You should check this thread in the
SPG forum. But yes, I did last summer and again this summer. 100k SPG is nearly enough for 2 tickets in business (NA to Europe.)
And yes, dealing with US is a PITA. Every time I book award tickets they put me on hold for 30 minutes to figure out how much the taxes will be. It's never more than $30 or so...but it takes forever and is maddening.