I know that they ARE free and that CURRENTLY the annual fee is only for the stand-alone rebate program (as opposed to the Restaurant Savings rebate program, which is no additional charge on top of the regular annual fee for a Diners Club card), but one of the surveys that someone mentioned getting here seemed to be asking them how they would react if there was a $49 annual fee instituted for a MILEAGE card (just to restore the benefits to 10 miles/$, keeping the mileage earning much lower for those who don't pay the annual fee, sort of analogous to how many FF programs have a free 1 miles/2$ credit card but make you pay an annual fee for a 1 miles/1$ credit card). And THAT is what I was reacting to.

I could save money just by eating at cheaper restaurants (iDine restaurants are rarely the VERY cheapest around)! So I see no attraction in a cashback program (as not enough restauarants around me are iDine that I'd very likely eat at them by accident if I was already choosing based on price). Meanwhile, since I don't fly on business, there is a limit on how many miles I can earn in a year from other sources, and iDine under its current rules is one of the easiest ways to earn miles I could earn no other way. (And I use my miles mostly for upgrades, which I couldn't pay for with the rebates I'd get if I got rebates instead of miles.)