I refuse to pay a fee for any card. I have lots of offers for free cards on my web site below, many of which offer free up front miles just for successfully applying for the card. My favorite for international travel is the AMEX card, because, last I heard, they do not charge the usual 2% rip off fee for currency conversions that the more greedy banks charge.
Click on Free Frequent Flyer Miles in the left menu, then on Credit Cards in the top menu.
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The Personal Travel Experience of Gary Steiger - including how to get free frequent flyer miles on the web.
http://home.earthlink.net/~pgary/TravelFrame.html