I would say forget about loyalty and maximize your budget. If the status comes organically, then sure. I've made that round trip to Muscat to get those extra 2,000 tier miles I needed...
Couple more subtle benefits that I use:
- Being able to guest 1 adult and 2 children into the F lounge is a nice plus (I tell my wife that's why I won't have more children) except that the kids now scoff at the J lounge (I tell my wife that's also why I won't have more children)
- I've made good use of the (fka) SPACE upgrade availability for Plats although I wish it was a bit more transparent.
- My wife loooves the reserved parking access at the Dubai Mall. You simply register your car plate. This is actually a nice little perk if you are Dubai-based as that parking is well located and always available. They've recently added free access to the in-mall buggy service (not sure if Plat only)
- I usually get picked up in Dubai in an S-Class even if flying J, which is nice. F Car queue usually a bit shorter at DXB arrivals.
- Priority First luggage which, while being quite hit or miss (especially at out-stations), is better than the Business tags.