Upgrade was confirmed and cleared at the gate morning of departure. But I "applied" the SWU when I made the reservation about three weeks prior to departure. It was a flight with a connection (MSP-DSM). I was upgraded immediately MSP-DSM, but waitlisted on SMF-MSP. Presumably, the SWU was coded correctly, because I made it onto the UG list for SMF-MSP...at the top. I'll never know for sure, though, if the SWU actually put me at #1. I just enjoyed the ride!