Data points on hotel anniversary nights for cards that have been upgraded

[yearning2travel]

Looking for data points on whether anniversary free nights have been awarded on cards upgraded for less than a year from sub $100 hotel cards up to Chase Ritz card, or Amex Aspire/Bonvoy Brilliant cards.

Have you received the anniversary bonus night on an upgraded card that has been upgraded for less than a year? How long had your card been upgraded for prior to the full annual fee hitting (card anniversary period)?

[israshot]

Looking for data points on whether anniversary free nights have been awarded on cards upgraded for less than a year from sub $100 hotel cards up to Chase Ritz card, or Amex Aspire/Bonvoy Brilliant cards.

Have you received the anniversary bonus night on an upgraded card that has been upgraded for less than a year? How long had your card been upgraded for prior to the full annual fee hitting (card anniversary period)?

It can't be. At the upgrade you'll get the prorated AF. At the anniversary (a year later), you'll get the free night.

[yearning2travel]

It can't be. At the upgrade you'll get the prorated AF. At the anniversary (a year later), you'll get the free night.

Right, no free night midyear at upgrade time. I wasn't sure whether the free nights are necessarily awarded at anniversary on a card that's had upgraded status for less than the full cardmember year.

I thought I didn't get a free 50k night on a card that had been upgraded to Bonvoy Brilliant status but upon checking again, I see that the free night was eventually awarded (Amex is just a lot slower than Chase to award free nights after card anniversaries).

[israshot]

It's clear that anniversary nights are not awarded midyear upon an upgrade, at which point the prorated annual fee is assessed. What I'm not sure about is whether Chase and Amex necessarily award anniversary nights on accounts that have been open (as upgraded Ritz/Aspire/Brilliant cards) for less than 12 months.

I upgraded to the Brilliant card about a month before the anniversary date of the lesser Marriott card and this did not trigger a 50k Marriott certificate at the anniversary. But maybe it would have been different if the card had been upgraded earlier. Maybe Chase has a different policy.

You didn't get the free night 1 year after the upgrade?