After I moved here (8 months) I joined QANTAS and had to pay (A$60). At that time they said it would be a "one time contribution".
I am going to write a letter to QANTAS complaining and I am NOT going to pay the $20 service fee! ... with ONEWORLD I will just keep adding miles to my AA account.
Will let you know the outcome .
M
ps: thanks for the JAL posting Merry