Credit cards at self-service machine for train

I've been both successful and unsuccessful without a pin when using credit cards. Hard to say.

USE the APP if you can for all those tickets.

No validation needed for the Bayern Tickets. Enter names properly in ink as required, carry ID (passport.) The Bayern ticket can be bought at any ticket machine anywhere in the country, including MUC airport ticket machines.

A "Group all-day Ticket" from the MVV is not specific to the S-Bahn. It can be used with the S-Bahn as well as the other tram, bus, U-Bahn equipment. It is not hour-specific and does not go void after X number of minutes if bought for all day, so it probably has the date on it already for validation purposes. You probably don't need to validate it, but I am not 100% sure.

You can always use cash. I like to get €200 or so from an ATM upon arrival. AT the ticket machines it's good to have a variety of bills and change on hand. IME the machines return just coins but aren't always able to handle purchases that require the return of numerous coins. A €20.50 ticket, paid for with two €20 bills, might be denied, for example.

Using the app is seamless! Best to set it up beforehand (even today) and play around with it. Whether you use the app or the on-site self service kiosk you’re essentially in self service mode. With the app there is no searching for the kiosk, no lines, it’s touch-less and a time saver. I was able to purchase my train tickets after the aircraft landed while taxiing to the gate.

I can’t speak for ticket validation in Germany since my last ticked there was a 30 day (month specific) unlimited rides special. In Italy last month the app indicated when or if my ticket needed to be validated or activated.

We were in Germany last year. We had trouble with the machines and our credit card, without a pin #. We switched to the app and the app worked every time.If using cash, the machines don't like giving a lot of change. So if the ticket you are purchasing is under 5 euros, the machine most likely will kick back a 20 euro note. So use the DB Navigator app, and you will be well served. Have a great trip!

If the machines have been updated to tap (as opposed to inserting the card) then you should be fine, if you have to insert, then it will be hit or miss whether a PIN is needed. Even with Tap, you probably want to keep the total to below 50 EUR. As others said, if you will have a phone with data, the app is probably the best way to go.

Hmmm. I have never been asked for a pin # on a credit card usage, only a debit card. is this something new recently?

Yes there are several vending machines as you exit the terminal, be aware that not only might you have credit card issues, there are also an awful lot of choices. Not all clearly defined or explained. I used I believe my Schwab debit card and probably had to input my PIN. This is yet another reason to travel with a cluster of different cards from different banks, since YMMV.

For reference, I took the train from Salzburg to Munich and then the S Bahn to the airport all on a Bayern Ticket. They checked it on the train obviously, but not on the S Bahn. I then rode the S Bahn and U Bahn around Munich for a day on a day ticket and it was never checked. I'm not advising you not to get one, however.

Long before credit cards were chip enabled using a PIN for machine purchases was often required. We have moved past the days of asking the credit card companies to assign a PIN number. There are so many other methods to use that it is almost but not yet extinct - meaning rarely an issue.

Thank you for the replies. I'll definitely get the app. It seems from all the reading I've been doing that it is the best option for getting fares paid etc without as many card issues. We have 4 people...2 will have smartphones. The kids' will have to be covered by tickets on our devices since they don't have phones that would work in Europe.

It looks like the group all day ticket will work best for us for arrival day since we'll just be into the city from the airport and then around in Munich that day. We might be able to get away with just one trip into town and walk but I like to have flexibility since we have food allergies to work around. The ability to get to different areas of town to find safe food is handy.

The validation seemed straight-forward for the paper ticket but I wasn't sure how it works with the app. Hopefully it'll become obvious as we play around with it.

I'm not advising you not to get one, however.

LOL. I personally would never interpret the "I didn't get checked" as an invitation to not have a ticket or proper validation. We do try to follow the norms of where we are as much as we can. :-)

Thanks again for the information. It's always great to hear feedback from people who have actually tried this...both successfully and not so successfully!

In June of this year in German train stations, (Berlin, Hildesheim, Ingolstadt, Nuremberg, Munich, Karlsruhe, ) but not in France, I came across DB machines asking for a PIN when paying with a credit card.

Since I negligently had NOT ordered the PIN when originally taking out the credit cards, I had to go another DB machine , ie one equipped with the "tap" function or pay in cash. (Of course, that contributed to draining out my cash, which at any rate I did not bring enough of.) I don't use the app.

No such problem in France.

Hmmm. I have never been asked for a pin # on a credit card usage, only a debit card. is this something new recently?

No, in Europe, a PIN associated with your credit card for validation has long been the standard, the oft mentioned Chip and Pin card. The US never really caught on to this, they felt it was too complicated for most Americans. Without a PIN, a restaurant or store will simply print out a slip for you to sign, it has been the unmanned machines and kiosks that always vexed travelers (Ticket machine, Toll plaza, Gas pump) without a PIN.

However, with the rise of Tap to Pay (Contactless Pay), this has pretty much negated the need for PIN in Europe for many transactions, as long as you keep it to around 50 EUR or less with a card (more in the UK, more with some phone pay systems).

With nearly all US cards, you can get a PIN for cash withdrawals at an ATM, but not for purchases. I happen to have a card that has a PIN for purchases, and PIN priority, I get asked to put in my PIN in Europe for higher amounts (Hotel, occasional meal)

There may still be a staffed ticket desk at the airport where you can buy train tickets. Look for Deutsche Bahn Travel Center.

Here's another vote for downloading the DB Navigator app. Not only is it much easier to purchase apps, but once you set up an account, it will give you push notifications of train delays, track changes and so on. Once you're on, you just show the QR code to the conductor.

And it's also handy if you're running late without a ticket. I once got to a train station and didn't have time to buy a ticket, so I just jumped on board and then used the train's wifi to purchase one using the app. I think you have 10 minutes or so to do this after the train starts.

Without a PIN, a restaurant or store will simply print out a slip for
you to sign, it has been the unmanned machines and kiosks that always
vexed travelers (Ticket machine, Toll plaza, Gas pump) without a PIN.

And that is going the way of the Dodo fast too. My Swiss CCs don't even have a signature on them anymore. I am not supposed to ever sign a slip (and haven't in years). I think that more and more Americans will run in to issues, as restaurant and shop staff will be confused by the need for a signature, as they will not have personal experience with that themselves.

So the US will eventually have to default to giving everyone a PIN for each card.

Last June, we just tapped at the kiosk in Kelsterbach by Frankfurt Airport. No PIN was needed.

I think that more and more Americans will run in to issues, as restaurant and shop staff will be confused by the need for a signature, as they will not have personal experience with that themselves.

My wife ran into that in the UK some 5 years ago, she used her old chip and signature card, and none of the young people working knew what to do. They had to call a manager, who pulled out a different terminal, inserted the card, and a slip printed out. Countries in Europe are also the only ones that check the back of the card for a signature and compare to the slip, this rarely, really never, happens in the US. Probably half my cards are not even signed on back, or have worn off.

Great. Sounds like tap to pay will work but we'll need to figure out a PIN for other situations.

So the US will eventually have to default to giving everyone a PIN for each card.

That would be nice but I'm skeptical unfortunately. We'll probably have access from some places but large scale changes are difficult. We are going to tap to pay and mobile wallets, although I dislike the latter. I'm not sure the percentage of people who travel abroad from the US is but it's quite low in my local area. And those that do mostly take one trip that is not close (Caribbean, Mexico). I wish we could just get a PIN but our banks don't do that. And the US still uses Fahrenheit for temperature so conforming to the rest of the universe isn't automatic.

Your CC company should be able to send you a PIN. I have PINs for the cards I take on vacation, but have never needed to use them.