Originally Posted by
AngelMayCry
It's Finair. I guess I need to pay anyway... cannot bet on a 10-hour flight...

Unless there are particular seats you want, like an exit row, I’d wait, and periodically monitor the seat map via Expert Flyer free Seat Alerts app. If it starts to fill up, then go ahead and pay up at that time.
I locked mine in on Finnair early and wish I waited to the exact moment check in opened. If I did that, it would have saved me some money as comparable seats were still available when I checked in.