Well, I feel the concern of the OP, but I can't think of a single "companion certificate" that is truly easy to redeem. Are there other airlines or credit card companies that have have a seamless process for redeeming? And I'm not talking about the AMEX Platinum and the stupid business/first class restriction.

But I will say that if you get a credit card simply for the companion certificate, you should rethink your cc decision.