Have a few trips coming up, and for first time in years debating what I should do (kudos CX).

My last decade I've been "mostly but not exclusively" loyal to CX. Decent amount of travel on competitors, primarily EK, SQ, ANA and JL and others. Mix of longhaul (destination: USA and Europe), and regional. I prefer F when available, which was my starting rationale for EK.

Flying competitors longhaul is nicer (due to more F) but neutral to sometimes slightly more inconvenient for me vs CX schedule wise (EK F, with a stop in DXB for example). I am able to stop in Tokyo and Singapore usually for business, Dubai is usually just transit. Me flying competitors regionally is because it's more convenient and nicer (my routing which catalyzed this thread: TYO-SIN coming up in a few weeks, a route I fly multiple times a year. For many years I've done this entirely on SQ, ANA and JAL nonstop. I have similar situations with Taiwan and mainland China.)

I am debating something crazy here, TYO-SIN via HKG on CX. Yes, it has to do with DME at 2,400. I am going to need to change my travel patterns and do less of the competitive flying above (e.g. I'll have to skip SQ HND-SIN, and do CX transitting HKG), if I am to hit 2,400.

Regardless of what I choose for TYO-SIN, I was going through the possibilities in my head of the new Cx program. Both 2,400 and 1,800 miles seem like sweet spots, because of DME (2,400) and the roll-over feature (max 600, so 1,200+600 = 1,800). Even though there are no more mid-tier benefits at 1,800, not all is lost. You start the next year with 600 points. But since 600 is the maximum you can rollover, it seems like once you surpass 1,800 it's not ideal to do anything in-between erally unless you hit 2,400, unless you think you're going to fall massively behind the next year and totally miss regular DM. Is this logic right? (I know we also have Diamond Reserve at every 6,000 points which those points will credit to, but grand scheme of things it seems to me like over 1,800 but under 2,400 is a waste).

Another related question, do DMEs start the next year with 600 points like the 1,800 DM who rolls over 600 points? Or, is the difference really that 2,399 DMs will roll over 600, and 2,400 DMEs will not roll over any in the new year. So in year 2, you're a DM with 600 points in the bank vs DME with 0 points in the bank. Does this make sense?

------>The reason I think it's relevant, is since DME is not going to be earned in a vacuum, but a lot of people will earn DME in coming years by using rollover points + a current year balance under 2,400.

If in year 1 I do 1,800 points and year 2 I also do 1,800 points, as I point out upthread in year 2 I will become DME because of my 600 point rollover starting position. (Said differently, a 1,800 DM will be DM/DME/DM/DME every other year due to the rollover feature). But, if you do 2,400 / 600 you are DME / GO, whereas if you do 2,399 / 600 you are DME / DM. Basically, if you think your next year is going to be light, you are incentivized not to move up to DME since you get the 600 rollover benefit wiped out if that happens.

Without going through the possibilities, it does seem like there is a minor logic gap in the program in this 1,800-2,400 range and then for DMEs too. Curious what others think and if my logic is even right.