There is one thing to keep in mind: perks can be changed!
It’s a theory, but I think Fujino already did it, as there were no VR-connected perks on the spoiled list. What I think happened is that all the complaints about the slow burn forced him to make a split between FOG and IRL to give the audience what they wanted. I think initially he didn’t plan to come up with something as implausible as "VR doesn’t count." Such an excuse might work in any other setting with VR, but not in SAO, because the whole point of SAO is that VR is as real as real life for its characters. Also, that explanation was introduced and very quickly executed around the treehouse event.
As I said, it’s only a theory, but as for the perks, they can easily be changed; in the end, it’s just text. So, there might still be some surprises ahead.