I agree that some people are better of with silver than with gold, since it costs less to achieve and the added personal benefits are not worth the extra spend. This is very personal though and the analysis of the OP for his specific case seems OK. I would welcome a greater difference in perks between silver and gold and consequently also a greater difference in required tier points to achieve silver and gold. There are too many golds which results in an erosion of the gold benefits in comparison with the other tiers.