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Hotel free night awards can be incredibly valuable, whether you earn them from a credit card, elite status, brand promotion, or loyalty program milestone. But using a certificate isn't quite the same as booking a paid stay — especially if your plans change.
In most cases, canceling within the hotel’s stated cancellation window should return the free night award to your account. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely in the clear. Cancellation deadlines vary by property. Some hotels impose stricter penalties than others, and a canceled certificate usually keeps its original expiration date.
That makes it important to check both the hotel’s cancellation policy and the loyalty program’s rules before you book. Here’s what happens when you cancel a hotel stay booked with a free night award, broken down by major hotel program.
Read Hotel Booking and Cancellation Policies Before Booking an Award
It always pays to read the cancellation policy that appears for every award booking. As you'll discover in this article, cancellation deadlines are generally set by each property, while what happens to your Free Night Award can also depend on the rewards program.
Hilton Honors Free Night Change and Cancellation Policy
Hilton Honors treats reservations booked with a Free Night Reward just like an award booked on points. If you cancel within the property's window, your Free Night Reward will be returned to your account.
Hilton Free Night Rewards generally expire 12 months after they're issued, and the stay must be completed by the expiration date. Canceling a reservation doesn't extend the certificate's validity, so make sure you'll still have time to use it before it expires.
Hilton Honors offers up a perfect example of why it's essential to check the hotel's cancellation policy. In general, Hilton cites a 48-hour cancellation policy for Hilton Honors award stays, as follows:
9. No-shows or cancellations of Reward stay reservations outside of the timeframe set by the Participating Hotel’s individual cancellation policy will be charged the cancellation or no-show fee set forth by the Participating Hotel or one (1) night's room and tax at the hotel's Best Available Rate for that date if no cancellation or no-show fee is specified. General cancellation policy: cancel 48 hours prior to arrival to avoid cancellation penalties. Additional cancellation policies are established by each Participating Hotel and may differ from the general cancellation policy; in that case, the hotel's individual cancellation policy applies.
For example, the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Hawaii presented us with a mammoth seven-day cancellation policy for an award booking if we wanted to avoid penalties.
Hyatt Free Night Cancellation Policy
World of Hyatt treats Free Night Awards the same as award stays booked with points. If you cancel an award reservation within the property's cancellation window, your free night award will be returned to your account. Hyatt notes that refunds typically appear within three days of cancellation:
If a Member cancels an Award Reservation in compliance with the applicable hotel’s or resort’s cancellation policy, any corresponding points that have been deducted from the Member’s account (or the applicable award) will be returned to the account within approximately three (3) days of the cancellation …
Cancellation deadlines are set by each property, with many requiring cancellation one or two days before arrival. For example, the Andaz 5th Avenue allows cancellations by “11:59 p.m. Hotel Time 1 Day Before Arrival.”
Each property displays its cancellation policy on Hyatt.com and in the confirmation email you receive after booking:
Hyatt Free Night Awards can be earned in several ways, including from The World of Hyatt Credit Card, from the Brand Explorer benefit, and from Milestone Rewards. If you cancel, the Free Night Award retains its original expiration date, so check that you'll still have time to use it.
- Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
- Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
- Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
- Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
- Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
- Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
- Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays - 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
- Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- Member FDIC
- Up to 9X points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4X points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5X points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
- 2X points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point per $1 everywhere else
IHG One Rewards Free Night Change and Cancellation Policy
IHG One Rewards Free Night Awards are subject to the cancellation policy of the individual hotel. IHG's certificate-specific terms state that “cancellation fees apply if cancellation is made outside of the hotel's cancellation time period.”
It's also important to keep the certificate's expiration date in mind. IHG Free Night Awards cannot be extended beyond their expiration date or re-credited for points.
There’s a specific carve-out to this policy for Six Senses properties, too. Missing the cancellation window at one of these properties means your free night award will be voided.
Marriott Free Night Certificate Cancellation Policy
Marriott Free Night Award reservations are subject to the property's standard guarantee and cancellation policy. Cancel within the permitted window and your Free Night Award will be returned; cancel too late and the property may charge the applicable cancellation fee.
In short: Marriott Bonvoy will deposit your Free Night Award back into your account if you cancel. Notice that you must cancel within the terms of your reservation to avoid paying a cancellation fee, which can vary by property. Again, policies vary between properties, so it’s essential to check the terms when you book the award.
The policy below is pulled directly from the Marriott Bonvoy terms:
The standard guarantee and cancellation policies of a Participating Property will apply to Award Redemption Stay reservations including, without limitation, all minimum length of stay requirements, credit card guarantee requirements and charges for late cancellation, no-shows, and early check-out.
If a Member cancels a guaranteed Award Redemption Stay reservation outside of the permitted cancellation period, the Participating Property will charge the applicable cancellation fee to the credit card provided by the Member at the time the reservation was made and the Points that were redeemed will be re-deposited into the Member’s Account.
Check the cancellation policy for each property you book, as some will have much stricter parameters. For instance, at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort in Port Douglas, Australia, guests must cancel five days in advance to receive a refund:
Marriott Free Night Awards come with their own expiration dates and cannot be extended. Unlike points, certificates must be used before they expire. If you cancel a reservation booked with a Free Night Award, the certificate will be redeposited with its original expiration date, so you'll need to rebook and complete your stay before then.
Credit Cards That Offer Trip Interruption and Cancellation Coverage
When booking a free night award, you expect it to be … well, free. However, there may be local taxes and fees to pay. If you pay the hotel free night award taxes and fees with a travel rewards card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees) or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), you may also be covered under the trip interruption and cancellation insurance provided for cardholders.
However, don't assume that this coverage will reimburse you for the value of a forfeited hotel Free Night Award. Coverage depends on the specific card's benefits and the expenses charged to it. That's another reason to pay close attention to your hotel's cancellation deadline, even when you have travel insurance.
Catch our post on the best credit cards to pay for awards fees and taxes for more details.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on gas and EV charging
- 3X points on vacation homes at top brands like Airbnb, Vrbo and more
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Bottom Line
Free night award stays are one of the staples of award travel, but cancellation policies when using these awards vary widely. You can save a ton of cash or points if you know the hotel’s free night award change and cancellation policies.
Generally, when in doubt, check the specific hotel property's cancellation policy first.
Page Contents
- Read Hotel Booking and Cancellation Policies Before Booking an Award
- Hilton Honors Free Night Change and Cancellation Policy
- Hyatt Free Night Cancellation Policy
- IHG One Rewards Free Night Change and Cancellation Policy
- Marriott Free Night Certificate Cancellation Policy
- Credit Cards That Offer Trip Interruption and Cancellation Coverage
- Bottom Line
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
