I actually went through this a few months ago when I used my United miles to book a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. The United site shows most Lufthansa award availability, so I just searched on United.com, picked my flights, and booked directly with miles. Pretty smooth, but when I had to change my return date, the website wouldn’t let me. I ended up calling 877-764-3622 and the agent fixed it in minutes — way faster than waiting on hold with United’s regular line. So yeah, search and book online first, but if you hit a snag (changes, cancellations, or if you can’t see the flight you want), that number is the best shortcut. It saved me a ton of stress before my trip.
