hmmm, so hypothetically - if one were Siver & did a 76k eqm trip (I dunno, round the world in F ex-TIP?) one would earn 2 years of Gold status? Don't plan to do so, but if correct- then is clear in my mind how it works.

Seems to me a weakness in all this (or advantage depending on which side of the fence you're on) - is that earning, as a Gold, 37k in EQM's will get you the same status the following year as someone who didn't earn any.