Deutsche Bahn pricing system

This article deals with the price system of Deutsche Bahn AG, which has been in effect since December 12, 2004, and has been updated selectively.

In the current price system of Deutsche Bahn, the normal prices are not in a fixed ratio to the distance, but are set as "relation prices " for the respective connection, depending on demand. Shorter ways are relatively more expensive than longer ones.

Since the revision of the new price system, there has been a BahnCard subscription with a 50 percent discount in addition to the BahnCard subscription with a 25 percent discount since August 2003 . There are also saver prices that are only valid with advance booking and a specific train connection . BahnCard 25 and BahnCard 50 can be combined with saver prices and allow additional discounts.

history

Deutsche Bahn ticket machine

Since the merging of the railways of the two German states to form a national company, the price system has been based on a systemic overall calculation of the rail network. After the renaming of the special fund Deutsche Bundesbahn to Deutsche Bahn AG on January 1, 1994, the previous price system, which was based mainly on tariff kilometers (including a fixed surcharge for the use of IC trains ) and only knew relative prices for the ICE trains , initially taken over.

At the end of 2001, a fare of DM 3.00 per 10 km became 1.60 euros during the 2002 euro changeover , which was subjectively perceived as a price increase. On December 15, 2002, a new price system came into force, accompanied by severe criticism. According to Deutsche Bahn, up until then marketing and sales costs accounted for 23 percent of sales. A route from Karlsruhe to Darmstadt in the InterCity will cost 95 percent more after the changeover. Furthermore, long-distance fares have been reduced by up to 25 percent. In the range up to 180 km, there were price increases of up to ten percent, a maximum of 3.40 euros in the ICE. The prices of season tickets have remained unchanged. Regional traffic was not affected by the new price system.

With the reform, the company changed its predominantly linear distance tariffs to a route and product-related tariff system. An early bird discount (“Plan & Spar”) of 10, 25 or 40 percent replaced the previous special offers in long-distance transport. Up to four passengers received an additional 50 percent discount, children up to 14 years of age (previously 6) could travel free of charge. The previous BahnCard, which offered a 50 percent discount, was replaced by a cheaper card with the same name, but only 25 percent discount. At the same time, normal prices (basic prices) were reduced by an average of 12 percent, at the top by 25 percent. The validity of long-distance tickets has been reduced from one month to two days (normal price).

The company was essentially pursuing three goals:

The strong fluctuations in demand (especially the peaks in weekend traffic) should be balanced out by targeted control of the supply. According to Deutsche Bahn, depending on the expected capacity utilization of the train, between 10 and 90 percent of the seats were given with early bird discounts.
The early bird discounts were intended to make long-distance rail travel more attractive for travelers without a BahnCard.
The variety of offers, which has become confusing, should be reduced to a manageable, easily understandable level. According to the company, around 35 previous special offers were abolished in the course of the price reform.

In the following months, sales and passenger numbers in long-distance transport fell by around ten percent. The main point of criticism was the need to book the trips in advance for a low fare. This reduced the flexibility in the selection of travel routes and times; customer perception did not see prices drop enough to compensate for this disadvantage. On August 1, 2003, after massive protests, the DB improved parts of its tariff system and reintroduced the old BahnCard under the name BahnCard 50 . In addition, the advance booking process has been simplified, which still allows discounts of up to 50 percent of the regular fare even without a BahnCard 50.

The railway justifies the introduction of the new price system, among other things, with the increasing competitive pressure of the low-cost airlines , which by 2002 had already achieved a market share of around ten percent on some routes. With discounts of up to 70 percent, early bookers should be rewarded with special price advantages while at the same time managing occupancy. Hartmut Mehdorn , then Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn AG , saw the main reason for the failure of the new system in its original form as the "buzzing" of organizations such as Stiftung Warentest and Pro Bahn , who had demanded low prices with full flexibility.

According to information provided by DB AG in 2006, the price level for long-distance transport at the time the timetable changed in December 2006, compared with 1994, was roughly the same as in the old federal states during the same period. Up until the price reform in December 2002, the price level for long-distance transport was slightly above the inflation rate (reference year 1994: 100 each; 2002: 114 to 112%) and had been reduced to the 1994 level with the new price system (long-distance transport at the end of 2002: 100 , Price index of living: 112). The new price system was called Price and Revenue Management Passenger Transport ( PEP ) by Deutsche Bahn .

According to its own information (as of October 2009), the company sells around 90 percent of long-distance tickets and more than 80 percent of local transport tickets at discounted prices.

In September 2019 it was announced that the sales tax on long-distance train tickets (50 kilometers or more) would drop from 19 to 7 percent from 2020. A price reduction of around 10% was expected. The lowering was decided on November 15, together with the Climate Protection Act, at federal level in the Bundestag, and will take effect on January 1, 2020 after negotiations and approval by the Bundesrat. DB passed this policy change on to its customers in the form of a price reduction, the usual price increase did not materialize and long-distance journeys became around 10 percent cheaper. The Bahncard 100 was also cheaper at the beginning of 2020, the Bahncard 25 and 50 on February 1st. Local transport tickets were previously taxed at a 7% discount.

Buying tickets

Deutsche Bahn tickets can be purchased in various ways, for example:

At the Deutsche Bahn ticket office
At Deutsche Bahn ticket machines
In DB service stores
By telephone on the DB service number
In the long-distance train with the crew
Sometimes on local trains at machines or by staff
In travel agencies with a DB license
On the Internet with a web browser, see online ticket at Deutsche Bahn
- for printing on paper
- or, as an exception, for screen display with a PDF display program,
- for display on an MMS-enabled mobile phone (since mid-2010), see mobile ticket from Deutsche Bahn
On the Internet with an application for mobile devices with the Android or iOS operating system

Since the beginning of 2016, it has only been possible to purchase tickets on the move, for which the City + option can also be used, via Android or iOS, since tickets can no longer be purchased via the mobile web portal m.bahn.de since the end of 2015. The rail portal "My question - your answer" lists a number of customer inquiries and refers to an online form for inquiries about the mobile services, where only operating system versions from 2012 are listed. B. Symbian, Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Phone 7. On local trains of product class C (IRE, RE, RB and S-Bahn) boarding is usually only permitted with a valid ticket, sale by train attendants is usually only possible on long-distance trains ( IC / EC and ICE) possible, on night trains ( EuroNight and Nightjet ) tickets are also sold by the train attendants, but these trains require a reservation, a ride when buying the ticket and making a reservation with the train attendants is only possible if there are free seats on the train are. In general, tickets are also sold in DB service stores, but with the exception of DB service stores, if these are located in areas that require tickets, such as on the platforms of the Hamburg S-Bahn, tickets cannot be purchased. Due to insufficient passenger numbers and the risk of vandalism, there are no ticket machines or ticket counters at the stations of many branch lines in Germany, so it is possible to buy tickets at the mobile ticket machines on the trains.

Long-distance and local transport

The price system of Deutsche Bahn AG distinguishes between three product classes:

ICE product class: (formerly product class A)
ICE , ICE Sprinter , TGV , Railjet , ECE
(also the Cisalpino , which has not been operating in Germany since December 10, 2006, belonged to the ICE product class; since March 2012, the Thalys are no longer included in the ICE product class, since As of June 9, 2013, Thalys tickets will no longer be sold in the travel centers .)
Product class IC / EC: (formerly product class B)
IC , EC , D , EN , NJ
Product class C: IRE , RE , RB , S (The corresponding tickets are also valid for a number of private local transport providers such as the metronome , etc.)

For each of these product classes there is a different method for calculating the flex price , on which various discounts may then be granted. Flex prices are always rounded to a full 10 cents, and the flex price is capped for fixed amounts (see table in the section on flex prices for long-distance transport).

Long-distance tariffs (ICE or IC / EC)

Relationship prices apply to journeys on long-distance trains, i.e. a price has been set for each connection between two long-distance tariff points. In principle, this price depends on the distance, but is also influenced by the comfort of the route (route speed, travel time). The distance Cologne – Frankfurt via the high-speed line Cologne – Rhine / Main is significantly less than via the left-hand Rhine route , but the tariff for the new line is significantly higher because the ICE there is only half as fast with a speed of up to 300 km / h the travel time required.

The tariff system that was valid until then has been standardized since June 2007. Previously, the so-called "kick-off tariffing" applied to ICE traffic (the B or C price was triggered depending on the distance to or from a specific, priced ICE route), now there are uniform and long-distance traffic for the ICE and IC / EC product classes tariff fixed relations, which are priced according to the highest product class used.

The long-distance traffic network is structured by so-called “price points”, between which there are fixed “long-distance traffic areas” that are based on the train timetable. Unlike in the past, with flex prices it is not only possible to use direct, but also other routes to the destination for certain routes. This was not possible in the previous ICE relationship pricing system. The "route information" on the tickets have also changed.

The route regulations for the route Munich → Berlin with ICE use between Stuttgart and Berlin until June 2007 were: VIA: A * UL * (ICE: S * GOE * MD * BWA) , but since June 2007 VIA: (KA * H / FD * HI) This enables the use of all trains in the Munich - (Karlsruhe - Hanover / Fulda - Hildesheim) area. If the departure and destination stations are themselves price points, they do not appear in the route information. Otherwise, for ICE and IC / EC tickets, the price points are specified in the route information (e.g. the route information for the Friedrichshafen Stadt - Freyung route is then: VIA: Aulendorf * UL * (S / A) * PLAT * Passau ). Distances up to and from the "price points" are calculated depending on the distance and always for the shortest route and triggered at the specified respective relation price (in principle as with the earlier ICE tickets); Detours are possible in the pre-carriage and post-carriage free of charge.

Changes since 2012

Since 2012, the price points are no longer written out in the route information, but are listed in the first and last position of the route regulation as a routing point abbreviation (in the above example new: AUL * UL * (S / A) * PLATT * PA ) The price points are now also with an abbreviation if the departure or destination tariff point of the ticket are themselves price points.

IC / EC tariffs

The tariff for the IC / EC product class depends on the distance (in tariff kilometers ) between start and finish. Since the tariff reform in December 2002, however, the price no longer increased linearly with distance (at that time 14 cents per kilometer plus 3.60 euros IC / EC surcharge, this surcharge has since been abolished), but included a degression in distance . At a distance of 650 kilometers, the price was 30 percent below that of the linear increase. Since June 2007 the previous IC / EC tariff has been incorporated into the relationship pricing system (see above).

The IC / EC tariff is also the required tariff for using night trains in domestic and cross-border traffic. To use night trains, there is either the option of purchasing a ticket at the flex price of the IC / EC tariff and a reservation, or purchasing a permanent special or European special ticket plus the reservation. After the dissolution of the City Night Line , since the timetable change in December 2016, only foreign night trains have been running in Germany such as the ÖBB Nightjet and night trains operated as EuroNight , which can, however, also be used for journeys within Germany . Mostly sleeping cars , couchette cars and seats in compartment cars with six seats each are offered, which, however, also require a reservation, a reservation currently costs € 4.00 for all trains in German and cross-border long-distance traffic.

Local transport

The tariff for product class C is also directly dependent on the distance, here too the price increase weakens with increasing distance. A side effect is that the price difference to product classes A and B increases with increasing distance, while it was constant until 2002. For the calculation of tariff distances in local traffic and the "room restrictions" that are only valid in local traffic, which differ from those for long-distance traffic, the DB publishes the so-called "distance indicator" (tariff directory 603) on CD-ROM. There is no comparable tariff for long-distance transport.

Numerous local transport routes have been put out to tender by the federal states in recent years and are now operated by private railway companies. As a rule, this has no influence on the fare, as tenders often demand acceptance of the DB tariff.

As a result of the ever-increasing number of transport associations, including the railways, and the realignment of local transport (order and pay for countries), tickets for the DB local transport tariff are now only available where there are no transport associations or the border between two associations is crossed - provided , only local transport products ( Regional-Express , Regionalbahn , S-Bahn , Interregio-Express and, at times, Stadt-Express ) are used.

Free travel for the severely disabled applies mostly exclusively to local transport products , which allows the nationwide use of corresponding trains as well as trams, S- / U-Bahns and buses for a flat fee of € 80.00 per year. For this purpose, a token / supplement to the severely handicapped ID must be purchased from the responsible pension office .

At the end of 2016, distance-dependent price jumps were abolished and replaced by a stepless increase.

In addition to all valid tickets, platform tickets are also offered for sale at the ticket machines of the Hamburg S-Bahn . These cost 0.30 euros and are valid for one hour in the respective S-Bahn station from the time of purchase. Since entering the platforms of the Hamburg S-Bahn is only permitted with a valid ticket or platform ticket, people without a ticket have the option of staying for one hour at the station with a valid platform ticket.

future

The local transport tariff of Deutsche Bahn is to be continued in the future in a non-competitive manner by the Deutschlandtarifverbund GmbH. In February 2020, around 50 representatives from transport companies and public authorities signed a declaration of intent to found the Deutschlandtarifverbund. Public transport authorities and transport companies become shareholders in the company, which is to be founded in mid-2020. The company has the task of designing and further developing the nationwide transport tariff in local transport. Among other things, the distribution of income between those involved is to be reorganized.

Combination of product classes

The ticket is always issued for the highest product class used (ICE, IC / EC or C). As soon as a section is covered in the ICE, the entire route is sold at the ICE price. If a section is covered in IC, EC, D, EN, but no ICE is used on the entire route, the entire route is tariffed in the IC / EC product class.

Discounts

children

Children under six travel free and a ticket is not required. If seats are to be reserved in the children's compartment, children must be specified.

Children between the ages of six and 14 years travel free when accompanied by their parents or grandparents. Alone or accompanied by other people, 50 percent of the flex or saver price must be paid.

According to the company, 35 million children travel free of charge with Deutsche Bahn every year. Since the timetable change in December 2013, children are no longer taken into account when calculating the saver price quotas.

BahnCard

Since August 2003 there have been three different BahnCard subscriptions: BahnCard 25 , BahnCard 50 and Mobility BahnCard 100 (also without subscription), each with versions for first and second class. Since August 2015, there have also been offers for young people between the ages of six and 26 who receive discounted BahnCards ( My BahnCard 25 and My BahnCard 50 ). The term of the Bahncards obtained by subscription is extended by one year if the subscription is not canceled at least six weeks before the Bahncard expires. For young people up to the age of 19 there is also the Youth BahnCard 25 , which is excluded from the subscription regulations.

BahnCard 25: With the BahnCard 25, which was launched in December 2002, customers receive a 25 percent discount on the flex price. It can also be combined with all saver prices and, if applicable, with the passenger discount. The BahnCard 25 costs 62 euros for 2nd class (1st class 125 euros). A reduction is granted for people aged 60 and over and severely disabled people with a degree of disability of at least 70 percent (41 euros in 2nd and 81 euros in 1st class, as of August 2017).
Youth BahnCard 25: Since December 2005, Deutsche Bahn has also had the Youth BahnCard 25 . It costs 10 euros once and is valid until the age of 19. However, the respective BahnCard is limited to five years, but no longer than the last day of validity, and will then be exchanged. The Jugend BahnCard 25 was red and is also highlighted in green today and is the only BahnCard that is only issued in one version that includes both 1st class and 2nd class.
BahnCard 50: With the "old" BahnCard 50 there is a 50 percent discount on the normal fare. Since August 2016, a discount has also been granted on the saver fare for long-distance transport (ICE and IC / EC), but only in the amount of 25 percent. The BahnCard 50 costs 255 euros for 2nd class (1st class: 515 euros). The reduced price is 127 euros in the second and 252 euros in the first class and applies, among other things, to seniors from 60 years of age and severely disabled people from a degree of disability of 70. (Price as of August 2017)

My BahnCard 25 and My BahnCard 50

With the My BahnCard 25 and the My BahnCard50 , special offers for young people from 6 to 26 years of age were introduced in August 2015. They replace the offer, which was then only valid for students under the age of 27, to receive a discounted BahnCard 25 or BahnCard 50 . The rules of the BahnCards apply analogously to those of the BahnCard 25 and BahnCard 50 , but are significantly cheaper in price.; The MyBahncard 25 costs 39 euros in the second and 81 euros in the first class; The My BahnCard 50 is offered for 69 euros per year in the second or 252 euros in the first class (price as of August 2017)
BahnCard 100: The BahnCard 100, formerly known as "Netzkarte", entitles you to any number of journeys on all trains (with exceptions such as car trains and night train connections) of Deutsche Bahn and the associated regional partner companies. For 2nd class it generally costs 4270 euros in one amount or 395 euros per month as a subscription (1st class 7225 euros or 670 euros; price as of December 2017).

The City Ticket function was also introduced for the BahnCard 100 on December 12, 2004. This now entitles you to use the public transport network in all tariff zones in which the city ticket function is offered. In contrast to the City Ticket function for single tickets, the BahnCard 100 entitles you to any number of trips within the respective tariff zones. (Price as of August 2017)

Promotional and special offers

Country tickets exist in all federal states , which usually cost between 24 and 29 euros for one person and four euros for each passenger. These apply from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day. The regional tickets are valid in the selected federal state, but in some cases also in several federal states (Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, Berlin and Brandenburg as well as Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg).

The Nice Weekend Ticket was valid nationwide on all local trains , price 40 euros for the first person and four euros per passenger, as of the 2016 timetable change (valid on Saturdays or Sundays from midnight to 3 a.m. on the following day) and across the country -Ticket , price 44 euros for the first person and eight euros per passenger, as of the 2016 timetable change (valid Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day), discontinued 2019.

The stated prices of the country tickets, the Schöne-Wochen-Ticket and the Quer-Durch-Land-Ticket apply to purchases from ticket machines of Deutsche Bahn and private railways, which are members of the tariff association of federal and non-federal railways in Germany (TBNE), in DB service stores and as an online ticket over the Internet. A processing fee of two euros is charged for purchases in travel centers and travel agencies with a DB license; when ordering via the DB service hotline, a processing and shipping fee of 3.50 euros is charged.

Since the timetable change in 2005/2006, the former special offer Europe Special has been continued as a permanent offer under the new name Surf & Rail International and enables travel on direct trains to many European destinations from 19 euros. Like the former German Surf & Rail, it can only be booked online. The term Europe Special is now used again .

For some EuroNight night train connections abroad (routes Hamburg – Vienna – Hamburg, Hamburg – Zurich – Hamburg, Berlin – Vienna – Berlin, Düsseldorf – Vienna – Düsseldorf) there is the SparNight offer, which is available for a single journey from 29 euros in a seated car, is available from 49 euros in a couchette car and from 69 euros in a sleeping car.

Earlier or irregular promotions and special offers

Since the introduction of the BahnCard 25, it has been advertised irregularly with various special offers . For this purpose, Deutsche Bahn offers special forms of the Bahncard 25 with limited validity at a reduced price on various occasions. Unless canceled, these cards will automatically be converted into a BahnCard 25 subscription after their expiry date.

From June 10, 2007 to December 31, 2009, the permanent special was valid for the 2nd class for one person and a single journey in five price levels from 29 to 69 euros, at the ticket office each 5 euros more expensive. The tickets could not be bought earlier than three months and no later than three days before the start of the journey and were bound to a specific train and could not be exchanged or refunded. At least the cheaper price levels were often difficult to obtain; the connection information does not specifically search for available contingents. It was not possible to take your own children or grandchildren with you free of charge, as was the case with the special price offers. There is no discount for children or the BahnCard. Since January 1, 2010, the tiered price has been transferred to the saver price , with a combination with a BahnCard discount now also possible. The permanent special replaced the following offers:

Since the summer of 2004, Deutsche Bahn has been offering special prices at irregular intervals that were available without a BahnCard but with a pre-booking period. A single trip on any route in any long-distance train cost 29 euros, for example (machine and internet; at the ticket office 34 euros).

Under the term Surf & Rail , tickets were available exclusively over the Internet on selected routes that changed every week at a price below the BahnCard or saver fare. From February 2005, 30 connections were offered each time, with a return trip costing 39 or 59 euros. The tariff introduced in 1999 was temporarily discontinued at the end of 2002 and offered again from the end of 2003 to 2007.

From May 19 to 28, 2005, Deutsche Bahn offered tickets for the first time at the Lidl discounter . A Lidl ticket for two people for a single journey (or two single journeys for one person) cost 49.90 euros throughout Germany. The journey with the tickets had to take place by October 3, 2005. With this campaign, the railway wanted to win new customers and compete with the low-cost airlines. This campaign was repeated several times (with higher prices) (price per ticket 66 euros for 2010, 73 euros for 2011, 79 euros for 2014). Even with Tchibo and McDonald's , there were similar cards.

The BUGA combined ticket offer was valid from April 27, 2007 to October 14. It included admission to the exhibition grounds of the Federal Horticultural Show in Gera and Ronneburg as well as a return trip in second class from any train station in Thuringia, Saxony or Saxony-Anhalt and cost 22 euros.

In August 2008, the railway auctioned tickets on the Internet auction platform eBay. In a first tranche, the tickets were offered at a starting price of 1 euro, while a second tranche was offered at a fixed price of 66 euros. Although the procedure had been announced beforehand (but without specifying the fixed price), the railway received a lot of criticism for this action, as many auction buyers of the tickets in the first tranche had paid far more than 66 euros.

In 2016, the sale of the Germany Pass, which had been offered for a few years, was discontinued. All local and long-distance trains in the Deutsche Bahn network (excluding City Night Line and EuroNight) could be used at a fixed price for one month. In addition, two more days were allowed on the railways in Austria (ÖBB) and Switzerland (SBB).

Voluntary military service

Volunteers doing military service receive a 25 percent discount on tickets for business and private trips on presentation of their military ID. A combination with other discounts, e.g. B. Sparpreis 25, or booking via the Internet is not possible.

Soldiers of the Bundeswehr in uniform can free use the second class on trains of Deutsche Bahn from 2020 onwards.

Surcharges

From December 2008, the railway wanted to charge a "service fee" of 2.50 euros in addition to the fare for all tickets bought at the counter or by telephone. However, this plan failed after top politicians also criticized this plan; the "service fee" of EUR 3.50 for tickets sent by post, which has been charged since April 1, 2008, should remain unaffected.

In 2014, Deutsche Bahn introduced a surcharge of around 1 percent of the purchase price for long-distance transport within Germany for payments via PayPal . This is justified with the fees charged by PayPal. This regulation should also apply to some credit cards. However, this surcharge is only charged from a fare of 50 euros and is a maximum of 3 euros.

Bicycle transport

Bicycles can generally be taken on the trains of product class B (Intercity / Eurocity as well as Euronight / Nightjet) and product class C (IRE, RE, RB and S-Bahn), on ICE trains (product class A), bicycles can only be taken on ICE 4 multiple units possible, the other ICE series do not allow bicycles to be carried. The Railjet the ÖBB , which operates in Germany under the product class A, is also equipped with bicycle compartments. A bike card for long-distance trains in domestic German traffic costs € 8.00 or € 5.40 if the bike owner has a valid BahnCard.

The local transport bike day ticket required for local trains costs € 6.50. In Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, bicycles can be taken along free of charge from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day as well as all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; purchases are possible from Monday to Friday before 9 a.m. a bicycle map is necessary, although there are some deviations in transport associations. The regulations for taking bicycles with you for local transport apply identically to private railways in Germany, provided they are members of the TBNE tariff association .

Long-distance transport

The tariffs for long-distance transport apply if a long-distance train ( Intercity-Express (ICE), InterCity (IC), EuroCity (EC), EuroNight (EN) and others) is used on at least one section . The tickets are valid on all trains, there are no train connections on regional trains ( Interregio-Express , Regional-Express , Regionalbahn , S-Bahn ).

Board price

In long-distance transport it is possible to buy tickets on board the train. Since January 1, 2001, this has cost an extra charge. The surcharge for the ICE, IC and EC is currently 19.00 euros. There is no surcharge on presentation of the severely handicapped ID. In S-Bahn trains and most other local trains, there are only ticket controls instead of ticket sales.

Flex price

Upper price limits
for outward journey without Bahncard
for return journey with Bahncard 50
Period	2nd Class	1st Class
current	157.50 EUR	265.50 EUR
since December 11, 2016	149 EUR	249 EUR
since December 15, 2013	142 EUR	237 EUR
until December 15, 2013	139 EUR	225 EUR
until December 10, 2012	135 EUR	219 EUR
until December 10, 2011	129 EUR	209 EUR

The so-called flex price serves as the basis for the price calculation. Rides with the flex price can be booked spontaneously - until shortly before departure. The other restrictions on saver prices (availability, exchange fee, minimum price and train connection) do not have to be observed either. The flex price is reduced by a possible BahnCard discount. Before the first day of validity, flex prices can be exchanged and reimbursed free of charge with or without a BahnCard discount at any time. From the first day of validity there is a fee (17.50 euros for local transport, 19 euros for long-distance transport); tickets purchased on the Internet can only be exchanged or refunded via the Internet Service Center. (All prices as of December 2016)

Until December 2015, the flex price was called the normal price .

With the timetable change in December 2016 - initially for one year - the flexibility of the flex prices was restricted and the prices varied depending on the day of travel. This became the rule.

A ticket with Sparpreis 50 (2005)

Saver prices

The contingent of saver prices is limited and is based on the expected occupancy.

Combination with BC25

Since their introduction on August 1, 2003, the saver prices can also be combined with the BahnCard 25.

Combination with BC50

Due to the competition with long-distance buses, the Bahn is marketing saver prices more aggressively and allowed the combination of BahnCard 50 and saver prices at times and from August 1, 2016 onwards. The discount is also 25% here - but only for trips without any local transport. Starting with the tariff change in December 2017, BahnCard 25 and 50 allow the same discount of 25% on all saver fares.

Saver price since 2010

Economy prices (one-way, 2nd class) in comparison
(all with a specific train connection in long-distance traffic and at least one long-distance train)
Period	January 1, 2010 to July 31, 2018	from January 1, 2020
Surname	Savings price up to 250 km	Super saver price (up to 250 km)	Saver price (up to 250 km)
price	from 19.90 euros	from 17.90 euros	from 17.90 euros
Local transport possible	Yes	Yes	Yes
City ticket included	for more than 100 km and only with a BahnCard	No	at more than 100 km
Cancellation costs	17.50 euros	not possible	10 Euro
Cancellation as	Payout	not possible	Voucher
Promotion period	permanent	permanent	permanent
Surname	Special price offer	Super budget price	Saver price
price	if available 17.90 euros	from 17.70 euros	Super saver price plus at least 4 euros
Local transport possible	No	No	No
City ticket included	only with BahnCard	No	Yes
Cancellation costs	not possible	not possible	10 Euro
Cancellation as	not possible	not possible	Voucher
Promotion period	several times for a few months	permanent	permanent
Surname	Saver price	Super budget price	Saver price
price	from 29.90 euros	IC: from 21.90 euros ICE: from 29.90 euros	Super saver fare plus at least 4 (IC) or 6 euros (ICE)
Local transport possible	Yes	Yes	Yes
City ticket included	only with BahnCard	No	Yes
Cancellation costs	17.50 euros	not possible	10 Euro
Cancellation as	Payout	not possible	Voucher
Promotion period	permanent	permanent	permanent

The saver price has been available since January 1, 2010 and is the successor product of the “permanent special” offer that was previously marketed as a special offer. In contrast to the saver prices 25 and 50 valid until 2011, the saver price is characterized by the following features:

Ticket only for one route, whereby a long-distance train must be used on one section.
Price from 19 to 139.90 euros in 2nd class and 29 to 199.90 euros in 1st class, although there may be contingents with different price levels for the same connection. Tickets for 19 to 28 euros in 2nd class and 29 euros in 1st class are only issued for distances up to 250 km.
A surcharge of five euros was levied until December 13, 2014 for person-operated sales.
Train connection in long-distance traffic, valid in local traffic before / after the booked trains on the first day and on the following day until 10 a.m.
Use of at least one long-distance train and exchange / reimbursement analogous to the saver fare 25

With the permanent introduction of the saver fare, there is again the option - as was previously the case with Plan & Spar 10 - to book a saver fare for a single journey, while the saver fares 25 and 50 always assumed a return journey.

There was a price increase in summer 2017, since all saver fare prices (without BC discount) have ended in .90 since then.

Certain quotas can be used up very quickly. Occasionally there may still be tickets available for 1st class that are cheaper than the tickets that are still available for 2nd class. It is also worth using trains that are not very busy. Less going on on the rails is usually between Tuesday and Thursday and on Saturday. The following often applies: Those who book earlier have a better chance of getting a saver price. However, it also happens that the saver prices become cheaper again at a later point in time.

DB Fernverkehr sells around 40 percent of its tickets at a saver price. The company announced in mid-2013 that it would noticeably reduce the quotas by the end of 2013. According to its own information, the company (as of 2014) sells around 25 million saver fare tickets per year, two thirds of which are for groups of at least two travelers.

At the same time as the introduction of the super saver price on August 1, 2018, the saver price was reformed. The “fee” for the cancellation was reduced from 19 euros to 10 euros, but the remaining ticket value was only issued as a voucher. This led to massive misuse through stolen data, so that in mid-December 2018 the payment options for online sales were limited to instant transfers, vouchers and, to a limited extent, credit cards (only with 3D Secure procedure). Obviously, a glitch happened, because there was massive feedback from customers that payments with vouchers and credit cards (despite the 3D Secure process) did not work at all and also with the instant transfer often did not work. As of the beginning of February 2019, these problems have still not been completely resolved and the payment options are still limited.

Super saver price and saver price under 29 euros

Since August 1, 2018, Deutsche Bahn has been offering the super saver price from 19.90 euros, which, compared to the normal saver price, does not include a city ticket or cancellation options. At this price, the super saver price is only offered in cases in which the saver price for distances under 250 km was previously available at the same price and the saver price promotion for longer, but purely long-distance connections, was available several times for several months . The former could be canceled (albeit for 17.50 euros) and both previous offers included the free city ticket for journeys over 100 km for BahnCard holders. If the saver price promotion was available, a cancelable “normal” saver price could be purchased on request.

The cheapest available saver price is always referred to as the super saver price from August 1st and does not include cancellations or city tickets. A ticket without the restrictions is called a Sparpreis and always costs at least 4 euros more than the Super Sparpreis . The price for the cancellation fell to 10 euros and a voucher valid for three years will now be issued for the remaining amount. Offers, including those that can be canceled, under EUR 29.90 are no longer limited to a promotional period for distances over 250 km and a ticket that can be canceled is available for EUR 23.90 instead of EUR 29.90. The cancellation fees have also decreased for all cancelable saver prices. In other cases, there are disadvantages with the cheapest ticket, especially for BahnCard customers, due to the lack of a city ticket.

Wanderlust and special price tickets

Until December 31, 2015, there were cheap tickets that could only be purchased through third parties, but did not allow a combination with Bahncard and no passenger discount and could only be booked one week before the start of the journey. At the beginning of 2016 these tickets will no longer be offered.

The Fernweh tickets from L'tur were sometimes cheaper than the train tickets. There were other campaigns for trips to changing regions in nearby countries.
Busliniensuche.de offered so-called special price tickets.

Tickets such as the Maxdome ticket are an indirect successor . A voucher for a pure long-distance journey is issued at a fixed price, with high demand trains and sometimes whole days (mostly public holidays) being excluded.

Savings prices 2003 to 2011

From August 2003 to December 31, 2009 the saver prices 25 and 50 were sold.

25 percent discount on the normal price, passengers received an additional 50 percent discount
Combination with the BahnCard 25 possible
The ticket was valid for two consecutive days in each direction, up to two breaks in the journey were permitted
In each direction of travel, a long-distance train ( Intercity-Express , InterCity or EuroCity ) had to be used on at least part of the route
In the case of long-distance trains, it was necessary to specify specific trains ( train connection )
Book at least three days before departure
Quota
Only way and return tickets within a month
Minimum price (up to 250 km): 19 euros (2nd class ); 39 euros (1st class) / (from 250 km): 29 euros (2nd class ); 49 euros (1st class)
Exchange up to one day before the first day of validity for a fee of 15 euros (price as of January 7, 2007). Thereafter an exchange was excluded.
If the travel requirements changed on the day of travel, an additional saver price card could be purchased for 15 euros plus the difference between the saver price and the normal price.

The Sparpreis 50 largely corresponded to the Sparpreis 25, but

50 percent discount on the normal price, passengers receive an additional 50 percent discount
Weekend commitment: There had to be a night from Saturday to Sunday between the outward and return journey, or the outward and return journey each fell on a weekend day.

"Plan-und-Spar" tariffs

From December 2002 to August 2003, the “Plan-und-Spar” tariffs were sold in three discount levels (Plan & Spar 40, 25 and 10), with discount levels 25 and 40 only being available for tickets for outward and return journeys.

Passenger discount (historical)

For saver prices 25 and 50 the following applies until the end of 2010, for normal price tickets with a Bahncard discount until mid-December 2005 and for normal price tickets without a discount until December 12, 2004:

If several travelers bought a ticket together, the first person paid as if buying it alone. Each additional person paid only half of the normal / saver price - minus 25% with a BahnCard 25.
By combining a saver fare linked to the booking of a return journey with the passenger discount, a lower price for a return journey (if necessary, a return journey that was not used) could result for groups than for a single journey with the normal price.

City ticket

On December 14, 2003, the “City Ticket” function was introduced for long-distance tickets. This makes it possible in 127 cities (as of July 2018) to reach the actual destination in the city area on the day of arrival at the destination station using the public transport network (bus, suburban train, underground, tram, local trains).

Since January 1, 2013, this also applies to the journey to the departure station on the day of departure. In the case of return tickets, this also applies to the journey to the train station on the day of the return journey if the date of the return journey is printed on the ticket. You can only drive directly to the destination or from the starting point to the train station once. “City area” normally includes the tariff zone (s) of the respective transport association. This also applies to a fellow traveler (if necessary without a BahnCard) if this was entered on the ticket before the start of the journey.

Requirements:

the one-way distance is greater than 100 kilometers and you drive at least a part of the route in the ICE, IC or EC.
Before August 1, 2018, you had to have a BahnCard 25 or 50.

Since August 1, 2018, the city ticket has been included in the saver price and flex price even without a BahnCard - but not in the super saver price.

The city function can be recognized by the addition “+ City” after the name of the destination station, for example “Cologne + City”. The Mobility BahnCard 100 is also valid as a city ticket, but without taking children with you free of charge.

The following cities (tariff zones) participate in the City-Ticket:

Baden-Württemberg : Aalen, Baden-Baden, Esslingen, Freiburg im Breisgau, Friedrichshafen, Göppingen, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, Constance, Ludwigsburg, Mannheim, Offenburg, Pforzheim, Ravensburg, Reutlingen, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Ulm
Bavaria : Aschaffenburg, Augsburg, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Erlangen, Fürth, Ingolstadt, Munich, Nuremberg, Passau, Regensburg, Neu-Ulm, Würzburg
Berlin - inner city, "tariff area A" ≈10% of the area of Berlin excluding long-distance and regional train stations outside such as Spandau, Wannsee.
Brandenburg : Cottbus (AB), Potsdam (AB)
Hesse : Bad Homburg (5101), Darmstadt (4001, 4035, 4045), Frankfurt (50 without 5090, i.e. airport), Fulda, Gießen (1501), Hanau (3001), Kassel, Marburg (0501, 0540, 0546, 0555 , 0558, 0588), Offenbach (3601), Wiesbaden (65 only Wiesbaden city area)
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania : Rostock, Greifswald, Schwerin (1)
Lower Saxony / Bremen : Braunschweig, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Celle, Delmenhorst, Göttingen, Hameln, Hanover, Hildesheim, Lüneburg, Oldenburg, Osnabrück, Salzgitter, Wilhelmshaven, Wolfsburg
North Rhine-Westphalia : Aachen, Bergisch Gladbach, Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Bottrop, Detmold, Dortmund, Duisburg, Düren, Düsseldorf, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Gütersloh, Hagen, Hamm, Herford, Herne, Iserlohn, Krefeld, Cologne, Leverkusen, Lippstadt , Minden, Moers, Mülheim, Münster in Westphalia, Mönchengladbach, Neuss, Oberhausen, Paderborn, Recklinghausen, Remscheid, Rheine, Siegen, Solingen, Witten, Wuppertal
Rhineland-Palatinate : Kaiserslautern (800), Koblenz (101-107), Ludwigshafen, Mainz (65 without Wiesbaden, Ginsheim, Gustavsburg, Walluf), Neustadt / Weinstr. (132, 142, 152), Speyer (143), Trier (1–4), Worms (23, 33, 43, 53)
Saarland : Saarbrücken
Saxony : Chemnitz (13), Dresden (10), Leipzig (110), Zwickau
Saxony-Anhalt : Halle (210), Magdeburg (10)
Schleswig-Holstein / Hamburg : Hamburg (Rings A + B), Hamburg-Harburg (Rings A + B south of the North Elbe), Kiel, Lübeck (6000), Neumünster (3500) and Flensburg (2000)
Thuringia : Erfurt (10), Gera, Jena (30), Weimar (20)

If two neighboring cities form a common zone in the network tariff (e.g. Nuremberg and Fürth or Mainz and Wiesbaden), the city ticket is usually only valid in one of the two cities. For example, if you travel to Fürth by long-distance traffic and have to change trains in Nuremberg, you can only travel to the city limits with "Nürnberg + City" with the shared subway, but with "Fürth + City" you cannot use the section in Nuremberg - the parallel one S-Bahn or R-Bahn trains running continuously because they are included in the rail tariff. Even travelers to Wiesbaden cannot use the shared bus lines of both cities if they arrive by long-distance train at the larger Mainz main station.

City mobile

Group tickets for the destination can be booked under the name “DB City mobil” if the requirements for the city ticket are not met. This is the case, for example, when the one-way distance is less than 100 km, the journey does not include a section in the ICE / IC / EC or when booking the Super Sparpreis tariff. Depending on the destination, single trips and / or day tickets are available. The offer corresponds to the respective network ticket at the destination. As a result, it is difficult to provide uniform information on this ticket, as the networks do not necessarily have to be the same in terms of price, temporal and spatial validity of the tickets and other provisions.

Local transport

These tariffs apply to local trains ( Regionalbahn (RB), Regional-Express (RE), InterRegioExpress (IRE), S-Bahn ) operated by Deutsche Bahn and usually also to private railways that do not belong to DB AG.

Country tickets and weekend tickets are also partially valid in public transport (subway, tram, buses and ferry lines) within transport associations - but this differs from country to country and network to network. They are also valid beyond the state border to Stettin , Küstrin (PL), Salzburg , Kufstein (A), Schaffhausen , Basel (CH), Wissembourg (F), Enschede (NL).

In North Rhine-Westphalia there is no local transport tariff of the Deutsche Bahn AG, here the NRW tariff applies for journeys beyond the borders of the transport association (if there are no special regulations of certain transport associations, e.g. Cologne-Düsseldorf) - within transport associations the respective one applies Association tariff (VRS, VRR, AVV, VRL, ...). It is similar in Schleswig-Holstein: here there is the Schleswig-Holstein tariff .

Have a nice weekend ticket

The Nice Weekend Ticket was a network ticket that existed in Germany from 1995 to 2019. It applied to all regional trains of the Deutsche Bahn (IRE, RE, RB and S-Bahn), in the regional trains of the private railways, insofar as they were members of the tariff association of the federal and non-federal railways in Germany (TBNE), as well as partially in the means of transport of the transport associations, as for example in the large area of the Hamburg transport association ; some transport associations also sold the ticket. In 2019 it cost 44 euros for the first person plus six euros per passenger at ticket machines, in DB service stores and as an online ticket on the Internet, when purchased in travel centers and travel agencies with a DB license plus two euros per ticket as well as by telephone Order via the DB Service Hotline plus a 3.50 euro shipping fee. The ticket was initially valid for the entire weekend, later optionally on a weekend day, but not on public holidays, if they fell on a working day, from midnight to 3 a.m. the following day. The sale was discontinued on June 8, 2019; Tickets that have already been purchased can still be used on the selected day of validity, so that the last trip was possible in December 2019.

Across the country ticket

The conditions of the Quer-through-Land-Ticket are largely the same as the Nice Weekend Ticket. It applies throughout Germany from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day, on Saturdays, Sundays and on national holidays from 0 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day, but only on IRE, RE, RB and S-Bahn trains and local trains of private railways, which are members of the TBNE tariff association, but not other means of transport. The Quer-Durch-Land-Ticket costs 44 euros for the first person and eight euros per passenger when purchased from ticket machines, in DB service stores and as an online ticket. There is a surcharge of two euros per ticket for purchases in travel centers and travel agencies with a DB license, as well as a flat-rate shipping fee of 3.50 euros for orders over the DB service hotline.

Country tickets

With the nationally available state tickets, up to five people in one or more federal states (Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, Berlin and Brandenburg) can take as many journeys as they want on the regional trains of the DB and private railways in Germany that are members of the Tariff association TBNE are as well as in the means of transport of the transport associations. The tickets are valid from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. the following day.

In some federal states, the state ticket is no longer offered by Deutsche Bahn, for example the Lower Saxony ticket is part of the Lower Saxony tariff .

Europe trips

A children's saver price Europe for the Mönchengladbach – Amsterdam route with the ICE

Sparpreis Europa (formerly Europa-Spezial ): Offer for one-way trips to Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, France (only when using the cross-border trains of the LGV Est européenne and LGV Rhin-Rhône ), Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy (only through trains from Germany, only for journeys via Austria). The border must be crossed in a long-distance train. It is the counterpart to the domestic German saver price and costs from 39 euros, depending on availability. With BahnCard 25 there is a 25 percent discount. On routes close to the border (e.g. Aachen – Belgium, Berlin – Posen, Berlin / Dresden / Leipzig – Czech Republic) there is the Europe Special from 19 euros.
Sparpreis 25 : round trip offer for countries without a Sparpreis Europe (mainly Eastern Europe), weekend commitment (not applicable to countries with a Sparpreis 50 offer). The train connection does not apply to the foreign route.
Sparpreis 50 : available for some countries without the Sparpreis Europa, binding for the weekend
Rail Plus, the additional service to the BahnCard (included when purchased since December 9, 2007). A reduction of 25 percent on the route portion of the foreign railways for cross-border trips according to the TCV tariff .
Recognition of the BahnCard for cross-border trips to Austria and Switzerland , further information at TEE Rail Alliance
Package prices for Thalys , Eurostar , Berlin-Warszawa-Express .
EUREGIO tickets ( Meuse-Rhine , Lake Constance, etc.)
Interrail and network offers from foreign railway companies ( ScanRail , BritRail , Swiss Travel Pass )
London Special : Offer for a journey from any German train station to London. Price: Depending on availability, from 49 euros in 2nd class and 99 euros in 1st class. Conditions: any journey within Germany (local / long-distance transport), Cologne – Brussels on the ICE (just under 2 hours, London special does not apply to Thalys), Brussels – London on the Eurostar (around 2 hours)
Cross-border tickets (starting or destination station in other European countries) at the normal price are sometimes cheaper than domestic German connections and can be used more flexibly. International tickets are valid for 14 days, whereas normal price tickets within Germany are valid for a maximum of 2 days in each direction. Because you don't necessarily have to start or end your journey abroad, international tickets are an inexpensive alternative for some journeys within Germany.

DB tickets on trains operated by private providers

DB tickets from other local transport companies

Almost all railway companies (EVU) drive their local trains after the tendering and award of the contract by the transport authority for local rail passenger transport (SPNV) and receive a subsidy for each train-kilometer traveled from the regionalization funds . The tariffs are set by the respective RU and the relevant transport associations. In the transport associations, a common tariff usually applies to all transport companies involved. For the use of the various means of transport, it does not matter whether the tickets are bought from Deutsche Bahn or another transport company.

DB tickets from other long-distance RUs

Every RU can offer its own commercial long-distance passenger rail transport. There is no public subsidy for this. So far there have been only a few offers from private operators. These are currently:

The Harz-Berlin-Express on the Berlin - Magdeburg route (continues as a local train to Halberstadt ( train division ) - Quedlinburg - Thale / Wernigerode - Vienenburg )
The Hamburg-Cologne-Express on the Hamburg - Osnabrück - Münster - Cologne route (tariff classification as a local train between February 2015 and August 2016, long-distance traffic again since September 2016)
Leo Express in cooperation with Flixmobility on the route Stuttgart - Vaihingen an der Enz - Heidelberg - Darmstadt - Frankfurt am Main - Hanau - Fulda - Kassel - Göttingen - Hanover - Wolfsburg - Berlin under the name Locomore

The company Veolia Transport operational until December 2014 under the name InterConnex on the route Leipzig - Berlin - Rostock - Warnemünde also a purely commercial long distance service.

The railway companies can set the prices for these long-distance trains themselves. Deutsche Bahn tickets are not valid on these trains, with the exception of some sections of the transport network.

In all private long-distance trains, tickets are sold directly on the train. For the Interconnex as well as the Hamburg-Cologne-Express , advance booking is possible on the Internet, which is linked to early bird discounts.

Criticism of the DB price system and further development in 2015

In view of the complexity of the tariff system, it is particularly criticized that the railway employees themselves sometimes sell unnecessarily expensive tickets. In particular, it is sometimes cheaper to use the same train connection with two separate tickets than with a redeemed ticket or to buy the ticket for a longer distance than actually used. For example, a combination of economy prices for long-distance trains (IC, ICE) with separate tickets for a regional train (including country tickets, cross-country tickets) can lead to lower prices. Such cost-saving solutions are also not simply given by the DB information systems.

Likewise, in the case of savings prices, it can bring considerable savings with a moderate increase in travel time to choose a regional train only on a small part of a total route if cheaper savings price quotas are booked for the short, omitted part of the long-distance train route; Such offers can only be found laboriously by trying things out, specifying intermediate stops and selecting train categories for sections of the route.

From an economic point of view, it is criticized that the complex price system discourages occasional drivers without a BahnCard with high prices and thus makes it more difficult to acquire new customers. Saver fares with a specific train connection, on the other hand, place unnecessary restrictions on the flexibility of travelers, even if they wanted to switch to a train with the same or less frequent traffic.

At the end of 2014, considerations became known about introducing further discounts for frequent travelers, but intentions of "abolishing the BahnCard in its previous form" were denied.

Individual evidence

↑ Pro Bahn: Development of rail prices . Last changed on December 30, 2015

↑ ^a ^b New prices, big chaos? In Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on October 27, 2002

↑ Der Spiegel: “Very big bang” . Article dated December 9, 2002

↑ Hartmut Mehdorn: I never wanted to become a diplomat . Hoffmann and Campe, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-455-50047-9 , pp. 132-134

↑ Deutsche Bahn passes on increased costs. In: DB Welt , November 2006 edition, p. 5.

↑ Deutsche Bahn AG: DB rail prices rise by an average of 1.8 percent - Board member Ulrich Homburg: “Decision-making with a sense of proportion” . Press release from October 6, 2009

↑ abl / AFP: Deutsche Bahn is reducing long-distance ticket prices by ten percent. In: Spiegel Online . September 20, 2019, accessed May 15, 2020 .

↑ Environmentally friendly behavior is promoted , website of the Federal Government, November 15, 2019.

↑ The last gap: price reduction for Bahncard 25 and 50 , Süddeutsche Zeitung, January 10, 2019.

↑ Not all train tickets have become cheaper , Bayerischer Rundfunk, January 4, 2020.

↑ 2 months later - What is the current state of affairs with the Windows (Phone) app? In: Deutsche Bahn's service community “My question - your answer”! Deutsche Bahn AG, February 15, 2016, archived from the original on February 21, 2016 ; accessed on February 21, 2016 .

↑ Can I also use PDF tickets without printing them in local transport with the city option? Deutsche Bahn AG, April 3, 2016, accessed on April 17, 2016 .

↑ As a Windows Phone user, can I still take the train with my smartphone? Retrieved on April 17, 2016 : "Please note, however, that the validity of the city ticket for an online ticket is only in printed form."

↑ Buying tickets via m.bahn.de? Retrieved April 17, 2016 .

↑ Castration: No more mobile phone ticket for Windows Phone 8.1.? Archived from the original on April 17, 2016 ; Retrieved April 17, 2016 .

↑ Mobile services via cell phone. Retrieved April 17, 2016 .

↑ ^a ^b Travel flexibly with the flex price. Deutsche Bahn AG, accessed on December 30, 2016 .

↑ https://www.bahn.de/p/view/angebote/sitzplatzreservierung/index.shtml

↑ https://www.oepnv-info.de/freifahrt/uebersichten/freiggenze-fernverkehrszuege-mit-dem-schwerbehindertenausweis

↑ New prices in local transport . In: DB World . No. October 10 , 2016, p. 10 .

↑ Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Schienpersonennahverkerh (BAG-SPNV), press release, Deutschlandtarifverbund: Railways and transport authorities want to jointly develop the nationwide tariff for local rail transport in the future, February 27, 2020

↑ number of courses . In: mobile . No. 9 , September 2013, ISSN 0949-586X , ZDB -ID 1221702-5 , p. 28 .

^ Reports Germany . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 2 , 2014, ISSN 1421-2811 , p. 54 f .

↑ Deutsche Bahn: New Bahncard50 costs 69 euros for young people - WELT. Retrieved August 25, 2017 .

^ Matthias Gebauer: Bundeswehr: Ministry orders impeccable behavior on free train journeys. In: Spiegel Online . November 24, 2019, accessed May 15, 2020 .

↑ - ( Memento from November 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

^ Conditions of carriage of the Deutsche Bahn AG. (PDF) Archived from the original on December 31, 2016 ; accessed on December 31, 2016 .

↑ Prices in DB long-distance traffic rise by an average of 1.3 percent at the end of the year • Long-distance traffic boss Birgit Bohle: “Moderate increase”. Press release. (No longer available online.) Deutsche Bahn, September 30, 2016, archived from the original on November 16, 2016 ; accessed on November 11, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.

↑ Why are there no super saver prices with local transport for connections over 250 km? in the official railway forum, including official answers

^ Conditions of carriage of the Deutsche Bahn AG. (PDF; 2.2 MB) DB Fernverkehr AG, August 15, 2016, p. 206 , archived from the original on August 15, 2016 ; accessed on August 15, 2016 .

↑ Stiftung Warentest : Train tickets: find saver prices better test, 01/2012

↑ Deutsche Bahn saves itself economy prices . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . No. 193 , August 21, 2013, ISSN 0174-4909 , p. 16 (similar version online ).

↑ DB Mobility Logistics AG (Ed.): Spring offer from Deutsche Bahn: Savings prices can be booked up to one day before the trip . Press release from March 20, 2014.