Went over to our family in Canada some weeks ago ( always such a good welcome into Canada, like welcome back when they see you have been to Canada a lot by the stamps on your Passport) one day went over to the USA for a few hours handed in our Irish Passports ( must be good passports to have " A LOT OF FOLK FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD USE THEM DON`T YOU KNOW " with our passports we had our ESTA s....met with guy who had just suck a lemon who said over to that building, we sat in this hot hot building with a lot of other folk for about 35min...name called, was told that ESTA s were only if we came in by air !!!!! and NOT by land and it would cost 6$ each for an 90day pass.....welcome to the good old USA....Must remember such a good Welcome... Powervid
Correct, ESTAs are currently limited to air travel. You didn't pay $6 for a '90 day pass' though - the $6 land crossing fee is an admin charge. It doesn't buy you a visa waiver to the country. If you were travelling by air, this admin charge would be included in the taxes and charges, but if you travel by train or road its easier for them to collect at the checkpoint.