I said to get good value out of it, you (usually) need EF. This is because midcon and transcon routes rarely have U space at time of booking. To cash in a GGU on a longer flight, you need to be actively notified when U space opens so you can claim it quickly. The alternative is doing a dummy booking check everyday (still risky and not time efficient) or just not getting to use your GGU on a good route. Just because someone is a casual flyer doesn't mean they'll be opposed to spending $10 and 20 minutes of time to maximize the utility of thr gift. Sure, it's not for everyone, but it's not rocket science either.