Pfco wont be needed from November 2020 (or dec depending on covid delays) the distinction between personal flight and commercial flight is being removed and you probably cant book onto anymore pfco courses, this means a change (again) in drone laws, classification, size of drone v distance and more.
Thanks for the link. Very concise and easy to understand.
Although PFCO as a term is disappearing, it is being replaced by Operational Authorisation. This will allow you to fly drones that do not meet the new Open Category standards under terms similar to PFCO, but as you rightly say, the distinction between commercial and non-commercial is removed.
If you are buying a new drone, I would wait until the ones that meet the new Open Category standards are fully available - provided you can find one that meets your requirements for your intended work. You will still need to do some online training, have an approved user manual (It should be supplied with the drone) and although not explicit in the regulations, I think you will also require public liability insurance for commercial work.
Operational Authorisation may still be required for larger or older drones, as well as those built specifically for a task or constructed from parts or a kit.
In short, if you can achieve your commercial work with one of the new Open Category drones, just do the online training and CoC. If however you need a more specialised aircraft you would still be advised to do a higher level of training and to apply for Operational Authorisation.
The regulations are designed to encourage more people to start flying commercially. It might be worth considering what that will do to an already saturated market...