i think OP is asking a question that assumes a lot. assumption 1) people are doing MS to get miles. 2) people are paying for fee based cards. 3) people may or may not be going through a portal or other means to get cash back or otherwise offset fees or avoid them altogether (fee free cards, etc). OP is not asking whether the value of the miles makes up for the fee. OP is asking whether miles themselves can be had without any fee outlay. the answer is yes. everyone here is confused by OP's question because we all think that whatever fee we pay for miles or CB is far worth it when compared to the rewards gained.
do i understand it correctly?