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【2/28 Update】The Free Night previously earned by spending $6,000 on the credit card expired on February 28, 2018. I wasn’t sure whether everyone had already used theirs. I’ve been pretty busy lately, so I still hadn’t been able to use mine. I looked into it and found that there was still some chance of getting the hotel certificate extended. The somewhat winding process was as follows:

  • I first called Fairmont reservations and explained that I needed to stay at a Fairmont hotel next month, and that I wanted the hotel certificate, dining certificate, and suite upgrade certificate extended by one month to the end of March. The agent said this was handled by FPC (Fairmont President’s Club), which wasn’t open yet, and that I could call back later or contact them by email.
  • So I emailed [email protected] and explained the situation again. But the agent said that after reviewing my account, they saw that I had too few stays in 2017 (I had only used free night certificates to stay four nights), so they would not extend it for me.
  • On the morning of February 28, I didn’t give up and sent the exact same email again. Surprisingly, it worked this time. At the same time, the agent said that dining certificates, room upgrade certificates, and suite upgrade certificates for Fairmont credit cardholders would still be issued once more on March 1! I guess that counts as the last contribution~
  • In short, this extension shows that some things depend heavily on the agent you get. If you fail once, don’t give up—just send the email again. As long as it isn’t a hard policy rule, there is still room to work things out. If your hotel certificate has already expired, you can also try asking the agent whether they can extend it for you.

How to Earn and Use Free Night and Upgrade Certificates

Fairmont properties are all upscale hotels, usually located in the city center of major cities or in prime spots near scenic attractions. If you book with cash, rates can easily be $400-$600 per night. So Fairmont free night certificates are quite valuable.

Free Night Certificates

There are several ways to get free night certificates:

  • Fairmont Platinum membership: After becoming a Platinum member, you will receive one free night certificate. This membership requires 10 stays or 30 nights in a calendar year.
  • Chase Fairmont credit card sign-up bonus: After completing the required spending, two free night certificates will be posted to the account. However, this credit card is no longer available to apply for.
  • Chase Fairmont credit card spending: Spending $12,000 in a cardmember year earns one free night certificate. Since this card is being converted, existing cardholders only need to spend $6,000 by August 14 to earn one free night certificate as well, but the certificate is only valid until February 28, 2018.

Free night certificates are valid for one year from the date they are issued, except for special cases involving card conversions.

In addition to standard free night certificates, there is also a third-night-free certificate. This can be obtained through Premier membership, but you must pay for the first two nights yourself in order to use it. It cannot be combined with a two-night free certificate, but it can be used together with upgrade certificates.

Upgrade Certificates

Upgrade certificates are divided into room upgrade certificates and suite upgrade certificates, and they are usually only available through Fairmont elite membership. However, if you have already booked, you may be able to get them indirectly through status match.

  • Fairmont Premier membership: After becoming a Premier member, you will receive one room upgrade certificate and one suite upgrade certificate. This membership requires 5 stays or 10 nights in a calendar year, or you can obtain it automatically by holding the Chase Fairmont credit card (no longer available once the card is discontinued).
  • Fairmont Platinum membership: After becoming a Platinum member, you will receive two room upgrade certificates and two suite upgrade certificates. This membership requires 10 stays or 30 nights in a calendar year.
  • Status match after booking: I’ve seen several examples online where people tried to match Fairmont elite status using elite status from another hotel program after they had already booked. Although none of them succeeded, the agent gave them an extra room upgrade certificate. So if you’ve already booked a room but don’t have a certificate, it’s worth trying.

Like free night certificates, upgrade certificates expire one year after they are issued. Upgrade certificates can be used together with free night certificates, so it’s best to use them together and not waste them.

How to Search and Book

Aside from the special cases described later, the basic process for using Fairmont free night certificates is: choose a hotel -> check the standard room (and upgrade room types) -> call to complete the booking. Booking must be done by calling Fairmont’s official reservation line, but availability can be checked online. It’s a good idea to check first and then call to book, which saves time.

Blackout Days

Fairmont free night certificates and upgrade certificates have certain date and hotel restrictions (blackout days), so you should exclude these dates and hotels first.

For example, at The Plaza in New York, only one free night certificate can be used per stay, and upgrade certificates cannot be used. Many hotels also have New Year’s Day, January 1, and Christmas as blackout days.

Choose a Hotel

Fairmont has more than 70 hotels worldwide, with most of them in the U.S. and Canada. You can use the hotel finder on the official website:

Check Room Types

One major limitation of free night certificates is that you can only book the hotel’s most basic room type. If you want to use a free night certificate for multiple consecutive nights, the basic room type must be available on every night. The same logic applies to suite upgrade certificates and room upgrade certificates: the required basic suite or next-higher room type must be available every night in order to use the certificate.

Here’s an example using Fairmont Miramar (Santa Monica):

  • On Fairmont.com, choose Santa Monica and search for the dates you need
  • In the results, choose room type as the sorting method so you can see whether the basic room type is available. From the results, you can see that the hotel has the most basic room type for those dates, called Palisade king ns. Note that the most basic room type differs by hotel, and is usually called something like standard room or king room. If it includes adjectives like deluxe or ocean view, it usually is not the basic room type. If you’re not sure whether a room is the basic room type, try searching on a different day in a less busy travel season; in general, that makes it easier to tell.
  • If you want to use a room upgrade certificate or suite upgrade certificate, you need to confirm whether there is a room one level above the basic room type. For example, deluxe king ns in the image above is one level higher than king ns, so a room upgrade certificate can be used. The Palisade suite king ns in the image below is the basic suite, so it can be upgraded with a suite certificate. Likewise, if you’re not sure whether it’s the basic suite, check a date in the off-season and you’ll usually be able to tell.

Book by Phone

Once you’ve confirmed the hotel, dates, and room type you want, you can call to make the reservation.

  • Fairmont reservation line: 1-800-257-7544 (CANADA & U.S.)

During the booking process, provide all the details and say that you want to use a free night certificate or an upgrade certificate, and the agent will check whether the reservation can be made. If you have multiple free night certificates, or if you want to combine free night certificates between spouses, you can still use only one upgrade certificate as long as the stay does not exceed 5 nights. That’s pretty great. In most cases, the agent will tell you whether your free night or upgrade certificate can guarantee the room.

Tips for Using Certificates

  • Stack free night certificates with upgrade certificates: If you have both types of certificates, it’s best to use them together. You can also pay to upgrade the basic room type first, and then use an upgrade certificate to move to a better room or suite.
  • Combine multiple free night certificates: If both spouses have free night certificates, you can string them together and use them in one reservation. For example, if both of you have two free night certificates from the credit card, you can use them together for four nights. In that case, only one upgrade certificate is needed to upgrade all four nights. The other person’s upgrade certificate can be saved for next time.
  • Combine with Citi Prestige fourth-night-free: Citi Prestige has its own fourth-night-free benefit. You can first call and book four nights, then call the hotel front desk and use free night certificates to offset a few nights of the room charge, and the fourth-night-free benefit will not be affected. I haven’t tried this myself, so I’m not sure whether it works.

Booking Examples