Originally Posted by
serpens
There have been two recommendations (by mia and JerLon) to check for availability before transferring Ultimate Rewards points to United (and I assume any travel partner). Is there any way to mitigate the risk of finding a good deal, transferring the points, and then finding the good deal has vanished? Should I (or anyone in riggyk's position) just act quickly and hope it is quickly enough?
The points transfer instantly. So, if you have two windows open and have availability at United, just hit transfer and you should be fine.
You could also use ExpertFlyer to see how many open seats there are in case you're very nervous.