FWIW, I wound up with a bunch of those free 3-day-weekend coupons when I was required to redeem my "expiring" points before the end of the year (before they shuttered the program completely). I've now had two instances where a franchised location refused to accept them a month before a pick-up date, but then allowed them a week or so before pick-up.

So I guess the old saying applies: if at first you don't succeed . . .