This all depends totally on routes. Waitlisting miles to upgrade between EWR and SFO, I can really feel the status: I'm usually #1 not to clear, rather than #5 not to clear.

A friend applied a pair of my SWUs round trip EWR to Shanghai. He didn't clear till days before, with no earlier guarantees, but he had 30 hours in a lay flat bed to meditate on how glad he was that I'd made 1K. The SWUs an instrument that makes possible what isn't possible otherwise, with no guarantees. One can't plan a vacation with the spouse using them; they are what they are.

UA really does a convincing job of making me feel special, as a 1K. (CO, less so, and this may change.) Not a reason to struggle to reach 1K; cheaper to just buy a mirror.

The Plat no change fees on award travel is huge. I can't afford to fly award trips myself, as every butt-in-seat mile is needed to earn status, but it means I can effectively generate refundable tickets for my family, e.g. my elderly mom who might need the flexibility. (If it's your mom, do put her in first.)