Anyone planning a mileage run to Santiago should be aware that this nasty little fee has been raised to US$ 100, cash on the counter, prior to entry to the country.

A bad move in my opinion; the $45 or $61 fees were meddlesome, but understandable. There's a psychological barrier at $100 that just screams "RIPOFF!", and sends my red-flag up. In cash, it's almost as if you're being held up by banditos at the border (why NOT Amex?).

Well, we had a good time in Chile over the 5 days, it's a great place, but I have to think they're shooting themselves in the foot and tourism will suffer in the future, due only to the "three digit" fee. $97 would have snuck right past.....

SST, yes its a nasty little fee, but why oh why do we get so upset at governments that do the same thing that we do to foreign nationals? We now charge $100 for them to get a visa. The fee is good for the remaining life of your passport, too. I am not supporting the fee nor like it, but many of us in the US have no idea what kind of pot we live in, so we should be careful what we call the kettle.

I think it's perfectly fine that countries like Brazil and Nigeria are charging high visa fees. They are free to do whatever they want. I just won't visit them. Am I limiting myself from a wider cultural exposure? Maybe. But there are are plenty of countries on this globe that will let me in without paying for a visa.

Honestly, for these countries who demand a fee for a paid visa for tourists, isn't it enough that we are supporting their economy through tourist money?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by francophile:
Honestly, for these countries who demand a fee for a paid visa for tourists, isn't it enough that we are supporting their economy through tourist money?</font>


Again, not in support of these fees, but how many foreign tourists spend $200 to $300 a hotel night or more supporting OUR economies in NYC, or SF, or wherever, and have already been subjected to OUR outrageous fees, or spending $500 to take and feed the family at Disneyland for a day.

Do you also avoid the UK because you are stuck with an outrageous tax on EVERY SINGLE TICKET, but no one-time entry fee payable every ten years?

The entire sum of tax on my Award ticket to Chile (including 2 connections in the US and 2 domestic flights down there) was $60, including all the US taxes, and the entire sum on my other domestic Chile award was under $19 for 3 domestic segments.

Would you not visit the US if you were a foreign national and needed a $100 visa? Or are we just such a far superior country that we are worthy of collecting the fee? Just curious.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Eastbay1K:

Again, not in support of these fees, but how many foreign tourists spend $200 to $300 a hotel night or more supporting OUR economies in NYC, or SF, or wherever, and have already been subjected to OUR outrageous fees, or spending $500 to take and feed the family at Disneyland for a day.

Do you also avoid the UK because you are stuck with an outrageous tax on EVERY SINGLE TICKET, but no one-time entry fee payable every ten years?

The entire sum of tax on my Award ticket to Chile (including 2 connections in the US and 2 domestic flights down there) was $60, including all the US taxes, and the entire sum on my other domestic Chile award was under $19 for 3 domestic segments.

Would you not visit the US if you were a foreign national and needed a $100 visa? Or are we just such a far superior country that we are worthy of collecting the fee? Just curious.</font>


Please also notice that when I wrote "these countries," my reference did not exclude United States. I do not subscribe to any country's demand for visitors to pay for a visa, and that includes the United States.

And yes, I do in fact avoid the UK. I don't care how great the deals are for mileage runs to LHR. Even if I get desperate come each November or December, the $100 taxes and fees are absurd (could it just be that the £ is remarkably strong against the US$?). Of course airport taxes and fees are inevitable, even when flying domestically. But there is a vague threshold of which I will not cross.

I see countries as just like any other product in the travel market. Certain countries, for me, who charge exhorbitant visa fees and airports that impose inflated fees have priced themselves out of the market for me. They will not get my custom.