AMEX Free Night Reward Availability
Every time I earn a free night reward with my credit card, I get excited, like a fool.
Every time I start to plan a trip and check the availability for using a free night reward at a special property by calling the Diamond agent to redeem it, I'm told that property is sold out of standard rooms that night, which means I cannot redeem the reward night. There are upgraded rooms available, of course, but the free night reward cannot be used to book one of those. As a Diamond member, if I booked a standard room and there were upgrades available, I would be upgraded automatically, but I cannot redeem this reward because the standard rooms are sold out. (I'm starting to doubt they're really sold out. I think some hotels just block out dates when they accept them.)
This is such a frustrating policy and makes me want to cancel my AMEX each time. Then, like an idiot, I keep using it and earn another reward, only to have the same experience.