If you're in United Express territory and don't have status and such, it's frequently really slim pickings for saver award seats on the Barbie jets. I'd redeem for standard in an 'in case of emergency, break glass' scenario, but for anything other than continental USA travel, it makes more sense to do a paid flight into Houston and begin award travel there, rather than having something the crosses oceans reprice to standard because of the United Express leg.