29 March 2026

Where is Amex Accepted in Belgium? The 2026 Reality Check

Elegant restaurant in Belgium where you can pay with American Express

Last month I was standing at the register of a small cheese shop in Ghent. I'd picked out a beautiful aged Gouda, added a matured Bruges cheese, and then that moment: "Sorry, we don't accept Amex." I rummaged through my wallet for my backup Visa and thought: I need to write an honest piece about this. Because the question "where is Amex accepted in Belgium?" is exactly what I googled myself when I first got my hands on my Amex Platinum card.

Let me be upfront right away. Amex acceptance in Belgium has improved significantly in recent years, but it's not Visa or Mastercard. You can't blindly trust that every merchant in this country will accept your card. At the same time, the picture is more nuanced than most people think. I now pay about 75% of my daily expenses with Amex, and that percentage rises every year.

Time for a sober reality check. No marketing talk, just my personal experience after two years of daily payments with American Express in Belgium.

Supermarkets and daily groceries: where paying with Amex in Belgium does work

The supermarket is where you pull out your card most often, so let's start there. The good news: Belgium's two largest chains both accept American Express. Delhaize and Carrefour, together accounting for hundreds of locations across the country, take your Amex without any issues. That applies to regular stores, city formats, and online orders through their apps as well.

Albert Heijn (mainly in Flanders) also accepts Amex. That's three chains where you can easily do your weekly shopping and collect points. With the standard 1 point per €1, that might seem modest, but consider this: someone spending €150 per week on groceries earns 7,800 points on an annual basis. Activate the Booster option (4 points per €1 for €10/month extra), and that becomes 31,200. Enough for a business class upgrade on a short-haul route.

Now the elephant in the room: Colruyt. No. Colruyt does not accept American Express, and I honestly don't expect that to change anytime soon. Colruyt is obsessed with cost efficiency, and the higher transaction fees of Amex simply don't fit their model. The same goes for Aldi and Lidl. At those three discounters, you can leave your Amex in your wallet.

My system: I do my big weekly shop at Delhaize (Amex, earn points), and pop into Colruyt for the few specific products that are cheaper there (Bancontact). This way I maximise my points without overpaying.

Restaurants, hotels and hospitality: the surprisingly good side

This is where it gets more interesting. If you eat out in Brussels, Antwerp or Ghent, you'll notice that an increasing number of restaurants accept American Express. Especially the mid-range and high-end restaurants. That makes sense: higher bills, a more international clientele, and the higher transaction cost weighs less when the average bill is €80+.

My experience in practice: of the last twenty restaurant visits in Brussels, I was able to pay with Amex at fifteen of them. That's 75%. In Antwerp I'd estimate it at around 65%, in smaller cities like Mechelen or Leuven slightly lower, around 50%. In the countryside? That's a different story. A chip shop in a village in the Ardennes really doesn't accept Amex. But you wouldn't expect it to.

Hotels are a different category. Virtually all international hotel chains in Belgium accept American Express: Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor, Hyatt. The larger Belgian boutique hotels as well. Over the past year I stayed in at least eight hotels in Belgium and had to reach for my Visa exactly once: a small B&B in Durbuy that only accepted Bancontact and cash.

What I enormously appreciate about my Amex Platinum, by the way: the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme. At more than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide you automatically get a room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast for two and a welcome gift of around €100. The breakfast and room upgrade alone are often worth €200+ at a single stay.

Online shopping: this is where Amex scores best in Belgium

If there's one domain where Amex acceptance in Belgium is fantastic, it's online shopping. The reason is simple: most large Belgian and international webshops use payment providers like Adyen, Stripe or Mollie, and they all support American Express.

A selection of webshops where I paid with Amex without any issues over the past year:

Honestly, I now buy almost everything online with my Amex. The points add up nicely, there are no currency conversion fees at foreign webshops, and the purchase protection is better than with my Visa. Recently I ordered a €1,200 laptop via Coolblue and those 1,200 points (or 4,800 with the Booster) were added automatically.

Subscriptions are also a clever way to collect points without thinking about it. Netflix, Spotify, Adobe, your phone plan with certain providers: all fine with Amex. A few hundred extra points every month without doing anything for it.

Petrol stations, transport and the rest: the mixed experiences

Filling up with Amex in Belgium: you can at TotalEnergies. Most TotalEnergies stations have payment terminals that support American Express. Shell accepts Amex at many locations, but not all. At Q8 it's inconsistent. My advice: if you're driving to the Ardennes for a long weekend and know you'll need to refuel along the way, make sure you have a backup card with you.

Public transport is a mixed story. Online tickets from NMBS can be purchased with Amex just fine. At the counter or at the ticket machine in the station: usually not. De Lijn and MIVB/STIB mainly work with Bancontact and contactless Visa/Mastercard. An Amex rarely works there.

Brussels Airport deserves a special mention, because Amex acceptance there is excellent. Logically: it's an international airport with a cosmopolitan audience. Virtually all shops, restaurants and duty-free shops at Zaventem accept American Express. As an Amex Platinum cardholder you also enjoy extra benefits there: Fast Lane security (normally €169/year), the Dining Experience at Black Pearls (2x per month) and Lounge On the Go for premium takeaway (2x per month). I use that Fast Lane on every flight from Brussels and it saves me at least 15 minutes each time.

Pro tip for Brussels Airport: Combine your Amex Platinum lounge access (1,550+ lounges worldwide via Priority Pass) with the Fast Lane and the dining benefits. On an average flight from BRU you easily save €60-80 on lounge, food and security. That adds up over a year.

The Amex Acceptance Map: sector by sector in 2026

To keep things clear, I've summarised my experiences per sector. This is not an official list from American Express, but my personal assessment after two years of daily use in Belgium.

✅ High acceptance (80%+)

🟡 Average acceptance (40-70%)

❌ Low acceptance (less than 30%)

What stands out: the larger and more international the merchant, the greater the chance that Amex is accepted. It's mainly the small independents and the budget retailers that opt out. And I honestly understand that too: for a baker processing average transactions of €6, those higher Amex fees weigh more heavily.

My strategy: how I run 75% of my spending through Amex

After two years of experimenting, I have a system that simply works. It might sound overly organised, but it's actually very simple.

Step one: I have the Amex app on my phone and use Apple Pay. That makes tapping my Amex just as fast as Bancontact. If the payment doesn't go through, I switch to my Visa via Apple Pay. Takes two seconds. No hassle.

Step two: all fixed expenses that accept Amex are on my Platinum card. Insurance, streaming, phone, online subscriptions. That's about €200-300 per month in "free" points, since I'd have those costs anyway.

Step three: I deliberately plan larger purchases through webshops or stores that accept Amex. That €1,200 laptop? Coolblue instead of the local computer shop. Not out of ill will towards that local shop, but 1,200 (or 4,800) points are 1,200 points.

Step four: all travel bookings, from flights to hotels to rental cars, go through Amex. Acceptance here is virtually 100% anyway, and the extra benefits (travel insurance, Fine Hotels + Resorts, lounge access) make it a no-brainer.

With this system I earn around 40,000 to 60,000 points per year on regular spending. On top of that comes the welcome bonus: via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive up to 150,000 Membership Rewards points upon application. That's the maximum welcome bonus, more than when you apply directly via the Amex website. Those 150,000 points are good for multiple business class flights within Europe or a substantial discount on an intercontinental flight with partners like Brussels Airlines, Emirates or Singapore Airlines.

Is Amex acceptance in Belgium improving? The trend is clear

I don't keep a scientific logbook, but my feeling (and my transaction history) tell a clear story. When I got my Amex Platinum in early 2024, I estimated I could use it for about 55-60% of my spending. Now, spring 2026, I'm at around 75%. That increase isn't because I've radically changed my spending pattern, but because more and more merchants accept Amex.

The main driver? E-commerce. Every webshop using Stripe, Adyen or Mollie as their payment provider automatically supports Amex. And the number of Belgian webshops using these providers is growing explosively. Additionally, American Express itself is investing in partnerships. The Amex Offers in the app (discounts at 100+ brands) are a clever way to incentivise both customers and merchants.

Do I expect Amex to ever reach Visa/Mastercard level in Belgium? Honestly: no, I don't think so. The structurally higher merchant fees will ensure that budget fighters like Colruyt and the discounters never come on board. But for someone who consciously chooses where to pay, 75%+ acceptance is more than enough to earn serious points.

Is it worth the €780 per year, even with those acceptance gaps?

This is the question everyone eventually asks. The Amex Platinum costs €65 per month, or €780 per year. That's substantial. But let me share my personal calculation.

Priority Pass lounge access for me and a guest: normally worth ~€500/year. Fast Lane at Brussels Airport: €169/year. Dining for 2 (3x per year top restaurant, 2-course menu for two): up to €300/year. Travel insurance (cancellation, medical, luggage): at least €100/year if you'd take that out separately. No currency conversion fees on foreign payments: depending on your travel habits, but for me easily €50-100/year. And I'm not even counting the Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits (up to €650 per stay), the concierge service and the Amex Offers.

Conservatively calculated, I get €1,200+ per year in concrete value out of it. On an annual fee of €780, that's a comfortable plus. And the welcome bonus of 150,000 points? In the first year alone, that's worth several hundred to over a thousand euros in travel value, depending on how you redeem them.

The acceptance gaps are a minor inconvenience, not a dealbreaker. A Visa or Mastercard as backup in your wallet solves the problem entirely. I prefer to pay as much as possible with Amex for the points and benefits, and grab my Visa for the rest. Simple.

Frequently asked questions about Amex acceptance in Belgium

Where is American Express accepted in Belgium?

American Express is accepted in Belgium at major chains such as Delhaize, Carrefour, Albert Heijn, IKEA, Coolblue, MediaMarkt, and most international hotel chains and airlines. Online acceptance is very good at virtually all major webshops. Smaller independent shops and hospitality venues in the countryside accept Amex less often. Discounters such as Colruyt, Aldi and Lidl do not accept American Express.

Can I pay with Amex at Colruyt?

No, Colruyt does not accept American Express. Colruyt maintains a strict cost policy and refuses credit cards with higher transaction fees. Alternatives where Amex does work: Delhaize, Carrefour and Albert Heijn.

Do I need a backup card alongside my Amex in Belgium?

Yes, a Visa or Mastercard as backup is strongly recommended. Although Amex acceptance in Belgium improves every year (estimated 70-75% at larger merchants in 2026), there are still plenty of places where only Bancontact, Visa or Mastercard works. A backup card prevents awkward moments at the checkout.

How many points do I earn with the Amex Platinum in Belgium?

The Amex Platinum card gives a standard 1 Membership Rewards point per €1 spent. With the Booster option (€10/month extra) you earn 4 points per €1. Points never expire as long as your card is active. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive up to 150,000 welcome points upon application, the maximum bonus.

Is Amex acceptance in Belgium improving in 2026?

Yes, acceptance improves every year. The biggest growth is in e-commerce, where payment providers like Stripe, Adyen and Mollie support Amex as standard. More and more physical shops and restaurants in major Belgian cities also accept American Express. However, don't expect discounters like Colruyt, Aldi or Lidl to follow anytime soon.

✦ Apply for Amex Platinum via referral link: 150,000 points

The annual fee is €780/year (€65/month). Via our referral link you receive the maximum welcome bonus. More info at americanexpress.com/be.