2024 Deutschland ticket & Credit Cards

BVG (Berlin transport provider) delivers a good website and app for ordering, cancelling and FAQ in English:
https://www.bvg.de/en/deutschland-ticket

In their app you can pay with nearly every payment method.

The Man in Seat 61 recommends the "Fahrplaner" app from Bremen. Study the "How to buy a Deutschland ticket" section on his page. Booking with DB is pointless, they only accept direct debit and are not famous for their unbureaucratic behaviour.
Good alternatives are the MVV app and the "Mainzer Mobilität" App (in fact, the easiest one to use, but sadly only in German).

I used MVV app. I found it quite easy to use.

You can print the ticket, or take a photo of it. Both methods work well.

The DB app does offer English, but you'll need to get the ticket from another provider because, as noted, they only do debit.

Rome2rio is good for planning, and in English. The DB app is good for current train schedules and other info (like actual running times).

I also used MVV and found it easy to use and easy to cancel.

You can print the ticket, or take a photo of it. Both methods work well.

They usually do, but it should be made clear that only the QR code in the app or the chip card are legal tickets, not a printout or a screen shot. And if a pedantic conductor does turn up, you will have lost €60 and also have to buy a new ticket.
So why take the risk?

Thanks everyone!The MVV app is being discontinued as far as I can tell and I am referred to using the München Navigator App. I don’t think you can buy the Deutschland ticket with a credit card there as I wrote to them and their reply was you can only buy with a “SEPA lastschriftsverfahren möglich” which my phone translates to SEPA Direct Debit Procedure. I wrote to ask if this included credit cards but I have not heard back yet.

Berlin BVG App: Is English and great until you click on Subscribe, then everything is German. This might be the best app because you can cancel on the website. I don’t want the ticket until July so I cannot try to buy it yet. I’m just concerned because the buying choices are “Handy Ticket” or “Chip Card” and I want a Ticket on my phone in my App, so I don’t want something mailed to me. Does anyone know what Handy Ticket means? Chip Card?

The FahrPlaner looks good so far but I can’t buy July yet and you can’t cancel through the app. You must reply to the initial letter they send you, so if you accidentally delete the letter or don’t get a reply in time, you might be charged for an extra month.
Any more ideas?

The MVV app is being discontinued as far as I can tell

That would be a surprising novelty. have you tried it here
https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/journey-planer/mobile-services/mvv-app/index.html ?

However, the MVV app has the same disadvantage as the Bremen app in that you can only cancel via a link in the email with the subscription confirmation. So far I have only seen two apps where you can cancel directly from the app, namely the Mainzer Mobilität app mentioned above (only in German) and the Hamburg HVV Switch. HVV Switch is a multi-purpose app that can, e.g., also be used to hire cars (in Hamburg). That's why there is also a field where you can register your driving licence. Of course, you don't need this for the DT - an email address and credit card are enough, or, better, PayPal, because they are a bit picky with foreign credit cards.

Thank you, I will try the MVV app again when July is available to buy and then try the other apps if I need to. My MVV email said no purchases thru that app after, I think May 17th.
My neighbor and I both got the same email, if we understood it correctly. There was a red arrow saying not to use MVV and a green arrow saying use München Navigator app.

Please see my question from 5/8/24 at 8:22 AM if anyone has any suggestions for logging into the DB app. See my post!! Thank you!!

I don't know about any discontinuance of the MVV app, but I downloaded the MVGO app some time ago. It seems to be almost all in English. Ordering the DT seems pretty easy, needing an email and password, although I didn't create an account and finish the process. In the FAQ of the app, it mentions cancelling the subscription. It says "To do this, go to the MVG customer portal under Manage Subscriptions. So, it looks like that's within the MVGO app.

Also, I've used the Munchen Navigator app (great app), but it doesn't show the DT ticket.

Looks like the MVGO App was perfect. Easy to understand, all English, I can buy July now BUT when I went to the pay page- they want IBAN or something else but not Credit Card!! Great easy app otherwise.🥴

A "Handy" is a cell phone....

Thanks for teaching me about “Handy”! Nice term, I like it! Must be English, I should have known 😁.

IBAN is direct transfer from a bank account. Like PayPal. But US banks don't use it.

My MVV email said no purchases thru that app after, I think May 17th.
My neighbor and I both got the same email, if we understood it correctly.

That's a misunderstanding, it's only about (weekly / monthly) passes for the S-Bahn. As of mid-May, you can no longer buy them in the MVV app because the Munich S-Bahn has had its own ticket store (München Navigator) for some time now. Of course, you can still buy the Deutschland Ticket in the MVV app, and there is no question of this app being discontinued (with 1.2 million passengers a day, that would be a direct route to chaos). You can find the MVV FAQ here:
https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/tickets-and-fares/online-und-handyticket/frequently-asked-questions-mvv-mobileticket/index.html

Look up the item "Deutschland ticket" (and fyi the item "Deactivation of the S-Bahn ticket shop in the MVV app": "If you use the Deutschland-Ticket in the MVV app, you are not affected by the changeover in any case.").

sla019 Thanks very much. That helps a lot. I thought they were saying if you have a ticket already that is ok, but after mid May, to use the other app. Since I have time to buy the ticket for July, I will try it again at the end of the month. A couple sites let you buy for a few months out. Thanks everyone!

Hello,

Leaving for Germany in a few days. I had planned to purchase the Deutschland Ticket via the HVV Swtich app, but apparently they no longer accept US credit cards.

I'm wondering for those travelling from the United States that used the MMV app, how easy was it to navigate the app. Most importantly, is it possible to put the code into my Apple wallet?

I'm assuming this is just a QR code that can be pulled up in the MMV app in any case.

Thank you,
David

P. S. I have also had the Mo.pla app recommended, does anyone have any experience with this company? Thank you

It is a QR code that gets pulled up in MVV App. Very easy to use.

thank you for your prompt reply. Do you know if you can add the QR code to an Apple wallet? I'm asking as the app asks me to log in every time I open the app, even though the password is saved. So much easier to have the ticket on Apple wallet. Thank you!

Hello, I just purchased the ticket through the app and received a receipt. When I click on my ticket, there's no QR code. It does include the valid dates, my name, and in German
"Germany-wide valid in local transport"
Do you know if it takes a while for the QR code to appear?

never mind, I just had to swipe to get to the QR code

I’m using the MVV. It is so easy to buy with a credit card. Everything is in English. They send a confirmation right away. I took screenshots of the ticket even though I think they want to see it in the app. Save the email from MVV, so you can discontinue the ticket from the email they sent you (or thru a link on their website) by the 10th of the month before you don’t want it anymore.

Thanks! You just taught me where to find the QR code. I forgot that is what they always want to see! Swipe the 3 dots at the bottom of the ticket. My MVV App is always open and I don’t have to log in every time. I close the app but I’m always logged in. Don’t know why you have that problem. You can write to MVV or maybe ask at a station.

I used Mainzer Mobilität and it worked great with a US credit card. Canceled right away and now have a month’s worth of travel for €49! Thx for the tip.

have also had the Mo.pla app recommended

Mo.pla is not a carrier, but a reseller. When you read the full-bodied announcements, which are relativised by the small print, you wonder whether they are perhaps the Rail Ninja of the Deutschlandticket.

An often overlooked way to conveniently buy the DT is via Google Wallet on Android phones. Your contractual partner is then Transdev, a French operator of regional transport in Germany. On their own website they only offer payment by direct debiting, but in Google Wallet you can of course use any registered payment method.

Good to know for the future! Glad it’s working good for you! It’s exciting! Keep on traveling!