49€ Ticket to come and worry about slashing rail services

[U-Bahnfreund]

Thank you.
I am sure to cancel it will be easy.
Is the DeutschlandTicketApp a separate app to DB for this ticket?

There are thousands of apps you can use to buy it, you could even buy it from the Harz Steam Railway. It's also available in DB's Navigator app.

 

[dutchflyer]

Just read that DB will give out its bahnbonus points every month on it-or as long as they realise its not ¨Fern´verkehr?! IF you start this program you can get 250+250 (if willing to give @mail for ads/promotions) free points and for 1000 you can get a free ´Sparpreis´ long-dist. or Landesticket (the latter is of course superfluous for holders-2 of these cost more as 1 month subscription). DB does accept foreign IBAN in SEPA (as I have used myself also for some other thing some time ago). I understand that GB is still in this system too. This Harz steam promises a free return on the Brocken (the portion out of the validity of this pass) to subscribers with them.
As I just happen to be in HH=Hamburg right now: enormous Qs for the offices, many extra helpers and it also seems most local transport-Verbünde give out some extra freebees to entice people to subscribe with them. Here in HH its for just 15€/month extra one can also take a partner on all weekends-but only IN the HVV-area.
The major thing for those not used to how these utter burocratic things work in DE=Germany; do NOT forget to un//subscribe actively before the 10th of the month to start with the next month. And it can only start/stop on the 1st of every month. But hitherto for normal such subscriptions one also had to persist for at least 1 full year-that is not now needed. And with shrewd preplanning it should indeed be very well possible for a tourist to get hold of it.

 

[rvdborgt]

Just read that DB will give out its bahnbonus points every month on it-or as long as they realise its not ¨Fern´verkehr?!

DB bonus points were and are not limited to long distance tickets.

 

[SeanG]

Is this ticket valid on the Harz railway system? I seem to remember that the 9 euro ticket last year was

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Yeah it is, apart from the section Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken. If you buy the ticket from them though, you get a voucher for one free journey to Brocken. https://www.hsb-wr.de/deutschlandticket/

 

[SeanG]

Yeah it is, apart from the section Drei Annen Hohne - Brocken. If you buy the ticket from them though, you get a voucher for one free journey to Brocken. https://www.hsb-wr.de/deutschlandticket/

Oh smashing thanks for that tip. Pays for itself in one journey more or less. Will just have to get the rest of the trip sorted now....

 

[Re 4/4]

Nach Abo-Abschluss erhalten Sie postalisch einen Gutschein für eine einfache Brockenfahrt zugeschickt

I read that as single ticket to Brocken, not return, so you may end up paying for another single to get down again.

The voucher is also sent in the post so you presumably can't get the ticket online on the day and then immediately use the voucher too.

 

[Seehof]

Has anybody bought this ticket yet? Is there any site especially recommendable and easy to use. I hope to be in southern Germany next month. Thanks

 

[Seehof]

Forgive my ignorance. If you buy a Deutschlandticket (because you are just going for a week’s holiday) you need to cancel by the 10th of that month in order that you are not paying for the following month. But do you have to do that every month following or is your account “suspended” and you can forget about it until you want another one even if that could be a year away? I guess the DB official site is the best one to use. Thank you.

 

[island]

Has anybody bought this ticket yet? Is there any site especially recommendable and easy to use. I hope to be in southern Germany next month. Thanks

I was considering it for a 4 day trip next month but I can't seem to get to the bottom of the rules regarding validity on DB (I know it's not valid on ICE/IC but other shorter trains it's unclear), or the bureaucratic tangle of how to cancel it.

 

[rvdborgt]

I was considering it for a 4 day trip next month but I can't seem to get to the bottom of the rules regarding validity on DB (I know it's not valid on ICE/IC but other shorter trains it's unclear),

What do you mean by "shorter trains"? It's valid in all regional and local trains.

 

[island]

The conditions say it's not valid on RE trains operated by DB Fernverkehr.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The conditions say it's not valid on RE trains operated by DB Fernverkehr.

The DB web site will tell you the name of the operator on its journey planner (under details for each train).
Most of the DB ones I have found are operated by DB Regio of the particular region.

 

[rvdborgt]

The conditions say it's not valid on RE trains operated by DB Fernverkehr.

Right, those are the ICs that double up as REs. Negotiations are still going on according to DB. There's not a lot of them.

 

[Flying Snail]

The conditions say it's not valid on RE trains operated by DB Fernverkehr.

There is only a few of these and AFAIK they all have a dual ID number; one IC and one RE. They are essentially IC trains that take local tickets on part of their route.

 

[Watershed]

There is only a few of these and AFAIK they all have a dual ID number; one IC and one RE. They are essentially IC trains that take local tickets on part of their route.

However, in several cases they form a key part of the service on the route. It would thus be highly inconvenient (not to mention inconsistent) if you couldn't use them with one particular "regional transport only" ticket, but could with others (e.g. Länder-Tickets).

 

[Flying Snail]

However, in several cases they form a key part of the service on the route. It would thus be highly inconvenient (not to mention inconsistent) if you couldn't use them with one particular "regional transport only" ticket, but could with others (e.g. Länder-Tickets).

Indeed. I am sure those who use those lines regularly won't be happy at all unless they are included in the €49 ticket, justifiably so.

I was more pointing out they are listed differently so easy for someone unfamiliar to avoid, not to mention they are all IC train sets in DB white+red stripe.

 

[Triddle]

There is only a few of these and AFAIK they all have a dual ID number; one IC and one RE. They are essentially IC trains that take local tickets on part of their route.

Indeed. When you're looking at the route planner (eg bahn.com), if the same train (same timing, same calling points) is listed as both an RE and an IC then you have one of those elusive combi-trains that are best avoided if travelling on a Deutschlandticket. And if you forget to check, then:

they are all IC train sets in DB white+red stripe.

so you can easily spot them on the platform.

And as regards the cancelling the subscription, AIUI, if you buy a Deutschlandticket after the tenth of the month for that same month then you're signed up to at least 2 months worth, because you can't cancel the second month in time.

However, a bus company in Sachsen Anhalt allows you to pause the subscription right up to 24h before the end of the month (ie the penultimate day).

I haven't found any other source for the Deutschlandticket that allows this, and I wouldn't be surprised if some busybody or other doesn't drag the bus company to court for some stupid reason, but in the meantime, you can use it on your phone or laptop, or even print out a piece of paper (presumably with a QR-type code printed on it?). https://www.mopla.solutions/de/tickets/deutschlandticket

Edit to add: you can pay by credit card (worth trying whether it works with a debit card) or SEPA (like a direct debit) from a bank account (will this work with a UK bank account, even though we have IBANs attached to our accounts?)

 

[rvdborgt]

Edit to add: you can pay by credit card (worth trying whether it works with a debit card) or SEPA (like a direct debit) from a bank account (will this work with a UK bank account, even though we have IBANs attached to our accounts?)

IIRC the UK is still in SEPA, which means, again IIRC, that a UK IBAN must be accepted, as long as the bank accepts SEPA direct debit.

 

[johncrossley]

IIRC the UK is still in SEPA, which means, again IIRC, that a UK IBAN must be accepted, as long as the bank accepts SEPA direct debit.

IBANs from any country should be accepted but some organisations (wrongly) discriminate against IBANs from other countries and only process direct debits from IBANs from the same country. At least one bank offers IBANs from other countries to avoid such discrimination.

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Would anyone see a problem with using single-use debit cards, so as to avoid auto renewal?

 

[duesselmartin]

Would anyone see a problem with using single-use debit cards, so as to avoid auto renewal?

yes I would as you are contractual obliged to pay. You might get a bill with extra charges ect in the end.
There is also the possibility of a fraud case.
Make sure you follow the proper procedure and even if you pay for a month more than needed, so be it. It is still good value.

 

[supervalkoinen]

Can anyone say if it's possible to buy these in advance?

Specifically, using a DB credit voucher which expires in June towards the cost of a July card?

 

[Watershed]

yes I would as you are contractual obliged to pay. You might get a bill with extra charges ect in the end.
There is also the possibility of a fraud case.
Make sure you follow the proper procedure and even if you pay for a month more than needed, so be it. It is still good value.

I doubt that any sort of bill or fraud case would go anywhere as a foreign visitor with no German address. Many foreign users of the ticket will only be using it for a few days within the month's validity and so needing to pay for two months may tip the balance into it not being worth it anymore. Particularly so if they are travelling in a group and can thus use the exceptional value group versions of the Länder or Quer-durchs-Land Tickets.

 

[duesselmartin]

even if they don't bother going to the UK for it. It is still fraud FULL STOP
Apart from that a negative credit score will prevent you getting similar contractual offers in the future.

Alternative tickets will be availaible if you feel that your expenses are below €98 Euros

 

[Watershed]

even if they don't bother going to the UK for it. It is still fraud FULL STOP
Apart from that a negative credit score will prevent you getting similar contractual offers in the future.

Alternative tickets will be availaible if you feel that your expenses are below €98 Euros

Perhaps the definition of fraud is different in Germany, but there's no way it would be fraud in the UK. It sounds rather alarmist to me and I also don't see how it has anything to do with a credit score.

Anyway, coming back to the matter at hand, clearly it's best to use a retailer that is more flexible and allows you to cancel your subscription as late as possible.

Only Germany could come up with such a good offer and then ruin it with silly red tape!

 

[Austriantrain]

Perhaps the definition of fraud is different in Germany, but there's no way it would be fraud in the UK. It sounds rather alarmist to me and I also don't see how it has anything to do with a credit score.

Anyway, coming back to the matter at hand, clearly it's best to use a retailer that is more flexible and allows you to cancel your subscription as late as possible.

Only Germany could come up with such a good offer and then ruin it with silly red tape!

How is it red tape to have a real bargain offer that you can cancel monthly? Not something I can relate to. Sounds like a very first-world problem.

And in case that you didn’t notice: the 49 €-ticket is meant for people living in Germany - and paid by them through taxes. If tourists benefit, that is ancillary, but honestly nothing anyone living in Germany should and will care about.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

Well, it's a season ticket for commuters, funded by German taxpayers. Making it convenient for tourists is not part of the goal. I guess for residents too, the idea is to create permanent change in travelling habits, not that people buy it for one big trip and then go back to driving everywhere afterwards. Yes, it's dissapointing after the convenience of the €9 offer, but it was always clear that that was a kind of giveaway and not a long term solution.

By comparison, the Austrian KlimaTicket must be purchased for at least 6 months, bringing the minimum outlay to about €500.

 

[Feuillesmortes]

And in case that you didn’t notice: the 49 €-ticket is meant for people living in Germany - and paid by them through taxes. If tourists benefit, that is ancillary

Are these the same tourists who have to pay a 7% hotel tax on top of 19% VAT for the privilege of staying in the likes of Dortmund?

 

[AdamWW]

By comparison, the Austrian KlimaTicket must be purchased for at least 6 months, bringing the minimum outlay to about €500.

Indeed.

Yes, it's dissapointing after the convenience of the €9 offer, but it was always clear that that was a kind of giveaway and not a long term solution.

There might be a bit more space on trains anyway.