They thought of the angles too. You have to pay the $135 annual fee before you get the miles. This is through the statement "Please allow 6~8 weeks after your first purchase for the base miles and Skymiles to appear in your account". I believe activating and using the card once obligates you to pay the fee. You would also miss out on the companion ticket, which is only issued at each renewal. I look at it this way...15K miles is worth $225 even at 1.5cents a mile. The extras that sold me are 1. 5K is awarded as base miles, 2. I obtain a method to rack up additional miles at 1 mile/$ spent and 3. I start getting a free companion ticket in exchange for the $135 renewal fee, which isn't a bad deal as long as I can use it.