This question might have been asked before, so, I apologize: Is it better to match DL gold to TK elite or A3 gold? Looks like A3 gold will be the easiest to retain, right?

I asked a couple of questions earlier on how to match it to TK elite. I was about to do that, then, I thought of A3, as it is easier to retain (correct me if I am wrong, but we need only 16000 miles for gold, right?).

Also, if anybody has the experience of status matching it to A3, can you please state on how you went about doing it, viz. email, online form, etc.? Thanks.