If you’re planning a trip to Germany, you could save a lot of money on train travel by purchasing a “Deutschland Ticket”. This new type of ticket launched earlier this year, following the popularity of last year’s “9-Euro-Ticket” stunt.
The Deutschland-Ticket, which just means “Germany Ticket”, costs €49 per month. This is roughly equal to around AUD80 at the current exchange rate. It’s also sometimes known as the Deutschlandticket or D-Ticket.
For this price, you can get unlimited travel for a whole month on all local and regional public transport in Germany. This includes regional trains, S-Bahn (suburban) trains, U-Bahn (underground) trains, local buses, ferries and trams throughout the country. However, the Deutschland-Ticket does not include long-distance IC/EC (intercity) or ICE (Intercity Express) trains. It is not valid for travel in first class.
As this is a digital ticket, it will be stored on the App of whichever transport company you purchased it through. You will need to have access to your phone when travelling in case your ticket gets checked. Your ticket will have your name on it and is non-transferable.
This is an excellent deal for almost anyone using public transport in Germany, and the new ticket has been a hit with locals. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple for tourists to take advantage of this deal. But it is possible, as we explain in this guide…
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This ticket is only available as a subscription
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to simply buy a €49 monthly ticket from a ticket machine or even from a customer service desk at a German railway station. The Germans are famous for their excessive bureaucracy and true to form, they haven’t quite made it that simple for tourists to take advantage of this great deal!
In fact, it’s not even possible to buy one of these tickets as a one-off purchase. Instead, you’re required to take out a subscription… and there are a few catches that come with this.
The first catch is that you generally need to buy your ticket by the 10th of any given month. It will then only be valid from the start of the next month.
The second catch is that you need to pay on the 10th of each month, for travel in the following month. For example, your bank account would be debited €49 on 10 September for travel in October.
However, you can cancel a Deutschland-Ticket subscription at any time. If you cancel it after the 10th but before the beginning of the next month, you can get a refund for the unused month.
You need to purchase your subscription through a transport operator
You can purchase a €49 ticket subscription directly from Deutsche Bahn (the national railway operator) or from any of the local public transport companies scattered throughout Germany. For example, you could buy it from MVV (Munich’s public transport company).
However – and this is the third catch – many of these require you to provide a European address and pay using a European bank account with an IBAN. For example, if you purchase this ticket through Deutsche Bahn or the MVV, you cannot simply pay by credit card. This is rather inconvenient if you’re a tourist from Australia or the United States.
One workaround could be to pay using a service such as Wise. But that’s a lot of effort just to save some money on train tickets in Germany!
How to buy a Deutschland-Ticket subscription as a tourist in Germany
The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to buy this ticket directly from Deutsche Bahn, nor from any particular public transport company in Germany. It is valid throughout the whole country, regardless of where you buy it.
If you’re having trouble buying a Deutschland-Ticket as a tourist, simply purchase it from one of the transport companies that accept PayPal or credit card payment. You may wish to use a credit card with no international transaction fees as the amount is charged in Euros.
In general, you need to register for an account with your chosen transport provider before proceeding to purchase a Deutschland-Ticket subscription.
Here are a few companies that let you purchase from them in English and pay using a credit card or PayPal:
| Region | Transport company | Payment methods accepted | Name of App (in Australian store) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | BVG | PayPal, Visa, Mastercard & Amex | BVG Tickets: Train, Bus & Tram |
| Hamburg | HVV | PayPal, Visa, Mastercard & Amex | hvv switch – Mobility for you. |
| Bremen | VBN | Debit and credit cards | ABOS IM VBN |
| Frankfurt Rhine-Main | RMV | PayPal | RMVgo |
To make things easy for yourself, you may wish to first download the App from the transport company and then purchase your ticket through that App. Your ticket will then be accessible directly within that App.
Even if you’re only visiting Germany for a short time, it’s still worth using the Deutschland-Ticket to get cheap travel within the country. You’ll just need to do a bit of preparation in advance. And make sure you don’t forget to cancel your subscription after you leave the country. 😉
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Deutschland-Ticket, or “Germany Ticket”, is a subscription costing €49 (~AU$82) per month. It includes unlimited use of local and regional public transport throughout Germany.
Yes, but not all sellers accept payments by credit card. Register for an account and purchase your subscription in English through BVG, HVV, VBN or RMV in order to pay with an international credit card.
Yes. There is no charge if you cancel before the 10th of each month. If you’ve already paid for the following month but cancel before the start of that month, you can get a refund for the unused amount.
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