this is where many people go wrong. You can't simply redeem Membership Rewards points directly for a plane ticket on just any airline. What you can do: transfer points to a loyalty programme of a partner airline, and book an award ticket there. That sounds roundabout, but it's precisely where the value lies.

The Amex Platinum in Belgium offers transfers to Miles & More (Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa), Flying Blue (Air France-KLM), Avios (British Airways, Iberia) and a whole range of other programmes, among others. The transfer ratio differs per programme. With Miles & More it's 5:4, so 5 MR points become 4 miles. With Flying Blue and Avios the ratio is generally 1:1, which is more advantageous if you look purely at the number of points.

Important to know: the points price of a flight differs per programme, per route and per moment. A flight that costs 12,500 points with Flying Blue might require 20,000 miles with Miles & More, but those miles then also cost you more MR points due to the worse ratio. So you always need to check two things: how many miles the programme requires, and how many MR points you need to transfer for that.

Sounds complicated? It's not so bad once you've done it a few times. Below I've worked it out per destination.

7 City Trips from Brussels Airport: points, routes and honest values

1. London

London is one of those destinations where the maths sometimes don't add up. If you find a return for €85 on Brussels Airlines or Eurostar, then it's a waste to burn 18,500 points. But during school holidays, when that cash price creeps towards €180, Avios suddenly become interesting. The off-peak pricing of 9,500 Avios return in particular is a bargain.

I fly to London regularly myself and usually book it cash when the price is low. But for a long Easter weekend, when everyone has the same idea, I've booked with Avios twice already. That felt like a good deal. Added bonus: through British Airways you can cancel up to 24 hours before departure with a refund of your Avios, which is often not possible with a cash ticket.

2. Lisbon

Lisbon in spring is, to put it mildly, not original. But it's popular for a reason: pleasant weather, affordable on the ground, and easily accessible from Brussels. TAP, Brussels Airlines and KLM all fly there.

The sweet spot is with Flying Blue promo awards. During their monthly promotions a return to Lisbon can drop to 10,000 miles. That's 10,000 MR points for a ticket that costs €180-280 cash in peak season. That's almost 2 cents per point, which is a solid value. Outside the promos, 15,000 miles is the standard, and that's still reasonable.

Avios is an alternative at 13,000 points return, but the flight times via London are less convenient unless you want to make a stop there anyway.

3. Barcelona

Barcelona nicely illustrates why comparing programmes is worthwhile. Via Miles & More you need 25,000 MR points (due to the 5:4 ratio). Via Flying Blue only 15,000. And via Avios 13,000. For the same ticket. So you naturally choose Flying Blue or Avios, unless you specifically want to fly Brussels Airlines (Miles & More) for the direct flight.

In spring you often find cash tickets around €110-140 return. Then the points value is mediocre. But early April, around Easter? Then cash prices shoot up to €200+ and 13,000 Avios become a smart alternative. It's a matter of timing and flexibility.

4. Rome

Rome is a classic that always works in spring. Brussels Airlines flies there direct, which is nice but works out more expensive in points via Miles & More. Flying Blue via a connection in Paris or Amsterdam costs fewer points, but you're travelling longer.

My tip: check the cash price first. Early bookers often find returns around €110 on Brussels Airlines. In that case, paying with points isn't the smartest move. But if you're booking last-minute and the price is above €180, then 15,000 Flying Blue miles (= 15,000 MR points) are a neat saving.

5. Prague

Prague, honestly, isn't always the best deal with points. Cash prices are often already low, especially if you book early. A return for €95 is not uncommon. In that case you're "paying" 25,000 MR points (Miles & More) for something that costs €95, and that's a value of barely 0.38 cents per point. That feels like a waste.

But there's a scenario where it does work: if you book via Flying Blue promo awards and score 10,000 miles for a return via Paris-CDG. Then you use 10,000 MR points for a ticket worth €130-180. That's a value of 1.3 to 1.8 cents per point. Reasonable to good. You do have to accept a connection though, which is less ideal for a short weekend away.

6. Vienna

Vienna in March or April, with those first warm days along the Danube: quite pleasant indeed. Austrian Airlines (Star Alliance, so Miles & More) flies direct from Brussels, and Brussels Airlines does too. The points price via Miles & More is 20,000 miles, which comes to 25,000 MR points.

Flying Blue is once again the cheaper option in terms of points (15,000 miles = 15,000 MR points), but then you fly via Amsterdam or Paris. For a weekend of three nights, that's wasted time. My preference goes to the direct flight, even if it costs more points. The extra 10,000 MR points are worth the convenience when you only have 2.5 days on the ground.

7. Ibiza (spring edition)

Yes, Ibiza in spring. Not for the clubs (those don't open until late May) but for the island itself: quiet, green, with temperatures around 20 degrees. We go there regularly ourselves and the difference between April-Ibiza and August-Ibiza is enormous, both in atmosphere and in price.

The trick: book via Avios with Vueling or Iberia. Vueling flies direct from Brussels and the Avios prices are quite reasonable: 13,000 points return in the low season. In summer that rises to 17,000+ and cash tickets are sometimes €250-300, pushing the points value up to 1.5 to 2.3 cents per point. Spring is the sweet spot: low points prices and an empty island.

Which transfer programme should you choose as a Belgian traveller?

After all those destinations, a summary of what I've learned myself. There are three programmes that are most relevant for Belgian travellers flying from Brussels Airport:

• Flying Blue (Air France-KLM): 1:1 transfer ratio, regular promo awards (25-50% discount), broad network. Downside: often a connection via Paris or Amsterdam.
• Avios (British Airways/Iberia/Vueling): 1:1 ratio, distance-based pricing that works out well for short European flights. Downside: flights via London, unless you can book Iberia or Vueling.
• Miles & More (Brussels Airlines/Lufthansa/Austrian): 5:4 ratio (worse), but direct flights from Brussels. Downside: higher points prices and less flexible awards.

My personal approach: I first check Flying Blue promo awards (new destinations every month). If the destination isn't included, I look at Avios. I only use Miles & More when I specifically want to fly Brussels Airlines. Not ideal from a points perspective, but sometimes a direct flight of an hour and a half is worth that more expensive points ticket.

The maths: when are points better than paying cash?

This is the question I always ask myself before spending points. The rule of thumb I use on TravelLux.be: if you're getting less than 0.8 cents value per point, pay cash. Above 1.2 cents per point it's a good deal. Everything in between depends on how many points you have in your account and how quickly you earn them.

The difference is quite significant. The same points strategy can deliver twice as much value on one destination compared to another. That's why it's worth comparing before you transfer, because once transferred to an airline programme you can't move the points back to Membership Rewards.

Another caveat: taxes and surcharges. With some award tickets (especially via British Airways) you still pay hefty surcharges on top of your points. Flying Blue is generally more favourable in that regard. Include those costs in your comparison, otherwise the deal looks better than it actually is.

How to earn enough points for a city trip (or seven)

The most frequently asked question: how do you get those points? With the standard earning rate of 1 MR point per €1 spent, you'd need to spend €15,000 for a return to Lisbon. That sounds like a lot, and it is if you only use the card for your groceries.

But there are three accelerators. The first and biggest: the welcome bonus. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive up to 150,000 Membership Rewards points upon application. This bonus is one-time and requires a minimum spend of approximately €4,000 to €6,000 in the first 3 months. That's not nothing, but if you have large purchases planned anyway (new laptop, trip, insurance premium) it's achievable.

With 150,000 points you can, depending on the destination and programme, book 6 to 15 European return flights. That's potentially two years of spring breaks, summer trips and autumn weekends.

The second accelerator: the Booster option. For an extra €10 per month you earn 4 points per €1 instead of 1. If you spend €2,000 monthly (which with daily groceries, fuel and online purchases isn't unreasonable), that yields 8,000 points per month instead of 2,000. Over a year: 96,000 points. Enough for 4 to 6 European return flights.

The third: Amex Offers. You regularly get discounts or extra points with specific brands. Not spectacular per transaction, but it adds up.

Lounge, Fast Lane and other perks on your spring break

Points for flights are only half the story. What I personally also appreciate on those short city trips: the ancillary benefits at Brussels Airport itself.

The Priority Pass Prestige (included with the Amex Platinum) gives access to more than 1,550 lounges worldwide, free for the cardholder plus 1 guest. At Zaventem that's specifically the lounge in Pier A. Not the most impressive in the world, admittedly, but on an early morning flight to Barcelona, coffee, a quiet seat and wifi are a lot more pleasant than the gate.

Then the Fast Lane: expedited security at Brussels Airport, normally worth €169/year, included with the card. On Friday mornings, when the queue at security is sometimes 30-40 minutes, it really makes a difference. I now use it on every flight and it's one of those benefits you only truly appreciate once you're used to it and suddenly don't have it anymore.

And there's Dining for 2: three times a year a complimentary 2-course menu for two at top Belgian restaurants. Value: up to €300 per year. Not directly linked to your city trip, but it helps the maths of that €780 annual fee.

Furthermore: the travel insurance. It covers cancellation, delay, luggage and medical expenses, automatically active when you pay with the card. For a weekend in Lisbon you'd normally buy travel insurance for €15-25. Over four city trips per year: €60-100 saved. A small amount, but it adds up.

Also read: which lounges you can visit at Brussels Airport with Priority Pass.

When the Amex Platinum isn't worth it for city trips

I like to be honest about this. There are profiles for which this card doesn't make sense:

• You fly fewer than 3 times per year and don't use the lounges.
• You spend less than €1,000 per month with the card.
• You mainly travel with low-cost carriers (Ryanair, Wizzair) that aren't part of the transfer programmes.
• You have no need for the insurance, dining or concierge service.

In those cases you're paying €780 per year for a card of which you don't use half the benefits. Then a regular credit card with lower or no annual fees is the better option. The points you earn don't outweigh the cost.

But if you fly 4+ times per year from Brussels Airport, spend regularly with the card and actively use the benefits? Then the value can run up to €2,000+ per year. It really differs per profile, and it's worth doing the maths for your own situation before you apply.

Also read on TravelLux.be:

• → Amex Platinum Belgium: full review and cost breakdown
• → Membership Rewards points: where do you get the best value?
• → Priority Pass lounges at Brussels Airport: what can you expect?