Thanks for all of your comments, especially bdemaria who brings up an interesting point. I realize I don't fly that often compared to most people on here. I guess my question came down to whether the benefits of Platinum are that much better than gold. Yes there is double miles but if I fly 10,000 miles this year at a valuation of .02 that is still only $200. As far as the lounges go on international flights I'm sure I can buy passes online (if its anything like United). I still think I will do the Gold challenge but probably will not do the platinum.

Also this is one of the reasons I love flyertalk, unlike other forums I know I will get multiple answers, with multiple opinions, in a short amount of time