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Winter Holiday 2026-2027: Best Destinations with Amex Benefits

Updated on 12 June 2026 · TravelLux.be

Honestly: I start having doubts about the winter holiday around this time every year. Not because I don't know where I want to go, but because I keep wondering whether I'm doing the maths right. Because that's the point. Planning a winter holiday 2026-2027 as a Belgian traveller is more than choosing a destination. It's about when you book, how you fly, what you pay, and which benefits you're leaving on the table.

And it's precisely that last part where many people I know have a blind spot. They pay with a regular bank card, miss lounges they're entitled to, and book hotels without the extras that could have been included for free. Not out of laziness, but because nobody explains it. That's what I want to do here, based on destinations I know personally and figures I've verified myself.

Why plan your winter holiday 2026-2027 now (and which destinations stand out)

If you want to depart in December, January or February, it's best to book six months in advance. Not because everything sells out (although for Thailand in peak season that really is a thing), but because the price differences between early and late booking are enormous. A return Brussels-Bangkok in economy can cost €550 in June for a December flight. Wait until October, and you're looking at €850 or more.

From Brussels Airport you have a few logical directions for winter. To the south: Thailand and Vietnam, where it's dry season between November and March and temperatures hover around 28-32°C. Heading west: Florida, with Miami and the Keys as winter classics where it's 22-26°C, just warm enough to escape the grey Belgian skies. And then there's the long-haul option: Australia, where our winter is their summer and Sydney easily hits 30°C in January.

Each of these destinations has different strengths, but they share one trait: the Amex Platinum benefits are concretely usable there. Not as a vague "luxury feeling", but in euros and points you can count. Let me break that down per destination.

Thailand and Vietnam: where Amex Platinum makes the difference for Belgian winter travellers

Thailand is the destination I've visited most often in winter. Bangkok as a stopover, then on to the islands. I sometimes combine Vietnam: Hanoi in the north, Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An in the south and centre. For Belgian travellers, these are destinations where you get great value from your points, simply because on-the-ground costs are low but the flights to get there are not.

A concrete example. Via Membership Rewards you can transfer points to Brussels Airlines (Miles & More), British Airways (Avios), or Thai Airways. A return in business class from Brussels to Bangkok via Miles & More typically costs around 110,000 to 130,000 miles, depending on availability. With the welcome bonus of 150,000 points via the TravelLux.be referral link, you're already (nearly) there. That's a flight that easily costs €3,000 to €4,500 in cash.

Admittedly: those sweet-spot bookings aren't always available. You need to be flexible with dates, and ideally search a few months in advance. But it's possible, and I've done it myself. The maths is simple: if you use 130,000 points for a business flight worth €3,500, then each point is worth roughly €0.027. That's considerably more than the standard €0.005 to €0.008 if you redeem points as statement credit.

In Vietnam, Amex acceptance is more limited than in Thailand. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are improving, but in Hoi An and smaller cities cash is still king. The lounge access at Noi Bai (Hanoi) and Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh) via Priority Pass is a breath of fresh air though: when you arrive after a long flight and still have a domestic transfer, that lounge with free meal and wifi makes the difference. Not spectacular, but practical.

In terms of hotels, the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme in Southeast Asia is particularly interesting. There are properties in Bangkok and on the Thai islands where you get up to €650 in extras per stay: room upgrade, breakfast for two, late check-out, and a welcome gift of ~€100. At a hotel costing €200 per night, that's a ratio you won't find anywhere else as favourable.

Florida and the Keys: the winter classic for those wanting sun from Brussels

Florida is my most visited destination in the US. I now know Miami better than some Flemish cities (whether that's a positive, I'll leave open). The Keys, the Orlando area: it's become a sort of reflex in winter. And honestly: the Amex infrastructure in the US is by far the best in the world. Logical, since it's an American company.

What that means in practice: Amex is accepted everywhere. Truly everywhere. From the toll road to the Keys to the smallest restaurant in Wynwood. You don't need a backup card, and every amount you spend earns points. With the Booster option (€10/month extra) you earn 4 points per euro instead of 1, which on a holiday with €3,000 in spending is the difference between 3,000 and 12,000 points.

Lounge access at US airports is also stronger than in Asia. Miami International has multiple Priority Pass lounges, and if you fly via a hub like London Heathrow or Amsterdam, you have access there too. With the Amex Platinum you get in as cardholder plus one guest for free, unlimited. That's a saving that adds up quickly when you consider that a sandwich and coffee at an American airport easily costs $25.

One caveat: the Fine Hotels + Resorts hotels in Florida aren't cheap. You pay a nightly rate that's higher than what you'd find on Booking.com for the same hotel. The trick is that the extras (breakfast, room upgrade, late check-out, welcome gift) more than compensate for that price difference, especially when travelling as a couple. But if you'd normally book an Airbnb at €100/night, then FHR isn't your thing. I'm honest about that.

Australia and London: the surprising winter options (each with their own Amex logic)

Australia is the destination I hesitated about the longest before going. The flight is long (22-24 hours with a stop), it's expensive, and you need at least two weeks to make it worthwhile. But it's the ideal winter escape: when it's December here, it's full summer there.

We recently did the east coast, with Sydney as our base. What stood out: Amex acceptance in Australia is quite good. Not as universal as in the US, but in Sydney, Melbourne and most tourist areas you can pay with it just fine. The Priority Pass lounges at Sydney Airport (Kingsford Smith) are decent, and if you fly via a hub like Singapore, Dubai or Bangkok, you have access en route as well.

The Membership Rewards points are especially valuable here if you transfer them to partners like Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer) or Qantas. A business class award from Brussels to Sydney via Singapore Airlines costs around 120,000 KrisFlyer miles per direction. That's a flight worth more than €5,000 in cash. You do need quite a lot of points for it, but if you've had the Amex Platinum for a few years and have been saving your points, it becomes achievable.

London is the shorter winter option I regularly do myself. Less exotic, admittedly. But London in December has something special, especially if you know the city and know where to go. The flight from Brussels Airport is an hour, sometimes less. And the Amex benefits in the UK are comparable to the US: broad acceptance, good lounges (Heathrow has eight via Priority Pass), and a wide selection of Fine Hotels + Resorts. A weekend in London with FHR benefits at a hotel like The Savoy or Claridge's can easily yield €400-500 in extra value.

When the Amex Platinum is worth it for your winter holiday (and when it's not)

This is the honest part. According to TravelLux.be, the Amex Platinum is by no means worthwhile for everyone. €780 per year is serious money. The welcome bonus of 150,000 points is a one-time thing; you don't get it again every year. And to unlock that bonus, you need to spend €4,000 to €6,000 in the first three months. That's not easily achievable for many people.

The card isn't worth it if you only do one weekend city trip in Europe per year and sleep in a budget hotel. It's also not worth it if you never travel via airports (lounge access is then worthless), or if you rarely pay outside the eurozone (the exchange rate advantage then disappears). Be honest with yourself about that.

Where the card does pay off: if you fly at least two to three times a year, if you occasionally book a hotel in the higher segment, and if you're willing to concentrate your spending on one card so you build up points. For the profiles I most commonly encounter on TravelLux.be, these are couples or families who take a longer winter holiday annually (Thailand, Florida, comparable) plus a few European weekends on top.

One more thing I want to emphasise: the travel insurance that's automatically active when paying with the Amex Platinum is often underestimated. Trip cancellation, flight delay, lost luggage, medical costs abroad: it's all included. I once used it in Florida for a delayed flight, and it went more smoothly than expected. It doesn't replace a separate cancellation insurance if you have an expensive booking, but it's an extra layer you don't get with most Belgian bank cards.

I mention the concierge service because it exists, not because I call them daily. But for a winter holiday it can be handy: restaurant reservations during busy periods, last-minute hotel changes, that sort of thing. It's available 24/7 and they speak Dutch.

Using points for your winter flight: transfer partners and strategy

The Membership Rewards points are the heart of the system. 1 point per €1 spent with standard use, 4 points per €1 with the Booster option (€10/month). Those points never expire as long as your card is active, which means you can save them over multiple years for a larger booking.

The power lies in the transfer partners. Amex Platinum Belgium offers transfers to Brussels Airlines (Miles & More), Air France-KLM (Flying Blue), British Airways (Avios), Emirates Skywards, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, and more than fifteen other programmes. The ratio is typically 1:1 (1 Membership Rewards point = 1 mile or point with the partner), though there are exceptions.

For a winter holiday 2026-2027, this is my approach. I first look at which airlines fly directly or with one stop from Brussels to my destination. Then I check the award prices with the relevant transfer partner. And then I compare: how much are my points "worth" per unit if I use them this way, versus if I use them as cashback?

That London option is, by the way, the quickest way to "taste" points if you're just starting out. 13,000 Avios for a return Brussels-London in economy is achievable after a few months of normal card use, and it gives you a feel for how the system works without immediately burning through your entire points balance.

One warning: only transfer your points once you've already checked the availability of the award flight. Points that have been transferred to a partner cannot be pulled back to Membership Rewards. I once made that mistake with a transfer to a programme where there turned out to be no availability on my dates. Not dramatic, but annoying. Learn from my mistake.

Also read on TravelLux.be:

• Full review: Amex Platinum in Belgium
• How to make the most of your Membership Rewards points
• TravelLux.be homepage: all guides and referral info

Transparency: TravelLux.be receives a referral bonus when you apply for the Amex Platinum via our referral link. The annual fee (€780/year) and card terms are identical, regardless of whether you apply via our link or directly. Through our link you do receive the maximum welcome bonus.