Possible to avoid the $100 charge to land in Chile?

I will tell you after you tell me how to get into USA without doing all the visastuff!

LOL, Nestor.

I was in Chile a couple of years ago and if things are still like they were then, you pay when you get off the plane, before going to baggage claim. They don't wait to see where you are going and there is no discussion. Looks like you'll have to cough up the money or take a connecting flight to Argentina instead of the bus. You would actually come out paying about the same if you fly from Santiago to BsAs and skip paying the fee. Then, if your return flight is through Santiago, you can re-enter by bus without paying the fee.

Why should you not have to pay the USD 100? The Chilean government would not charge this fee if their citizens didn't have to pay through the nose for a visa to the USA. It's a reciprocal fee, known as tit-for-tat. If a Chilean wanted to fly to Houston and hop immediately on a bus for Juarez, Mexico, do you think American authorities would wave him the fee?

Yep, no way around it unless you are arriving into Chile by bus and not by air.

#4 the OP says he/she wants to hop on a bus to Argentina, so they are leaving the airport. Connecting to an international flight, they would not leave the transit area and wouldn't pay.
For the price of reciprocity fee transport to the bus station bus ticket, there won't be that much difference with the air ticket.

And I don´t understand why the OP does not fly directly into Argentina

i´m not flying straight into argentina because i got a really good deal to fly into santiago and I´m traveling on a very tight budget

yea, i realize the u.s. is a pain...i´m just looking to save money

Looks like your really good deal just got $100 more expencive. Fly Air Canada Toronto to BA it goes through Santiago but you don't get off the plane ;)

vnrose #6 has a good point, When you add up the bus fare + $100 plus food and other long bus travel incidental costs, it may not be much less than a Santiago-BA flight with no $100 reciprocity fee.