I want to make point to point train reservations on the D-Bahn website. But I got to the point where we were required to enter information from ID cards. It says that passports cannot be used. Does this mean I cannot purchase these reservations on the internet? Or, how do I proceed?
Are you trying to buy tickets or make only a reservation? These are two separate functions. For what route are you trying to make it? If you can't get it to work, just buy your reservations from an automatic kiosk in Germany. Trains rarely fill up completely, so even without reservations, you should still be able to find a seat.
You have to use a credit (or debit) card as ID, the same card you use to pay for the ticket or reservation. (Unless you are registered with the Bahn, are using direct debit with a German bank, and have an electronic ID card and a card reader attached to your computer.) I looks like you can pay with Paypal, but it doesn't show ID requirements unless you give Paypal payment info, which I am not going to do, since I don't want to buy a ticket. If you are buying a ticket for someone else (presumably they wouldn't have your credit card), it asks for other means of ID, which can be a Bahn Card, EC Card, (their) Credit Card, or ID card (note, passport is not included). If you select ID card, they show national ID cards for 9 European countries, not US. I would expect if you are using Paypal, the ID requirements would be the same.