Updated: 21 May 2026 · Reading time: 14 min · By TravelLux.be

Thailand Tour: 14 Days of Luxury Travel with Points from Belgium

120,000 Membership Rewards points for two return flights to Bangkok. That's less than half the welcome bonus you can earn as a Belgian traveller through a single credit card. The rest? You use it to pay for hotels, transfers and a few memorable dinners. Or you leave it and pay cash. The point is: you have options. And those options are more concrete than most people think.

I've been planning my Thailand tours largely with points for a few years now. Not because I'm an obsessive spreadsheet nerd (though I can't help it either), but because the maths simply works out. A 14-day Thailand tour from Belgium that normally costs €4,500+ for two people, I've brought down to around €1,800 out of pocket, plus points. Is that within everyone's reach? No. But for anyone willing to plan two months ahead, it's surprisingly achievable.

Why Thailand is the ideal points destination for Belgian travellers

Thailand is interesting for several reasons when you work with points. First: the flights. From Brussels Airport you have strong connections via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Doha (Qatar Airways) and Dubai (Emirates). All three are transfer partners of Membership Rewards. That means you convert points to Miles&Smiles, Avios or Skywards, and book your ticket with those. No detours, no hassle with vague "travel value".

Second: the price difference between economy and business class in cash is enormous (think €800 vs. €3,200 return), but in points much smaller. An economy return costs you around 45,000 to 60,000 points through the right partner. Business class? 80,000 to 120,000. That makes business class to Bangkok one of the best "points deals" you can book as a Belgian.

And then there's Thailand itself. The costs on the ground are low compared to Western Europe. A decent dinner for two costs €15-25, a private taxi from Bangkok to Hua Hin €50, and a beach massage €8. Even if you pay for your hotels with points and the rest in cash, you keep the local budget manageable. That makes the combination "luxury flights and hotels with points, local costs in cash" particularly attractive.

Honestly: if you want to do Thailand on a budget of €1,500 per person all-in and you have no interest in business class or nicer hotels, then this approach is overkill. The Amex Platinum costs €780 per year, and you only earn that investment back if you actually use the benefits. For someone who flies once a year to Spain for a week in economy, this isn't the right card. Be honest with yourself about that.

The route: 14 days in Thailand from Bangkok to the islands

There are hundreds of ways to fill fourteen days in Thailand. The route I describe here is based on what I've done myself multiple times, with minor variations. It's not "the perfect route", because that doesn't exist. But it's a route that works well if you want to combine culture, beach and a bit of city energy, without having to pack your suitcase every two days.

Points budget: what does this Thailand tour cost in Membership Rewards?

Let me make it concrete. Here's the calculation for two people, based on recent bookings and transfer ratios that I track on TravelLux.be.

Flights Brussels-Bangkok return, business class (2 people):
Via Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles: 2x 90,000 = 180,000 MR points (transfer ratio 1:1). That's for a business class return with one stop in Istanbul. Availability varies, but if you book 2-3 months ahead, you usually find seats. Via Qatar Airways Avios you pay slightly more: 2x 120,000 = 240,000 points, but the Qsuites are honestly in a league of their own.

Alternative, economy class:
Via Turkish Airlines: 2x 50,000 = 100,000 MR points return for two. That saves 80,000-140,000 points you can then use for hotels.

Hotels (3 nights Bangkok FHR + 4 nights island):
FHR you pay in euros, not in points, but you do earn points with it (1 or 4 per euro). The extras (breakfast, room upgrade, welcome gift) are together worth around €200-400 per stay. If you prefer to pay for hotels with points, you can transfer via Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy: expect 40,000-80,000 MR points for 7 nights in mid-range to luxury hotels.

Domestic flights:
Bangkok-Koh Samui, Koh Samui-Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai-Bangkok: together around €250-400 for two people in cash. Not worth paying in points, the prices are low enough.

Total overview for two people (business class variant):

• Flights: 180,000 MR points (or 240,000 via Qatar)
• Hotels: €1,400-2,100 cash (via FHR with all extras) or 40,000-80,000 points
• Domestic flights: €300 cash
• Food, transport, activities: €600-900 cash
• Total cash: €2,300-3,300 + 180,000-240,000 points

For comparison: the same trip entirely in cash, without points, without FHR benefits, costs €4,500-6,000 for two people in business class. The difference is mainly in the flights (€2,400-3,600 saved) and the hotel extras (€400-800 value in breakfast, upgrades and gifts).

But let me be honest: the "savings" only exist if you actually had the points. The welcome bonus of the Amex Platinum yields up to 250,000 points after a minimum spend of €4,000-6,000 in the first three months. That's a one-time thing. After that you earn 1 point per euro (or 4 with the Booster). Realistically: if you spend €2,000 per month via your Amex, you earn 24,000 points per year (without Booster) or 96,000 (with Booster). The welcome bonus is the big starting capital. Don't treat it as "free money", but as a smart accelerator.

How to concretely use the Amex Platinum for this Thailand tour

The card isn't just a points earner. On a trip like this you use multiple benefits simultaneously, and that's where the annual fee of €780 pays for itself.

Brussels Airport Fast Lane: the Platinum card gives you free Fast Lane security at Brussels Airport, normally €169 per year. On a departure to Bangkok, where you sometimes have to check in at 6 in the morning, that's not luxury but time saved. Combined with the lounge access (Priority Pass Prestige, valid for cardholder plus one guest at 1,550+ lounges worldwide) you have a relaxed start. That lounge at Zaventem before departure, and then again in Istanbul or Doha during your layover: those are two to three hours of comfort you won't want to miss anymore.

No foreign transaction fees: in Thailand you pay a lot by card, especially in hotels and restaurants in Bangkok and on the islands. The Amex Platinum charges no foreign transaction fees on overseas transactions. That saves 1.5-2% compared to most Belgian debit cards. On €2,000 in spending in Thailand that's €30-40 saved. Small amount, but it adds up.

Travel insurance: the included travel insurance (via Chubb and Europ Assistance) covers trip cancellation, flight insurance, lost luggage and medical expenses abroad. The latter is relevant in Thailand: a hospital visit can quickly add up. Condition: you must have paid for the trip (or part of it) with the Amex. I always book at least the flights or the first hotel with the card to be covered.

Fine Hotels + Resorts: as described above. The room upgrade is not guaranteed (it depends on availability at arrival), but in my experience in Bangkok and on Koh Samui you almost always get an upgrade. The daily breakfast for two is included regardless, and in a hotel like the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok that's easily worth €60 per day. Over three nights: €180 in breakfast alone.

One caveat though. The Amex is not accepted everywhere in Thailand. In larger hotels, restaurants and chain stores no problem. But at street stalls, local markets and smaller shops it's Visa or Mastercard, or simply cash. I always bring a second card (Visa debit) as backup. And in Thailand, cash is still king at the market.

When this approach doesn't work for you

I wouldn't be writing a credible blog if I didn't also highlight the flip side. The Amex Platinum with points to Thailand: for whom doesn't it work?

If your annual travel budget is under €3,000 (for all trips combined), the card with its €780 annual fee is hard to earn back. The lounge access alone isn't worth that money if you depart from Zaventem twice a year.

If you can't naturally reach the minimum spend of €4,000-6,000 in three months, don't start. The welcome bonus is a one-time offer and makes up the lion's share of your points capital in the first year. Forcing spending to score points is a losing game.

If you have no desire to delve into transfer partners, availability and booking windows: then the points strategy is too labour-intensive. It's not rocket science, but it does require a few hours of research per trip. Not everyone enjoys that. Understandable.

And if you approach Thailand purely as a budget destination (hostels, street food, night trains): then a premium credit card doesn't make sense. The added value lies in upgrading comfort, not in making an already cheap trip cheaper.

My own Thailand routine: what I've learned after multiple trips

Thailand is one of the destinations I return to most often. Bangkok, the southern islands, Chiang Mai in the north. Every trip teaches me something new.

The first time I booked everything separately: flight through one site, hotels through another, transfers on the ground. Not wrong, but not efficient either. Since then I book the flight with points (through whichever airline partner programme has the best availability at that moment), the first three hotel nights via FHR (for the extras), and the rest simply cash via booking.com or directly with the hotel.

What disappointed me on my first FHR booking in Bangkok: the welcome gift was a fruit platter. Literally. Mangoes and dragon fruit, in a nice basket. The value of "approximately €100" is sometimes creatively interpreted. The room upgrade more than made up for it (from a standard room to a corner suite with a view), but don't expect miracles with every booking.

What always delivers: the breakfast. In Asian luxury hotels the breakfast buffet is something special. Fresh fruit, dim sum, noodles, Western options: you walk around for an hour and eat until lunch becomes unnecessary. Getting that daily for free is one of the most tangible FHR benefits.

Regarding flights: Turkish Airlines business class via Istanbul has become my standard choice for Thailand from Brussels. The connection is good (2.5-hour layover), the lounge in Istanbul is enormous, and the points price via Miles&Smiles is fair. Qatar Airways via Doha has a better hardware product (those Qsuites), but the availability in points is more unpredictable. Plan 3-4 months ahead for that.

I use the Fast Lane at Brussels Airport on every departure. It sounds like a small benefit, but when you're standing there at half five in the morning with two suitcases and a slightly grumpy travel companion, that separate line through security makes more of a difference than you'd think.

Frequently asked questions about a Thailand tour with points from Belgium