By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader Barbara of Crestview, Florida:

"I have the Platinum Delta SkyMiles American Express Card and was not aware that it would help me get better seats until I read your April column. Who do I contact for these perks?"

In my April Perrin Report on the fine art of snagging the best seat in economy class, one of my final tips was this:

If you're still stuck with a bad seat and it's a long-haul flight, join the carrier's lounge club for the day.
This gives you access to the club's powerful ticket agents, who can move mountains when it comes to seat assignments. Some airlines, including American, Continental, and Delta, let you pay to use their lounges on the day you fly (prices typically range from $25 to $50). Of course, if you can afford an annual club membership, that's even better. These typically cost $300 to $400, but lately some affordable options have been floating around. I recently received a promotional offer to upgrade my Delta SkyMiles American Express card to a Platinum Delta AmEx. I succumbed for one reason and one reason only: It gives me free membership in Delta's Crown Room Club, which normally costs $300 but which I got for the $80 fee to upgrade the card. As I figure it, that $80 buys me a year's worth of good seat assignments on Continental, Delta, and Northwest: Because those airlines are alliance partners, club members get access to all three carriers' clubs.

So, to answer your question, Barbara, the card itself doesn't get you better seats.  It's membership in the Crown Room Club that can get you better seats on Delta (and, because it lets you use Continental's and Northwest's clubs, on those airlines too). Unfortunately, not everyone who has a Platinum Delta SkyMiles AmEx Card automatically gets Club membership. You get it--for one year--only if you upgraded your card based on a targeted promotional offer promising it.