MaxFlyer

I’ve been noticing a trend over the past few months where a rate is advertised as prepaid/non refundable but under the cancellation policy it states that you can cancel x days prior to arrival without any charge.

This reads like an oxymoron to me and I’m not sure if these rates are refundable or not.

For example, Sheraton TriBeCa New York, 11-12 January 2020.

I’ve seen this for hotels in a number of countries and is very frustrating. I wish the terms would be clear and simple as it seems like the user is trying to be tripped up.

Any ideas / experiences?

Thanks