Has anyone used the new Deutschlandticket?
I will be in Germany in October and the Euro 49 cost for a month of unlimited public transportation (bus, tram, S & U Bahn) using the Deutschlandticket is about what I will spend on single trip and day tickets during my travels. Local and Regional trains are also included, so what I am still investigating is whether my pass will cover some or all of the fare for RB and RJX trains. I know ICE trains are not included.
The D-Ticket covers RB as well as all other regional trains around the entire country.
RE, IRE, VIA, BRB, and dozens of other designations are applied to regional trains.
RJ and RJX trains are NOT regional. They belong to the long-distance category along with ICE, EC, IC and thus are NOT covered by the D-Ticket.
Russ,
Thank you. Your reply was most helpful. Even though this won't do much for my train travel, it will cut my local tranisit costs nealy in half.
James
Remember to cancel your subscription on time.
VIA, BRB, and dozens of other designations are applied to regional trains.
You can forget about the shortcuts of all these carriers. According to the new line scheme, the only important thing for you is that immediately before the line number there is either a RB or a RE prefix. RB's ("Regionalbahn") are milk run trains, RE's ("Regionalexpress") are up to a third faster. Any other train classes are off limits.
Illustrated on the basis of a connection Nürnberg-Augburg:
RE16 - direct connection with a RE (via Treuchtlingen).
RE1 plus BRB RB13 - connection via Ingolstadt. Change in Ingolstadt from RE to a slower RB.
The additional prefix BRB indicates that the train is not operated by DB but by the Bayerische Regionbahn (a subsidiary of French Transdev) . But this has no influence on the validity of the Deutschlandsticket.
The Deutschlandticket is intended for German residents and most people who sell it require a German bank account. According to Seat61 the only provider accessible overseas is the city transport department of Bremen (VBN) and I suspect they may shut them down if it gets too popular.
Philip,
Thanks for the info. I have yet to purchase my ticket and will see if I can get it.
Tried to purchase my Desutchlandticket...failed.
On the DB site you must enter an IBAN (International Banking Account Number) for a bank draft. Of course, the US does not participate in IBAN, so no direct way to get this ticket. It appears that any country participating in IBAN can get this ticket, not just Germany.
From www.seat61.com.
Don't bother trying to use the German Railways (DB) website www.bahn.com to buy a Deutschland ticket as it only accepts payment by direct debit and setting up a direct debit with a non-German bank account results in an error message.
The easiest way for foreign visitors to buy a Deutschland ticket is to buy from Bremen area transit authority VBN using their FahrPlaner app because (a) it accepts payment by credit card, (b) it's in English, and (c) it has no problem with overseas users, overseas addresses or UK postcodes.
Step 1, download the FahrPlaner app for iPhone or MFahrPlaner app for Android (please let me know if those links stop working).
Step 2, the app should open in English. Click the menu icon top left and go to Tickets. Then select Deutschlandticket.
Step 3, click the red PROCEED TO LOGIN button at the bottom. Then click Sign up for free and register, it lists most countries including United Kingdom and United States and has no problem with UK postcodes.
Step 4, select Credit Card and buy your Deutschland ticket.
This is a rolling subscription which you can cancel at any time.
You show the Deutschland Ticket as a QR code in the app on your phone. Easy!
If you only want one Deutschland ticket for one month, buy it before the 10th of the month then cancel your subscription also before the 10th of the month. That prevents payment being taken for the following month.
To cancel the subscription, you must open the order confirmation email they sent you when you bought it and click on the cancellation link. You cannot cancel your subscription from the app.
If you have children, you'll need to use the RMVgo app instead, see the paragraph about children above.
This very comprehensive thread about the Deutschlandticket has fallen off the front page but still is brimming with really good and updated information about how to buy, use, and cancel the subscription. Have a read.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/the-49-ticket-is-coming
@Nigel. That thread became so big and unwieldy that I found it less than helpful. I fully understand why people start new threads.
