Choice Benefits -- Choose Diamond First and Wait on Platinum??
 

My wife wants GM status gifted to her now. Based on what I've read in the forums, I believe I have to choose all of my Diamond Choice Benefits at once, so when I gift her GM status, I must also make my two other Diamond selections. However, can I wait to choose my Platinum Choice Benefit until later this year? In other words, can I make my Platinum Choice Benefit selection months after I've already made my Diamond selections? I would prefer to postpone the expiration date of the 4 RUCs that I will choose for my Platinum Choice Benefit.

I have certainly done this exactly as you are planning!

Each benefit can be selected independently. You do not need to select all Diamond benefits all at once, and the Platinum benefit can be selected separately as well.

Yup this ^^. The policy changed in February 2017 IIRC to allow selecting the benefits one at a time instead of all at once.

Yes, in fact, I have only selected the SkyClub option so far and may wait as much as another year to make my other three selections.

I'm planning on selecting RUCs for the first time this year (first year as Diamond) - by that quote, is it accurate that RUCs last a year from the date they're selected? I'd assumed their validity would follow the status calendar year (to Jan of the following year), so if that's not correct it would be good to know.

Thats correct. If you select them today; 30-01-2018 they are valid through 30-01-2019 (experation date)

Me too, but I didn't pick the status gifts.