I only paid annual fees at the very beginning, when I was in college and was glad to have any card - it was one of those cards that anyone can get by presenting a student ID.
A few years later, I qualified for and got a GM card, which has never had a fee. There’s a fun story about that one. GM called me asking me to subscribe (presumably because I bought a GM car and was paying off a GMAC loan for it). I declined because, being in college, I didn’t have steady income and didn’t think I’d qualify. A few minutes later, a supervisor (who was monitoring the call) called me back and said that my GMAC payment history is enough to qualify. So I applied for that card.
Then when the first card came up for its annual fee, I called them and said I want to cancel, because I have a no-fee card and I don’t want to pay a fee for theirs. They waived the fee. They waived it for the next two years. Then they didn’t and I cancelled it. And that was the last time I ever had a card with an annual fee.
Today, I still have the GM card, although I rarely use it (rewards that can only be redeemed on GM vehicles is not as attractive as it used to be).
The one I use most is the Costco Visa card. This is a Visa Signature card (the high-end version that includes things like travel and concierge services). Signature cards normally have a high annual fee, but this one is free to Costco members (and it will cancel itself if your Costco membership terminates).
You can often find similar deals (waiving the fees on high-end cards) from banks and investment firms, if your account is large enough. Which might be the case if you’ve been working for a while and have your retirement accounts with them.