A comparison of travel Credit Cards in the Netherlands

Credit card sign up bonuses are a great way to acquire lots of miles in a short span of time. Moreover spending with Credit Cards ensures that oneś balance of miles is replenished regularly. Countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have great credit cards that offer a significant sign up bonus. But here, in the Netherlands such cards are a rarity.

I have inquired with many banks about reward earning credit cards, and almost all of them have replied in the negative. However American Express offers some credit cards that can help earn reward points.

In this post, I aim to compare different CC options in the Netherlands and choose a winner.

American Express – Flying Blue cards:

The AMEX Flying blue cards are indispensable for customers of Air France-KLMś Flying Blue loyalty program. These cards are offered in different variants (Entry, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and they offer different bonuses.

Here is a comparison of the cards:

	Sign up bonus	Earning rate	Qualifying Flights	Fees
Silver AMEX	2.500	0,8 award mile/€	2	Free 1st year, €75/year
Gold AMEX	10.000	1 award mile/€	4	€170/year
Platinum AMEX	20.000	1,5 award mile/€	8	€600/year

The gold and the platinum AMEX do offer 1,5 and 2 award & level miles (respectively) /€ spent on KLM/Air France tickets. If you manage to get the cards using a referral, the benefits are even more. For instance, upon signing up for the Gold card using a referral, the 1^st year fee is waived off, and a referral for the silver card gives 4.000 miles upon sign up instead of the regular 2.500

Using these cards once every 20 months ensures that your Flying Blue miles don´t expire.

American Express – Charge Cards:

These are charge cards that offer Membership Rewards (MRs) for every € spent. MRs can be redeemed on-line on the AMEX shop, or can be transferred to airline or hotel partners. Although every MR is valued less than a mile when being transferred to a partner, I prefer these cards due to the flexibility they offer.

Instead of being tied to Flying Blue, these cards can be used to transfer points to Delta, British Airways and other partners. Occasionally AMEX does run promotions where the value of every MR is doubled upon being transferred.

I prefer the Gold charge card over the Flying Blue Gold as it does include 2 complementary visits to lounges at Schiphol. Moreover these cards are cheaper!

	Sign up bonus	Earning rate	Qualifying Flights	Fees
Green **	5.500	1 MR/€	0	€65/year
Gold	12.500	1 MR/€	0	€150/year
Platinum	20.000	1 MR/€	0	€700/year

** The Green card offers 2MR/€ for overseas spends! This makes it almost perfect for international travelers.

American Express – EuroDollar Charge cards:

The EuroDollar charge cards are offered by American Express UK and not by American Express Netherlands. I believe that this is the best credit card option for Dutch residents as these cards offer Membership Rewards that can be redeemed on a much larger selection of partners.

Airlines like Etihad and Emirates are partners for AMEX EuroDollar and not for the regular Dutch AMEX. Moreover for many transfers the MR to mile conversion ratio is much better than the Dutch AMEX.

However, when getting these cards one must ensure getting a referral. There is no sign-up bonus if one applies for these cards without a referral.

	Sign up bonus (referral needed)	Earning rate	Qualifying Flights	Fees
Green	5.000	1 MR/€	0	Free 1st year, €100/year later
Gold	8.000	1 MR/€	0	€300/year
Platinum	15.000	1 MR/€	0	€550/year

Verdict:

I personally believe that getting the American Express EuroDollar charge card is a great option. These cards offer a great flexibility when transferring Membership Rewards to airline partners (I am not very much a Flying Blue fan). However, one must get these cards via a referral, to gain from the sign up bonuses.

For members of the Flying Blue program, the FB AMEX is almost a no-brainer. Not only does it extend the validity of your miles; the extra level miles and qualifying flights that the FB AMEX provides can help in gaining/maintaining Elite status.

Of all these cards, only the Dutch Gold and Platinum AMEX cards offer Lounge access at AMS, and this is another factor to be kept in mind. The Platinum EuroDollar does include complimentary Priority Pass membership as well.

Remember: Always try getting the card via a referral!