IMHO marginal benefit over silver but YMMV. The miles bonus is the same, the FLounge is slightly less crowded at the times is use it and much the same food quality. I'm not fussed about the quality of the fizz as I rarely drink it. F checkin is further from where you enter the airport normally and further from security. So why one would go there to be scouled at by the bored staff is beyond me. I have had 1 upgrade at LHR since been gold which maybe an improvement on silver. Upgrades at outstations have been equally frequent with gold as silver. Looking on the positives, the ability to book the plum seats in advance is nice for long haul and I am assured that when things go wrong it's good to be gold (although they have not gone wrong since I have been golds so cannot comment personally). Although not a benefit to me, it has become clear to me that the saving to be made by not paying change fees on reward bookings can be considerable if you have a family. Gold line seems to answer calls faster than others.