Originally Posted by asyoulike
Should I contact them in advance or should I wait till the day of check-in?
It would depend on how important that upgrade would be for you. Personally, I usually do not bother with advance requests unless it is an anniversary or some kind of a special occasion when I'm traveling with my family. Otherwise, I simply add a line in the "Comments" section of my reservation requesting an upgrade. If it happens (it almost always does, IME) - great, if not - no biggie, I get lounge access anyway.