It's been about a year since they announced the $30 fee. I got the UA Visa for the 15,000 miles and current double miles promo, so I figured this would be my primary card. So I called AMEX to cancel my card, not wanting to pay the $30 for another year. They told me if I keep the card, they would give me a one time credit of $25. I asked if they could bump it up to $30 to cover the annual fee, but they said no. But I'm keeping the card anyway, 5 bucks is a pretty good deal for it.

Good luck, YMMV.