I have a United Club card a couple years now but no status anymore other than the semi-Silver the card gives me. Supposedly the card provides increased award and upgrade access when purchasing tickets, and "any seat any time", at the standard rate ( not saver) rate, but I am not seeing that availability on the website. For international trips in the last year or so I have had to get Z discounted business if I wanted business guaranteed as I could neither upgrade in advance for vacation planning ( even when calling) nor get an award.

I have about 250,000 miles on it I would like to use for at least one business ticket to Europe summer 2016, either as an award ticket or upgrading one or two discounted paid fare class (B?) advance purchase coach fares ( for two of us). I am ready to spend more miles, i.e., standard instead of saver business, but looking at June 2016 though business seats on the possible planes are wide open, there is only one day, ( a bad day option) that shows any businesss awards fares, on the website, and then only one way. I see coach awards, but even those are only on a few days. So where are the "any seat" standard options?

I guess I do not understand what the card is advertising when it says you can use standard rate miles for "any seat", even the last seat, when you are a Club card (or even Explorer card) holder. So, I am questioning the value of the card, as my main interest is international upgraded, or free, business class travel. If I just have to keep paying a lot and getting Z fares, if I want guaranteed vacation business in advance, which give me club access anyway, why bother with that card's fees, as I do not want to earn miles to spend miles on non-airline things.