Just saw this, and figured it wqs worth noting:
If you would like to book award travel immediately but your full mileage balance doesn’t display
Proceed with selecting your award flights on united.com and during the booking process, choose to hold your itinerary for up to 72 hours for free with our FareLockSM service. For itineraries that include partner airlines, a free 24-hour hold will be offered. This service is a temporary offer during our account transition period.
Please note that you’ll have to return to united.com to complete your purchase once your miles are available.