Is there anyone going after Preferred awards through points collected through credit card spending? It appears that Diners has an advantage over the BofA Visa card (2.4 points/$CC vs 2.0), but there's the annual fee on Diners. I also read that Diners can be used anywhere a MC is accepted, and that transfers to airlines now have a fee - but I didn't see one for the hotels. I just don't know much about the Diners program (or Choice, for that matter).

The list of Preferred hotels is impressive - I'm looking for more high-end award possiblities. I have enough points with Hilton and Starwood to last me for a while, and I'm looking fo another option.