If you want to be a real turd, just reserve everything in sight, and check off "already have certificate". As the date approaches, decide which one(s) you want, and have the points for, and cancel the rest.

It works, but it's not really cricket, old boy. OTOH, getting a Standard Award when there's availability and paying the points later (i.e., actually going through with it) is fine. People do it all the time, because award availability tends to dry up at the popular properties.