Explained: How can travelers benefit from Germany's new monthly train pass?

After almost a year after its wildly popular launch, Germany’s favorite train ticket is back– and open for pre-order.

BVG, Berlin’s main public transport company, launched the pre-order of the Deutschlandticket on February 20.

Many Germans consider this ticket the next step toward a more affordable and environmentally friendly culture of public transportation. It is also a great opportunity for travelers who wish to spend more time in Germany this year.

Expectations have been high since the ticket’s initially launched last year at an exceptional price of just €9. Over 52 million tickets were sold, helping Germany to reach its goal of having fewer traffic jams and lower carbon emissions. Additionally, the surge in train travel produced a huge boom in local tourism, supporting locals affected by rising energy prices throughout the country in 2022.

Although the cost of this new ticket has significantly increased this year, it is still one of the best (if not the best) offers for traveling around Germany on a budget.

What is the Deutschlandticket?

The Deutschlandticket is the successor to the successful €9 ticket introduced last summer. Starting May 1, travelers will be able to use all forms of public transportation throughout all of Germany – including buses, U-Bahns, S-Bahns, trams, and local and regional trains – for one calendar month for just €49. Despite the dramatic price increase since the 2022 launch, this ticket still costs a small fraction of what travelers and locals usually pay when traveling within and between cities in Germany.

With the Deutschlandticket, you can take as many rides as you want within a month – though it does not cover long-distance trains like the IC or ICE trains, or buses and trains from private companies like Flixbus and Flixtrain.

How can I get a Deutschlandticket?

Let’s start with the bad news. Unlike the €9 ticket, this Deutschlandticket will primarily be sold digitally as a monthly (cancellable) subscription, and won’t be transferable to friends and family. To get your hands on one, you must create an account through the DB Navigator app (from Germany’s official railway company, available for iOS and Android) to buy one, or on any website or app of one of Germany’s regional transport entities. There is currently no information available about whether the tickets will only be available to residents of Germany. To pre-order your tickets, however, you must provide a German address and fill in a European international bank account (IBAN) number.

After your subscription is approved, you will receive your ticket digitally through the app you signed up with, allowing you to board any regional train you desire. As this is a monthly subscription, you can always cancel before the 20th of each month. For those who want to use the Deutschlandticket for only one month, I’d advise canceling the subscription one day after signing up, to put to rest worries about unintentional auto-renewals.

Remember that if you are not planning to pre-order the ticket immediately, you should purchase your subscription by the 20th of the previous month for it to be valid for the following month. For example, if you want to use your ticket from the beginning of May, acquire it before April 20. If you purchase it after April 20, it will only be valid for the subsequent month (June in this case).

How can I make the most of the Deutschlandticket?

The Deutschlandticket is primarily designed for residents in Germany – yet all travelers can benefit from it and enjoy the possibilities it offers. At the same time, keep in mind that the Deutschlandticket is not meant to be for everyone.

Travelers planning to visit the country for just a few days will unfortunately not see much upside from this offer: 24-hour tickets in Berlin cost just €8.80, and a train ride to the Berlin airport is only €3.60. However, if you plan to visit several cities across Germany or arrange day trips from any urban center, the Deutschlandticket can help you reduce your travel costs significantly.

Perhaps the best way to get the most out of your Deutschlandticket would be to combine it with an Interrail Pass. You can use the latter to travel long distances using high-speed trains, and the former to get around cities and plan nearby activities and day trips.

Thanks to the Deutschlandticket’s flexibility, you might also consider spending an entire month in Germany, exploring (slowly!) as much of the country as possible. This way, you can search for your favorite fairy-tale town, compare the Currywurst of different regions or venture off the beaten path to explore the German coastline.