31 March 2026 · TravelLux.be

Summer 2026: Luxury Travel on a Smart Budget with Credit Card Points

Last summer I was sitting in a lie-flat seat on a flight BRU → DOH → MLE. The champagne was cold, the seat was fully reclined, and through the window I could see the Indian Ocean glistening. My girlfriend looked at me and whispered: "This can't really have cost so little, can it?" Honestly, I had to laugh myself. Those two business class tickets had cost me exactly zero euros. Just points.

Sounds like a fairy tale? For Belgian travellers discovering smart travel with points, it absolutely isn't. It's a strategy. A system. And the beauty of it is: you don't need to be a financial genius. You just need to know how it works, and then have the discipline to put your daily spending to smart use.

In this piece I'll share exactly how I do it. No vague promises, but concrete routes from Brussels, real point values, and the tools I use to achieve luxury travel on a budget. Summer 2026 is the season to put this into practice.

What travel hacking Europe 2026 looks like from Belgium

Travel hacking sounds complicated. I thought so too, until I realised it actually comes down to three simple things: the right card, strategic spending, and smart transfers to airline partners. Let me start at the beginning.

The core of my strategy revolves around Membership Rewards points. That's the points system from American Express. Every euro I spend with my Amex Platinum earns me 1 point. With the Booster option (€10/month extra) that becomes 4 points per euro. Do the maths: if you run €2,000 through your card monthly, you earn 8,000 points per month with the Booster. That's 96,000 points per year, purely from your daily groceries, fuel stops, and restaurant visits.

But the real game-changer? The welcome bonus. Via the TravelLux.be referral link you receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 points. That's more than you'd get by applying directly through the American Express website. Those 150,000 points, combined with your regular spending, give you a points balance of well over 200,000 in your first year. Enough for two business class return flights to Asia.

The difference with other credit cards? Those points never expire as long as your card is active. And you can transfer them to more than 15 airline partners: Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Etihad, Turkish Airlines... The list is long. That gives you enormous flexibility. Want to fly via Istanbul to the Maldives? You can. Direct to New York with Brussels Airlines? That too.

Three concrete routes from Brussels for summer 2026

Theory is nice, but you want to know what you can actually do with it. Here are three routes I've worked out for this summer, with real point costs.

Route 1: BRU → IST → MLE (Maldives via Istanbul)
Turkish Airlines business class is one of the best in the world in its price range. Transfer your Membership Rewards to Turkish Miles&Smiles and you book a return business class for approximately 90,000 miles. That's slightly less than half your welcome bonus. The flight goes via Istanbul, where you can actually build in a free stopover. Two nights in a city buzzing with energy, followed by ten days in an overwater villa. And yes, through the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme from Amex you book that villa with complimentary breakfast, room upgrade, late checkout, and a welcome gift worth around €100. The total saving per stay can amount to €650.

Route 2: BRU → DOH → BKK (Bangkok via Doha)
Qatar Airways Qsuites. If you haven't experienced this yet, this is your chance. Imagine a fully enclosed suite with a double bed when you're travelling together. Via British Airways Avios (transfer from Amex) you book a return for around 80,000 Avios per person in business class. From Bangkok you can fly on to Koh Samui for a beach holiday, or to Chiang Mai for temples and street food. Two weeks in Thailand, including the business class flight, and you've spent your points wisely.

Route 3: BRU → JFK (New York direct)
Brussels Airlines flies direct to JFK. Via their Miles&Smiles or Lufthansa Miles&More (both Amex transfer partners) you book a return business class for approximately 112,000 miles. New York in the summer, with a lie-flat seat on the outbound flight, arriving rested and fresh. Combine it with a Fine Hotels + Resorts stay in Manhattan: think The Langham or The Beekman, where you get complimentary breakfast and an upgrade when available.

Why the Amex Platinum gives back more than it costs

Okay, the elephant in the room. The card costs €780 per year (€65/month). That's not nothing. I hesitated myself when I first applied. But let me walk you through the calculation that convinced me.

Priority Pass Prestige lounge access: more than 1,550 lounges worldwide, free for you and a guest. A standalone Priority Pass Prestige membership costs around €500 per year. That alone covers a large part of the annual fee. And if you fly through Brussels Airport, you also get Fast Lane security (normally €169/year), plus twice a month dining at Black Pearls restaurant and twice a month premium takeaway via Lounge On the Go.

Then Dining for 2: three times a year a complimentary two-course menu for two people at top restaurants in Belgium. Value: up to €300 per year. My girlfriend and I dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Brussels last year without paying a cent. You don't forget that quickly.

The travel insurance is also something people overlook. Trip cancellation, flight insurance, baggage insurance, medical expenses abroad: it's all included. Automatically active as soon as you pay with the card. No separate policy to arrange, no extra costs. Through Chubb and Europe Assistance, two names you can trust.

And then the concierge service. Available 24/7. I've used it to arrange a last-minute restaurant reservation in Lisbon and to score tickets for a sold-out concert in London. Sounds like a luxury you don't need, until you use it once. Then you never want to be without it.

Add it up: €500 (lounge) + €169 (Fast Lane) + €300 (Dining for 2) + travel insurance + concierge + no foreign transaction fees + Hertz Gold Plus Five Star status + Avis Preferred status. The value far exceeds that €780. And we haven't even talked about the points yet.

Smart travel with points: the strategy I apply daily

The secret isn't in big purchases. It's in consistency. I pay for everything I can with my Amex. Groceries at Delhaize. Fuel. The monthly Netflix and Spotify. Dining out. Online purchases. Even my health insurance if it runs via direct debit.

With the Booster option on (4 points per euro for €10/month) I earn around 10,000 points on an average month of €2,500 in spending. On an annual basis that's 120,000 points, on top of that welcome bonus of 150,000. So in my first year I had 270,000 points. Enough for a family of four to fly business class to Dubai.

A tip I've learned: always check Amex Offers. These are targeted discounts at more than 100 brands. Sometimes you get 10% back at Booking.com, or €20 off at Zalando. They're small amounts, but they add up. Last year I saved more than €400 through Amex Offers alone.

Something else: plan your transfers strategically. Airlines sometimes run promotions where your points are worth more. Emirates had a promotion last autumn where transfer points earned 30% bonus miles. If you then transfer 100,000 Amex points, you get 130,000 Emirates Skywards miles. Those kinds of moments make the difference between an economy ticket and business class.

Fine Hotels + Resorts: the benefit most cardholders forget

I'll honestly admit it: I didn't even know this existed in my first year. Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) is a hotel programme within Amex that gives you extra benefits at more than 14,000 luxury hotels worldwide. And the beauty is: you often pay the same price as on Booking.com or the hotel's own website.

So what do you get on top? Complimentary room upgrade when available. Early check-in. Late checkout (until 16:00 in many cases). Daily breakfast for two. And a welcome gift worth approximately €100, which often takes the form of a spa treatment or a dining credit.

Last year I booked a hotel on Santorini via FHR. Same price as Booking. But I received an upgrade from a superior room to a suite with a private pool, breakfast every morning with a view of the caldera, and a bottle of local wine upon arrival. The total extra value of that stay? At least €500. On a five-night booking.

My advice for summer 2026: if you're planning to book a luxury hotel anyway, do it via FHR. It costs you literally nothing extra and you get so much more. I now use it for every holiday of three nights or longer.

What you need to know before you apply

The Amex Platinum isn't for everyone, and that's okay. You must be at least 18 years old and have a gross annual income of €30,000 or more. No payment arrears, a Belgian tax residency, and a SEPA direct debit. If you meet those requirements, the application is fairly straightforward.

One thing I want to emphasise: it's a charge card, not a credit card in the traditional sense. You pay off the full balance every month. That enforces financial discipline, which I personally consider an advantage. You can't get into debt with it the way you can with a revolving credit card.

And then the supplementary cards. You can add up to four free Green cards for family members. Handy if your partner also wants to earn points on their daily spending. An extra Platinum card for a family member costs €10/month. That's very little when you consider that person then also gets lounge access and all the travel benefits.

On the official American Express Belgium page you'll find all terms and conditions in detail. But if you want to grab the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 points, apply via a referral link. It's simply the best deal.

Frequently asked questions about the Amex Platinum for Belgian travellers

You pay exactly the same as via the Amex website. Through this link you simply receive more welcome points.