30 maart 2026 · TravelLux.be

Why Every Belgian Entrepreneur Should Have an Amex Platinum

Last November I was standing at Brussels Airport with a flight BRU → IST → DXB. Three days in Dubai for a supplier meeting, then on to a trade fair in Abu Dhabi. My schedule was tight, my suitcase overpacked, and the queue at security endlessly long. While dozens of travellers nervously checked their watches, I walked through the Fast Lane straight to the gate. Once through the checkpoint: a lounge with warm pasta, fresh coffee and silence. I hadn't paid a single cent extra. The Amex Platinum was doing its job.

That morning I truly realised how much this card earns me as a Belgian entrepreneur. Not just in points or benefits on paper, but in time. And time is precisely the scarcest thing you have as a self-employed professional.

If you're looking for the best credit card for entrepreneurs in Belgium, then this is the honest story. No advertising brochure. Just what I experience, what it costs, and why I believe every Belgian entrepreneur who flies at least five times a year should seriously consider this.

The bill behind the card: €780 per year, and what you get in return

Let's start with the amount everyone stumbles over. The Amex Platinum costs €65 per month. That's €780 on an annual basis. Honestly: that's not nothing. I hesitated myself when I first saw that monthly charge. But as an entrepreneur you do something you rarely do with personal expenses: you do the maths.

Priority Pass Prestige alone costs around €500 per year if you were to buy it separately. You get it for free, including access for a guest. The Fast Lane at Brussels Airport? That's worth €169 per year. Together you're already at €669. Add the Dining for 2 programme — three times a year a 2-course menu for two at top Belgian restaurants — and you've already surpassed the cost.

And we haven't even talked about the travel insurance, the concierge, the Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits, or the Membership Rewards points. The card pays for itself if you use it. The trick is: you actually have to use it. For the entrepreneur who spends three quarters of the year behind their desk and never travels, this isn't the right card. For those who are regularly on the road, heading out into the world from Brussels or Charleroi, it's a no-brainer.

Amex Platinum as a business tool for the Belgian self-employed

What surprised me when I first got the card: it's not just a payment method. It's an ecosystem that you can leverage as a self-employed professional in ways you don't immediately expect.

Take the Membership Rewards points. Every euro you spend earns 1 point. Activate the Booster option for €10 per month, and that becomes 4 points per euro. As an entrepreneur credit card in Belgium, you're already spending thousands of euros per month on software, flights, hotels, client lunches. Those expenses earn precisely zero with a regular bank card. With the Amex Platinum you build up a savings pot that you can convert into flights with Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and more than fifteen other partners.

Last year I accumulated 87,000 points, purely on business expenses. That was enough for a return BRU → LIS in business class via TAP, booked through the Membership Rewards portal. That flight would otherwise have cost me around €1,400. And the points never expire, as long as your card is active. That's a crucial difference from programmes that force you to redeem within a year.

Something else that appeals to entrepreneurs: no foreign transaction fees on international payments. If you pay suppliers in dollars, pounds or Swiss francs, you save the 1.5 to 2% surcharge that most Belgian banks charge on every transaction. Over a year that adds up considerably.

Lounge access, Fast Lane and the value of calm at Brussels Airport

Let me go back to that morning at Brussels Airport, because it says something about how you travel as an entrepreneur. You know the drill: you have an early flight, you worked late the night before on a quote, you arrive at Zaventem and it's busy. School holidays, groups, families with buggies in the queue.

With the Amex Platinum you go through security via the Fast Lane. That easily saves twenty minutes on a busy morning. Once airside you have a choice of multiple lounges via Priority Pass — more than 1,550 worldwide. At Brussels Airport I regularly use the lounge where I can calmly open my laptop, drink an espresso and answer a few more emails. No chaos, no children bumping into your trolley.

What many people don't know: you can bring one guest for free. I regularly take a business partner along. It makes an impression without feeling forced. You're simply sitting quietly catching up while waiting for boarding. And then there are the exclusive Brussels Airport benefits: the Dining Experience at Black Pearls, available twice a month, and Lounge On the Go for premium takeaway. They're small things, but they make the difference on an ordinary Tuesday morning when you don't really feel like flying yet.

Fine Hotels + Resorts: where it gets really interesting for business travel

Honestly, I only discovered the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme after a few months. And I could have kicked myself for not using it sooner.

Here's how it works: Amex has a selection of more than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide. If you book through the FHR portal, you automatically receive a room upgrade when available, early check-in, late checkout, daily breakfast for two, and a welcome gift worth approximately €100 with every stay. The total added value per stay can amount to €650.

I used this three times last year. Once in Lisbon for a two-day meeting with a Portuguese partner, once in Milan during the furniture fair, and once in Copenhagen for a team building event. In all three cases I paid the standard room rate, but received hundreds of euros in extras on top. The breakfast alone saved me around €45 per morning in Milan. That's real money you would otherwise simply spend.

For entrepreneurs who regularly book hotels for client visits, conferences or trade fairs, this programme is worth its weight in gold. Literally.

Travel insurance, concierge and the things you only appreciate when things go wrong

I once lost my suitcase on a flight from Brussels to Frankfurt, with a connection to Singapore. My luggage wasn't there upon arrival at Changi. No panic, because the Amex Platinum offers baggage insurance for loss, theft and damage. The claim went smoothly, the suitcase turned up two days later, and the costs for emergency clothing were reimbursed.

What you also get in terms of insurance, through Chubb and Europe Assistance: trip cancellation insurance, flight insurance for delays or missed connections, and medical expenses abroad. Everything is automatically active as soon as you pay for the trip with your Amex Platinum. You don't need to take out anything separately. As a Belgian entrepreneur who sometimes decides on the spot to book a flight, that convenience is priceless.

Then the concierge. Honestly, I use it less than I'd like, but whenever I do it's always useful. Restaurant reservations in cities where I don't speak the language, last-minute theatre tickets for a client evening in London, or help finding a specific hotel in a region I don't know. The service is available 24/7 and they genuinely think along with you. It feels like a personal assistant who isn't on your payroll.

And then there's Global Assist: emergency assistance worldwide. Passport stolen in Bangkok? Medical emergency in São Paulo? One phone call. Fortunately I haven't needed it yet, but it's the kind of safety net you want to have as an entrepreneur on the road.

The welcome bonus: 150,000 points via the referral link

If you're convinced and want to apply for the card, now is the time to be smart. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points. That's more than when you apply directly via americanexpress.com/be.

150,000 points. To put that in perspective: that's enough points for multiple European return flights in business class, or an intercontinental flight in economy. So you don't start from zero. You start with a head start that more than compensates for the annual fee of the first year.

The application itself is fairly straightforward. You must be at least 18 years old, have a gross annual income of at least €30,000, no payment arrears, and a Belgian fiscal residence. As a self-employed professional or entrepreneur in Belgium, you almost always meet those requirements.

Who is this card suitable for — and who isn't it for?

I want to be honest, because not every entrepreneur benefits from an Amex Platinum. If you rarely travel, never pay abroad and your business expenses are mainly local, then you probably won't get the value out of it. The €780 per year needs to be earned back through usage.

Where this card truly shines is with the Belgian entrepreneur who flies at least four to five times a year, who works internationally, who has client meetings in other cities, who regularly books hotels and who values comfort and time savings. Then the Amex Platinum isn't just a credit card. It's a business instrument that makes you more efficient.

And don't forget: up to four family members can receive a free Green card. So your partner can also earn points on daily expenses. Everything goes into the same pot.

Frequently asked questions about the Amex Platinum for Belgian entrepreneurs

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