Nowadays rental cars are used for many purposes. Some people use rental cars as transportation during vacations, others use rental cars when their own car is in the shop. There are even people who prefer to use a rental car for just a night out on the town. Whatever your purpose is for renting a car, this page on how to rent a car in Baton Rouge, might answer some of your questions.

Baton Rouge attractions such as Magnolia Mound Plantation, Baton Rouge Zoo, and the Louisiana Art & Science Museum are easily visited if you use a rental car to get around. A rental car give you the freedom to stick to your own schedule instead of being restricted by bus or train schedules. http://www.rentalcarmomma.com/cities/batonrouge.htm

Leave it up to the major car rental companies to offer promotions where you get free upgrades, discounts on various car rental rates and extra free car rental days. As if there wasn't enough choice already, companies like Hertz, Budget, Alamo, Avis and Enterprise have competitive rates because they all want your business. Finding the right car rental company to go with can be a little bit of a hassle. Hopefully this page will help you out somewhat. http://www.rentalcarmomma.com/

ONLINE RESEARCH: When looking for an affordable car rental, you need to do some research. Instead of going into or calling a car rental facility, try going online. The Internet is 'open' 24/7 and can often be accessed right from home. Look at the various discounts, deals and car rental promotions that are being offered by the major car rental companies. You can easily compare them because there is no sales person that you have to deal with. You also want to look at the variety of vehicles that is being offered. Does the company rent out the car that you want? If you are looking to rent a high end exotic vehicle, like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, you might want to look at websites like exoticcarrental.com[[ that specialize in these types of vehicles. Many car rental companies also have offers and deals that are only valid if you reserve your car online. http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/116640/article.html http://www.exoticcarrental.com/

BOOK EARLY: If you know early on that you will be visiting Baton Rouge, try reserving your rental car right away. Early bookings often get lower rates because the car rental rates are based on how many cars are in the lot of the car rental company at the time you make your reservation. You can always call back a few days after reserving your car to see if rental rates have dropped and re-reserve your car for the new rate.

RENTAL RATES: If you are visiting Baton Rouge over a weekend, make sure to ask the car rental company about weekend car rental rates. Many companies offer discounts on weekends. The same goes for weekly rates. If you need the rental car for five days or more you will pay a lower weekly rate compared to a daily rental rate. You can also look online for printable coupons, coupon codes and direct links. Websites like retailmenot.com and rentalcarmomma.com have many offers, discounts and deals that can lower your car rental price. Keep in mind that the coupons do expire and that there might be restrictions and exclusions. Read all the small print on the coupons. http://www.retailmenot.com/coupons/carrentals http://www.rentalcarmomma.com/cities/batonrouge.htm

FREE UPGRADES: So the car rental facility offered you a free upgrade to a larger vehicle when you went to pick up your car. That might sound very nice, but the reason they offer these upgrades is often because compact cars are in high demand. The amount you will pay in gas for a larger car will also be more.

PACKAGE DEALS: If you also need a hotel room once you get to Baton Rouge, consider looking into a package deal. This is when you can book a rental car together with air fare and/or a hotel stay. Overall you price will be lower than if you booked each one separately.

HIDDEN FEES: Following is a summary of some hidden fees and expenses that you need to watch out for when renting a car:

1. Airport rental car pickups are more expensive than local neighborhood pickups due to airport taxes and fees.
2. Bring your own child safety car seats, GPS devices and such because renting them will cost a lot.
3. Drop off the rental car on time. Early and late drop offs can result in fees.
4. Don't get charged for mileage. Make sure you have unlimited mileage
5. Fill up the rental car with gas before returning it. This will be cheaper than prepaying the gas.
6. Do not accept the offered car renter's insurance before checking with your own car insurance company.
7. Check damage to the car before driving it off the lot. You don't want to get charged for something that was not your fault.

EMAIL UPDATES: If you frequently use a rental car, you might want to register your email on the websites of some of the major car rental facilities. Once you do this, you will get information about various discounts, offers and promotions. Keep in mind that using the same company over and over usually gives you frequent user discounts. You can also join a car renter's club of the larger car rental companies. Once you do this, you will enjoy faster service and various discounts on rental rates. You can also avoid long lines by using the 'members only line'. http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/intresImage.do?imageId=28443.4&key=996.en.US.......&page=HOM https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/emember/join/overview.do?learnMore=all

Nationwide car rental companies like Enterprise, Thrifty, Avis, and Hertz have set rates and regulations that they go by. If you are under the age of 25, it might be better to look into renting from an independent company since they have more are more flexible because they make their own in-house rules. It is also said that independent companies provide better service because they really want your business. They know they are up against the big names in the car rental business.

INDEPENDENT CAR RENTAL COMPANIES:

• City Auto Rentals
• 7945 Airline Highway
• Baton Rouge, LA 70815-8106
• Phone: (225) 928-0400

This independent car rental provider is said to have a superior selection of vehicles, a more adaptable program, better discounts and flexible rates, and its our own rules. http://cityautorentals.com/about/

• Cheap Car Rental Baton Rouge
• 1 One American Pl # 100
• Baton Rouge, LA 70801
• Phone: (225) 755-9729

This car rental company guarantees that they have the lowest car rental rates in Baton Rouge. They also offer discount coupons.http://cheapcarrentalbatonrouge.com/