Consider using your remaining US miles for upgrades on US flights now that you can get UA RDMs and EQMs on them. F on US(HP) is pretty lousy, but it's relatively cheap (10K miles each direction) and can be confirmed right after booking. The old HP flights are often very inexpensive (compared with UA) and meet my schedules pretty well, such as flights that leave the east coast at 8 or 9 pm and allow a connection in LAS to get me home to SMF. With UA, you usually need to leave the east coast by 5:30 at the latest to be able to make a connection and make it to SMF that same night.

My 2c.