Chile is known worldwide for it's beautiful landscapes, nice weather, culture diversity and many more. Some tourists fall into amazement when they realize they are just an hour-and-a-half ahead from either mountain or the beach, skiing or the sea... from it's capital: Santiago
But let me talk you about some important information you need to know when you arrive to SCL Airport, regading transportation from the terminal.
When you clear customs and inmigration, and heading towards the exit, you'll be harrased (specially when many international flights are arriving at the same time) by people offering you taxi service.
All of them hold "Official Taxi" signs and claim to be so. Beware of them. They usually charge you high prices for whatever destination you will go to (up to 10x!!) And they cheat. For instance, you can negociate a trip for seven thousand pesos (7.000) but later on, when it's time to pay they will tell you seventy thousand (70.000). Combine a poor english pronunciation and the lack of communication and you will feel that you listened wrongly.
I strongly recommend to take an official means of transportation, you will find them inside the clearance area (before leaving customs) or, at the exit, within the terminal at established booths. DO NOT TAKE A CAB FROM A GUY THAT'S HOLDING SOME CARD WITH A TAXI SIGN.
Same warning goes if you are going to take a cab in town (black cars with yellow painting at the top). They often try to cheat tourists with the price they charge. Use public transportation like buses or the subway, they have a fixed rate, so you won't have any surprises.
To get into public transportation you'll need a RFID card, called "Tarjeta BIP", it's a prepaid rechargeable card that serves as payment method. You can buy them at any subway station and refill it from there.
Replies
Just got back from Santiago a couple weeks ago, and they are still there...dozens of them :) Luckily we were being met by Santiago Adventures so we never had to deal with them.
Here's a suggestion for dealing with anyone in a foreign language you don't understand:
I've got a small pad and pencil that I always carry. In each language I'll need, I have someone write down at the top of the page "Please write down how much money that is." After showing or discussing what I'm interested in, I hand them the pad and pencil. Prevents my misunderstanding a number I probably wouldn't recognize if they spoke it, and it makes for great reference at the end of the cab ride as you mentioned.