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Lufthansa Business Class from Brussels: booking on points via Amex

Updated: 27 May 2026

€3,200 return. That's what Lufthansa charges for a Business Class ticket Brussels-Miami if you book on the wrong day. On the right day it's still €2,400. Those are amounts you don't casually swipe your bank card for. Unless you're not paying with money, but with points.

And no, points aren't fairy-tale money. They're simply loyalty units with a calculable value. So the question is: how many Amex Membership Rewards points do you need to book Lufthansa Business Class from Brussels, and is it worth it? I've done the maths, booked multiple times, and here I'm sharing the complete picture for Belgian travellers.

Honestly: the first time I tried, it didn't go smoothly. Availability turned out to be a thing. But I'll come back to that.

Why booking Lufthansa Business Class from Brussels makes sense

From Brussels Airport you don't have direct long-haul flights in true Business Class to, say, the US East Coast or Asia. Brussels Airlines does fly to a handful of African destinations and a few North American cities, but the long-haul network is limited. Lufthansa opens up a much wider range of destinations via its hubs Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC), from Miami to Bangkok and everything in between.

The flight from Brussels to Frankfurt takes barely 50 minutes. Munich a bit longer, around an hour and fifteen minutes. That's a small detour, but it gives you access to Lufthansa's entire network. And honestly: the connection in Frankfurt or Munich is generally smooth, especially if you book through Star Alliance as a single ticket.

Another advantage: Lufthansa operates many routes with the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787, featuring the newer Business Class product including direct aisle access and lie-flat seats. That's a serious difference compared to the older 2-2-2 configuration you still sometimes encounter on certain European carriers.

The keyword here is "Star Alliance". Both Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines are in the same alliance. That means you can also use Miles & More miles on Brussels Airlines flights, and vice versa. But for long-haul, Lufthansa is simply the more interesting option from Brussels.

How many Amex Membership Rewards points does Lufthansa Business Class from Brussels cost?

Miles & More, Lufthansa's loyalty programme, uses an award chart that varies by region and season. Here are the key figures for Belgian travellers booking from Brussels:

The transfer from Amex Membership Rewards to Miles & More is 1:1 in Belgium. That's the beauty of it: 112,000 Amex points become 112,000 Miles & More miles. No skimming, no conversion loss.

Let me make that concrete. Say you want return Business Class to Miami (a route I know fairly well). In the low season you pay 112,000 miles plus roughly €350 in taxes and surcharges. In the high season that rises to 136,000 miles. Compare that with the cash price of €2,400-€3,200, and you're looking at a value of roughly 1.8 to 2.5 euro cents per point. That's pretty decent.

For comparison: if you use points for Economy Class flights or for hotel bookings through the Amex travel portal, you often don't get higher than 0.8 to 1.2 cents per point. Business Class award tickets are therefore by far the best way to extract maximum value from your points. That's not marketing speak, it's simply maths.

The Amex Platinum welcome bonus: enough for Lufthansa Business Class in one go

And this is where it gets interesting for those who don't yet have an Amex Platinum. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive up to 250,000 Membership Rewards points as a welcome bonus. That's the maximum bonus, more than when you apply directly via the Amex website.

A nuance to add, because I want to be honest here: you don't get those 250,000 points for free. You need to spend a minimum amount of approximately €4,000 to €6,000 in the first three months. That's not nothing, but if you already have larger expenses coming up (insurance, flight tickets, a new laptop, daily groceries), many Belgian cardholders manage without drastically changing their spending pattern. The bonus is one-time, per person, per lifetime so to speak.

250,000 points. That's enough for two return flights Brussels-Miami in Lufthansa Business Class (low season) or nearly two return flights to Bangkok. For one person. If you're travelling as a couple and your partner also takes a card, you obviously double that.

That annual fee of €780 (€65/month) is obviously a factor. But do the maths: the welcome bonus alone potentially delivers €4,000-€5,000 worth of Business Class flights. And on top of that come the ongoing benefits: Priority Pass lounge access (value ~€500/year), Fast Lane at Brussels Airport (€169/year), Dining for 2 at top Belgian restaurants (up to €300/year), and Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits when you book luxury hotels. On TravelLux.be I've previously calculated the full value breakdown.

Admittedly: if you only fly once a year in Economy and don't otherwise use the lounges or other benefits, then the Amex Platinum isn't worth it. You simply won't earn back the €780. I'll be honest about that.

How to book Lufthansa Business Class with Amex points from Brussels step by step

The process is less complicated than it sounds, but there are a few pitfalls that I've run into myself. Here's how it works:

1. Search for availability on Miles & More

Go to the Miles & More website or app and search for an award flight. Enter Brussels (BRU) as departure, your destination as arrival, and select Business Class. Important: look specifically for "Meilenschnäppchen" or saver awards. Those are the cheaper award rates. The more expensive "Flex" awards sometimes cost 50-70% more miles and are rarely worth it.

Here's the first pitfall straight away: availability. Lufthansa is not the most generous airline when it comes to Business Class award seats. On popular routes (say, FRA-MIA in the high season) saver awards are sometimes gone months in advance. My tip: search 10 to 11 months ahead, or look last-minute instead (2 to 3 weeks before departure seats sometimes open up).

When I first tried to book to Miami via Miles & More a few years back, I couldn't find anything for weeks on the dates I wanted. Quite frustrating. In the end the trick turned out to be flexible with your dates, even if it's just shifting two or three days. It's not like a cash ticket where you simply pay and go.

2. Transfer your Amex points to Miles & More

Once you've found availability (and ideally held onto it by acting quickly): log in to your Amex online account, go to Membership Rewards, choose "Transfer points to partners" and select Miles & More. Enter your Miles & More number and the desired number of points.

The transfer usually takes 1 to 3 business days. Sometimes it's the same day, sometimes it takes a bit longer. My experience: count on 2 business days as a safe margin. Only transfer once you've confirmed availability, because Miles & More miles are harder to retrieve than Amex points still sitting in your account.

3. Book the award ticket

Once the miles are in your Miles & More account, book the ticket via the website or customer service. For more complex routes (multiple stops, mixed cabin) it can sometimes be easier by phone. Note: in addition to the miles you also pay taxes and surcharges in euros. For Lufthansa Business Class return to the US East Coast you're usually looking at €300-€500 in additional costs.

4. Enjoy the trip (and the lounge along the way)

With a Business Class ticket you automatically have access to the Lufthansa Business Lounge in Frankfurt or Munich. But with your Amex Platinum you also have Priority Pass, which lets you access the lounge already in Brussels. Double benefit, so to speak. At Brussels Airport it's admittedly not the most impressive lounge in the world, but a free coffee and a quiet corner before your flight is always welcome.

Lufthansa Business Class vs. other options: when it is and isn't the best choice

I wouldn't be writing an honest article if I didn't also discuss the alternatives. Because Lufthansa Business Class via Miles & More isn't always the smartest use of your Amex points.

Honestly: for routes to the US East Coast, Flying Blue is often the stronger competitor, especially when a promo award is available. I once paid 90,000 Flying Blue miles myself for a return to Miami in KLM Business Class via Amsterdam. That was cheaper than the 112,000 Miles & More for the same route. But: availability with Flying Blue is just as unpredictable, and the dynamic pricing model can also work against you.

Where Lufthansa really becomes interesting is on routes where Air France-KLM is less strong. Think of destinations in Asia (Bangkok via Munich, or Singapore via Frankfurt), in South America, or in specific parts of the US where Lufthansa hubs work better. And the product itself, the new Allegris Business Class that Lufthansa is rolling out, promises to be a serious upgrade with suites and privacy doors.

Another point: if you don't have enough points for Business Class, it's tempting to use them for Economy. But I'd advise against it. The value per point drops to 0.8 to 1.0 cents. You're better off booking Economy with cash and saving your points until you have enough for Business. Patience literally pays off here.

Practical tips for Belgian travellers who want to book Lufthansa Business Class on points

After multiple bookings via Miles & More, these are the lessons I've learned. Some through trial and error, honestly.

Book early or late, never in between. The sweet spot for award availability with Lufthansa is either 330 days before departure (when the booking window opens), or 14-21 days before departure (when they release unsold seats). In the period in between, pickings are often slim.

Check the routing. Sometimes Brussels-Munich-Bangkok is cheaper or better available than Brussels-Frankfurt-Bangkok. Play around with the hubs. Munich has become Lufthansa's strongest hub for Asia routes in recent years anyway.

Combine with Star Alliance partners. Miles & More miles can also be used on other Star Alliance airlines. A flight Brussels-Frankfurt on Lufthansa, followed by Frankfurt-Bangkok on ANA or Thai Airways, can sometimes have better availability than a pure Lufthansa routing. Do note: award prices may differ for partner bookings.

Use the Amex Booster if you want to build points quickly. For €10/month extra you earn 4 points per €1 spent instead of 1 point. That sounds like a detail, but with €2,000 in monthly spending you then earn 8,000 points per month instead of 2,000. Over a year that's the difference between 24,000 and 96,000 points. That extra €120 more than pays for itself when you use the points for Business Class.

Don't forget the surcharges in your calculation. Lufthansa charges taxes and surcharges on award tickets, usually €300-€500 return for long-haul. That's less than what British Airways charges (they're notorious for their high fuel surcharges), but it's not zero. Factor it in.

Open a Miles & More account well in advance. You need a Miles & More number to receive the transfer from Amex. Create that account before you start searching, so you won't face any surprises.

And for those who want the full picture of the Amex Platinum and all transfer partners: on TravelLux.be I've written an overview of all airline partners, with the value per point per partner.

Also read on TravelLux.be:

• Amex Platinum in Belgium: all benefits calculated
• Membership Rewards transfer partners: overview and value per point
• Priority Pass lounges at Brussels Airport: what can you expect?