Hi, I still consider myself a noob but think I've read enough. I hope this is the right place to get help.

I'm currently at 8k EQM / 11 EQP and I'm planning a trip that should put me into Elite. I would just like some advice from the experts on how to best maximize my $ spent since I will be buying these myself.

I need to plan a trip to the following places in about a month. I'm not 100% sure on the order but know I will be starting/finishing with EWR and have BOM as the final deportation.

EWR->NRT->HKG->SIN->BOM->EWR

I know CO doesn't fly some of these routes so I may need to use another carrier but still think I can gain elite.

My questions are, how to maximize elite qualification and us elite status during my travel. Or, does it make more sense to break it up and use non CO flights during this trip?

Any help is much appreciated.