german train pass

On the DB site, the price is in EURO. Converted to USD at today's exchange would be $453. Add in some credit card friction (5%?) it is $475.

You can also buy in Germany at major train stations.
List at https://www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/services/overview/grp-aidoffices.shtml

Avoid at least 3% of that 5% friction by using a credit card that does not charge for foreign currency transactions.

On the "rail pass website", that is, Rail Europe (is that the site you mean?), the 7 day German twin pass is $674 for two adults. On the DB site, the same pass is 408 euro, about $453. So it looks like you'll save money buying it from DB. But you'll likely pay an additional 3% ($467) to use your credit card for the purchase

If you are using RailEurope, they buy the German pass from the Bahn at a price in Euro. They may add their own profit (unless the Bahn discounts the price to resellers to give them a profit. Eurail does.). RailEurope also has to convert the price in euro to USD. They do this periodically, but not every day. Before Brexit, the USD per euro was higher. The last time they calculated the price in USD might have been before Brexit, when the euro was stronger, so their price in USD would be higher.

This happens all the time. Depending on how the USD/euro exchange rate has changed since RailEurope set the price, the price on the Bahn might be better or worse.

Do some arithmetic to find out whether a rail pass is indeed a good deal. Advance buying of tickets gives tremendous discount with DB and OEBB: for EUR 19 you can cross the whole of Germany on one of those fast IC or ICE trains. Those tickets are only valid for a specific train, but that's hardly a drawback if you know your itinerary.

I agree with Tom, a rail pass is rarely economically justified. I've traveled in that area 9 times since I last bought one in 2000.

With the low price of advance purchase (SparPreis) tickets for long distance (high speed) trains and regional passes (Länder-Tickets) for shorter distances on regional trains, I've always save a lot vs a pass.

And, a German Rail pass is valid to the station in Salzburg, but it won't be valid in the rest of Austria or in France (Alcase).

One correction to what Tom said: Right now for SparPreis tickets purchased before July 31 and used by the end of the year, you can travel completely across Germany starting (91 days before travel) at 19€, but normally those tickets start at 29€ for trips over 250 km. You can get SparPreis tickets starting at 19€ only for trips under 250 km (ex. Munich to Salzburg or Nürnberg).

Lee, you misquoted that price at $674. I think you didn't check the box for traveling together, which is what gives you the Twin discount.

The German 7 days in one month 2 travelers:

RailEurope

1st Class - $678

2nd Class - $504

Eurail.com

1st Class - $660

2nd Class - $490

Bahn.com

1st Class - €550 appx $615 depending on actual exchange

2nd Class - €408 appx $450 depending on actual exchange

If you do buy one, buy direct. Rail Europe & Eurail are both resellers and charge a premium for their service

Whether or not it makes sense depends on where you are planning to go. If you want the flexibility to travel last minute then add up the full fares for each train trip you intend to take - see which is cheaper.

If saving money is the goal and know which trains & dates you plan on traveling and it far enough out then add up the cheapest rate available for your trips

Check ticket prices here

Hi,

Be advised that the Eurail pass price is shown in Euro and Dollar. Your point to point ticket prices are in Euro. How extensive is the traveling going to be in Germany, any zig zag traveling within this one month, or is just regional?

Eurail is not a reseller of passes. They create them. Eurail is a consortium of European railroad formed to package and market European rail passes.

From the Eurail website, "Eurail.com is the official online sales channel for Eurail Passes, based in the Netherlands."

RailEurope is a reseller of Eurail passes. The "official" price of Eurail passes includes a profit margin for the reseller. RailEurope, or other resellers, can accept less margin and sell passes for less than the official price.

Since the German Rail Pass is one of the independents, not managed by Eurail, it's for sale at most staffed train stations in Germany. However, I would not purchase it to be mailed from Germany by DB as some have gotten lost or delayed in the mail (not replaceable) and the shopping cart has also had trouble with names on Twin passes.

If you'll arrive to Germany by train from another country, it would be handy to buy the pass at home before you go and have it in hand, so it can take effect from the border crossing, if you're not otherwise stopping in that station.

When estimating conversion rates, the inter-bank rate isn't available to individuals, so currency converters offer options to see more common ATM and CC rates of +1, 2, or 3%.

The Eurail Regional Pass I ordered on-line from Eurail with the bonus day included states the price in Euro (397 Euro) and the $ price ($ 445) for 11 travel days/ 2 months. Plus, no shipping fee. I go by the price in Euro.

If the order is placed in Europe, you will be hit with a currency exchange fee of up to 3%, even if it is billed in US$.