diff --git a/providers/aws/services/rds/client.go b/providers/aws/services/rds/client.go
index 037053cd..813bda31 100644
--- a/providers/aws/services/rds/client.go
+++ b/providers/aws/services/rds/client.go
@@ -488,12 +488,28 @@ func (c *Client) lookupEngineName(engine string) (string, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
-	if strings.HasPrefix(name, "oracle") || strings.HasPrefix(name, "sqlserver") || strings.HasPrefix(name, "sql-server") {
+	if isLicensedEngine(name) {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("engine %q: license model is not known; refusing to guess", engine)
 	}
 	return name, nil
 }
 
+// licensedEnginePrefixes are the lower-cased engine spellings whose offerings
+// carry a license model. "sql server" (with a space) is the Cost Explorer
+// spelling, which normalizeEngineName passes through as-is (issue #302).
+var licensedEnginePrefixes = []string{"oracle", "sqlserver", "sql-server", "sql server"}
+
+// isLicensedEngine reports whether a normalized engine name is Oracle or SQL
+// Server in any spelling.
+func isLicensedEngine(name string) bool {
+	for _, prefix := range licensedEnginePrefixes {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(name, prefix) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // offeringDuration returns the term as the API's duration string and as seconds
 // for the exact-match check.
 func (c *Client) offeringDuration(term string) (duration string, seconds int64, err error) {
diff --git a/providers/aws/services/rds/client_test.go b/providers/aws/services/rds/client_test.go
index e9aab1a7..b2245eba 100644
--- a/providers/aws/services/rds/client_test.go
+++ b/providers/aws/services/rds/client_test.go
@@ -1316,9 +1316,14 @@ func TestFindOfferingID_NoMatchReportsPagesFetched(t *testing.T) {
 
 // TestFindOfferingID_LicensedEnginesRefusedBeforeAPICall: Oracle and SQL Server
 // offerings are listed as "oracle-se2(li)" / "oracle-se2(byol)", so the license
-// model must be known; the lookup refuses without calling the API.
+// model must be known; the lookup refuses without calling the API. "SQL Server"
+// is the Cost Explorer spelling (with a space) and must be refused the same way
+// rather than fail later as "no offerings found" (issue #302).
 func TestFindOfferingID_LicensedEnginesRefusedBeforeAPICall(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, engine := range []string{"oracle-se2", "oracle-ee", "sqlserver-se", "sqlserver-web", "sql-server-ex"} {
+	for _, engine := range []string{
+		"oracle-se2", "oracle-ee", "sqlserver-se", "sqlserver-web", "sql-server-ex",
+		"SQL Server", "sql server", "SQL Server Enterprise",
+	} {
 		t.Run(engine, func(t *testing.T) {
 			mockRDS := &MockRDSClient{}
 			t.Cleanup(func() { mockRDS.AssertExpectations(t) })