For travellers in Europe, the best points value usually comes from Flying Blue and Avios, not from the cards US sites talk about. Below: 8 sourced sweet spots from Brussels and Amsterdam, the traps to avoid, and when the train beats the plane. Checked 2026-11-02.
Sweet spots from Brussels and Amsterdam
One-way unless noted. Taxes and surcharges matter as much as miles.
| Deal | Price | Taxes & fees | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
 Flying Blue Promo Rewards: Europe-New York business at 45,000 milesEurope (incl. one intra-Europe connection or Air&Rail via CDG/AMS) - New York JFK on Air France | 45,000 miles one-way (25% off the 60,000 Light floor) | Not discounted by the promo | Promo price applies to the minimum (Light) level only, on AF/KLM metal, subject to promo seat availability; busy dates still price higher. Light business excludes lounge access and changes/refunds. Routes rotate monthly, onemileatatime.com |
| Flying Blue saver floor Europe-North AmericaEurope - North America on Air France / KLM | Business 60,000 (Light) / 75,000 (Standard) / 110,000 (Flex) one-way | Business ~EUR 527 (Light/Standard) vs ~EUR 262 (Flex) on Paris-New York | Dynamic above the floor; peak dates far higher. Standard is the old 'saver' product at +25%. Flex roughly halves surcharges but costs ~50,000 more miles in business. thepointsguy.com |
| Flying Blue Europe-Asia business around 85,000Amsterdam/Paris - Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai on AF/KLM | Lowest observed Oct 2026: 85,000 one-way on AMS-NRT/KIX/SIN/HKG/KUL/BOM and CDG-NRT/ICN/SIN/HKG | Observed USD ~327 (AMS-BOM) to ~560 (CDG-NRT) one-way in business | These are AwardTool scraper observations (Oct 1-31, 2026), not a published chart; dynamic pricing means many dates are much higher. Since 2026-09-08 these may be Light fares (no lounge, no changes). awardtool.com |
 Iberia Madrid-New York business at 40,500 Avios off-peakPosition to Madrid, then Iberia MAD - New York JFK/Newark, Boston, Washington (3,001-4,000 mile band) | 40,500 Avios off-peak / 59,000 peak one-way (81,000 + ~GBP 243 return off-peak per HfP) | Low: HfP sample 81,000 Avios + GBP 243 return via ba.com, ~GBP 217 via iberia.com (i.e. roughly GBP 110-120 per direction) | Madrid-Chicago repriced to 50,500/74,000 in March 2026. Whether a single BRU-MAD-JFK Iberia award prices as the sum of the two segment bands, and the taxes when starting in Brussels, were not verified (see open_questions headforpoints.com |
 Aer Lingus Dublin-US East Coast business at 50,000 Avios off-peakBrussels/Amsterdam - Dublin (Zone 1) - Boston, New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Toronto etc. (Zone 5) | Zone 5 business 50,000 off-peak / 60,000 peak one-way (economy 13,000 / 20,000) | Low: HfP example Dublin-Raleigh-Durham business 120,000 Avios + GBP 271 return (peak) | No guaranteed business award seats; aerlingus.com and ba.com availability/taxes can differ. Peak covers Easter, 5-30 June, July, August and late December in 2026. Whether BRU-DUB-JFK priced as one AerClub award is simply aerlingus.com |
 Qatar Qsuite from Brussels/Amsterdam to Doha and AsiaBRU/AMS - Doha, and onward via Doha to Asia, Indian subcontinent, Africa | Doha 43,000 | – | Prices are off-peak; peak is higher. Since June 2026 you can only redeem for yourself, your 'My List' (max 4, 30-day-old accounts, 6-month lock-in) and Family & Friends, unless Qatar Gold/Platinum. Taxes/carrier charges headforpoints.com |
 Miles & More partner chart to North America (United, Air Canada, LOT, TAP)Europe - North America on chart partners (e.g. United BRU-Newark/Washington, Air Canada to Montreal, LOT via Warsaw, TAP via Lisbon) | 125,000 RT / 62,500 one-way business | Partner-dependent: meilenoptimieren rates LOT, Singapore, TAP surcharges low | Availability on United/Air Canada/Turkish rated poor by meilenoptimieren. Routing via a third region triggers higher 3-region pricing. Miles hard-expire after 36 months without a card/status. miles-and-more.com |
| Brussels Airlines to Central and West Africa on the Miles & More chartBrussels - Kinshasa, Entebbe, Kigali, Dakar, Abidjan, Lome, Douala, Accra etc. (Miles & More region 'Middle East/Caucasus/North & Central Africa') | 75,000 RT business (37,500 one-way) | – | meilenoptimieren rates Brussels Airlines taxes/surcharges 'extremely high' (it reports EUR 1,603 on a BRU-JFK business round trip); the exact cash part to Africa was not verified. Value depends on the high cash fares on miles-and-more.com |
Traps
Cheap in miles, expensive in cash. We tell you when to pay cash instead.
| Deal | Price | Taxes & fees | Why it is a trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels Airlines Mileage Bargain BRU-New York business (watch the surcharges)Brussels - New York JFK nonstop on Brussels Airlines | 61,000 miles round trip (October 2026 bargain, travel 2027-01-15 to 2027-02-28) | EUR 1,603 round trip in taxes, fees and carrier surcharges (meilenoptimieren, Oct 2026) | Non-changeable, non-refundable (only government taxes refunded). With ~EUR 800 per direction cash, compare against a cash business fare before using miles. The 61,000 rate is a monthly offer and may not repeat. meilenoptimieren.com |
From booking to landing
Train vs planeBrussels–Paris 1h22, Brussels–London under 2h: where rail wins door to doorDelayed or cancelled?See what you are owed under EU261 (up to €600) and send the claim yourselfBrussels Airport loungesSchengen and non-Schengen, and which cards get you inAmex Platinum (Belgium)What a Belgian Platinum really includes: Priority Pass, Centurion, guests
What changed in 2025–2026
- Amex Belgium ended Membership Rewards transfers to Brussels Airlines / Miles & More.
- Beobank Brussels Airlines Explore/Horizon/Altitude Mastercards launched in Belgium.
- Iberia Avios chart up to ~20%; MAD-NYC off-peak business 34,000 -> 40,500.
- Dynamic pricing on Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Lufthansa City; partner chart revised for the first time since 2019 (premium cabins up outside Europe).
- German Miles & More credit cards moved from DKB to Deutsche Bank (transition to spring 2026).
- BA Avios prices up ~10% and Reward Flight Saver cash raised (e.g. LON-PAR 9,250 + GBP 0.50 -> 10,000 + GBP 1; later GBP 2.50).
- Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti also moved to dynamic award pricing.
- Madrid-Chicago moved out of Iberia's 3,001-4,000 band: business now 50,500/74,000.
Questions
Which points are best for travellers in Belgium and the Netherlands?
Flying Blue (Air France-KLM) and Avios (British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar) are the most useful for most European travellers. Amex Belgium transfers 2:1 to Flying Blue and 3:2 to British Airways Avios; Amex Netherlands moved Flying Blue to 2:1 on 1 July 2026. Miles & More is often poor value once Lufthansa Group surcharges are counted.
Is Miles & More worth it?
Sometimes on partners and Brussels Airlines Mileage Bargains, rarely on Lufthansa long-haul: surcharges of around €800 one-way in business to North America eat the value. Always compare with the cash fare.
Do Flying Blue Promo Rewards include the lounge?
Since 8 September 2026 the promo price books the "Light" fare type: no lounge access and no changes. The Standard fare costs 25 to 30% more miles.
Should I take the train instead?
On Brussels–Paris, Brussels–London, Brussels–Amsterdam and Paris–Lyon the train is usually faster door to door and far lower carbon. See the train vs plane routes.
US traveller? See the US edition.
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