Only a fool would make a deal with the Deutsche Bahn devil without first understanding how to break free. For the trepidatious and frugal among us, here is how to purchase, and if need be, cancel or refund your new 49-euro Deutschlandticket.

Buying a 49-euro Deutschlandticket subscription

Buying the 49-euro ticket will grant you unlimited access to regional and local public transport across the whole of Germany for one month.

The Deutschlandticket is available for purchase on the Deutsche Bahn website, the DB Navigator app or the online platform of any German local public transport association. You can also buy your ticket in person from a Deutsche Bahn or local transport association ticket office.

Unlike its 9-euro predecessor (R.I.P), which had no strings attached, buying a 49-euro ticket requires a subscription. This means that you’ve got to be a little more organised. If you would like to buy a 49-euro ticket for the month of June, for example, you must purchase your subscription by May 10, so that it is valid for the next calendar month.

Anyone who has a European IBAN can buy a Deutschlandticket subscription (yes, tourists included). Once you have made your first payment, Deutsche Bahn will continue to make a direct debit out of your bank account each month for your ticket subscription.

How to refund or cancel your 49-euro Deutschlandticket subscription

If you’ve already fallen out of love with the 49-euro ticket and are looking to keep your money instead, here’s how to refund or cancel the ticket.

Refunding or cancelling your subscription is possible via the same platform which you used to purchase your ticket. For example, if you purchased your ticket on the BVG website you can cancel it there too.

On the Deutsche Bahn website, you need to log in and then navigate to the page called "My subscriptions". In the following page you can view your 49-euro ticket subscription and click the action "cancel". You then select the date you want to cancel your subscription. The process is similar if you originally bought your ticket through your local transport provider.

If you were organised enough to buy a ticket for next month by the 10th day of the current calendar month, but realise you actually have kein Bock auf (can’t be bothered with) fun and adventure, it is possible to refund your Deutschlandticket for free if you cancel it any time before the official start of the subscription.

If you already have a running subscription, in order to avoid paying for the next month you must cancel your subscription by the 10th day of the current month. For example, if you want to cancel your subscription from June onwards, you must cancel by May 10.

Thumb image credit: T.W. van Urk / Shutterstock.com