The German government today decided to introduce the €49 ticket on May 1. It is valid for one month on all local trains and buses nationwide (not on long-distance trains). It will be sold as a subscription, but can be canceled monthly. This makes it attractive for visitors as well.
I assume this comes to you as an electronic ticket for your phone?
Correct, actually it's just a bar code. Availability as paper ticket is still being debated.
Wouldn't it require a German (or EU) bank account with IBAN for payment? Most US visitors won't have this.
Wouldn't it require a German (or EU) bank account with IBAN for payment? Most US visitors won't have this.
No, the previous €9 ticket did not require that. You could buy it with a credit card on the Deutsche Bahn website. See https://www.bahn.de/angebot/regio/deutschland-ticket for more details.
However that was not subscription based. From I have read, transportation subscriptions in Germany are bank debit payment, unless they make an exception for this one. I understand things are not all set yet, so far there is no indication it will be an exception.
You will get one just like you can buy a yearly Bahn card, which lots of people do to get 25 or 50% off their trains if they were going to travel around Germany a lot. You pay for it online with your credit card or even PayPal. You just need to cancel it ahead of time or it will automatically renew.
I paid for my last Bahn card with PayPal. They were running a special, so I got one.