Deutschlandticket rises to €66.80 in January, and subscribers must agree to the new price

Anyone with a Deutschlandticket subscription needs to act in the coming weeks. On 1 January 2027 the price of the nationwide local transport ticket rises from €63 to €66.80 a month. Subscribers must actively agree to continue at the new price and under the supplementary tariff conditions, the federal government says in its overview of the ticket dated 27 October 2026. At Deutsche Bahn the deadline is 30 November 2026, according to its Deutschland-Ticket page (as of October 2026).

What subscribers need to do

Deutsche Bahn is clear: if customers do not agree to the price rise and the supplementary conditions, or do not respond by 30 November, it will cancel their subscription with effect from 31 December 2026. There are no further costs, but the ticket can no longer be used from 1 January 2027. Customers who miss the deadline can still continue through the Abo-Portal or the DB Navigator app using the option to reactivate the subscription (Abo reaktivieren), but only until 31 December and on the new terms.

Anyone travelling without a valid ticket from 1 January who is checked must pay an increased fare of at least €60, Deutsche Bahn says. Customers who ordered the ticket from Deutsche Bahn on or after 15 October 2026 need do nothing: they were told about the new price when they ordered, and their subscription continues automatically in 2027. Under the supplementary tariff conditions that DB Regio is introducing for tickets sold in its name, customers will no longer have to agree to future price changes, Deutsche Bahn says; their normal right to cancel is unaffected.

The Deutschlandticket is sold by all transport companies and transport associations. The deadlines and steps above are Deutsche Bahn's; subscribers who bought from another provider will find the details there.

Why the price is rising

The €3.80 increase is the first produced by a price index that the conference of state transport ministers (Verkehrsministerkonferenz) adopted unanimously at its spring meeting in Lindau in March. The index weights staff, energy and general costs; the figure was calculated with a formula by D-Tix GmbH & Co. KG, the Bavarian transport ministry said on 30 September. The index is now to set the price each year. According to the federal government, the states decide the price on their own, because they are legally responsible for local public transport.

The figures follow the existing rules: when an employer pays at least 25% of the price, a further 5% discount can be granted. The semester ticket costs 60% of the standard ticket; whether a university offers it depends on negotiations between transport companies, universities and student representatives. According to Deutsche Bahn, the increase does not yet affect the semester ticket in the 2026/2027 winter semester or the 2027 summer semester, so no consent is needed for it. The new price applies to semesters starting on or after 1 June 2027.

Where the ticket is valid

The Deutschlandticket is valid on buses and trains in local and regional transport across Germany. It does not cover long-distance trains such as IC, EC and ICE, private operators such as FlixTrain and FlixBus, or first class; the federal government says there are a few exceptions to this, on which Deutsche Bahn gives details. The ticket is personal, and passengers must be able to prove their identity during checks. Children under six travel free with the holder; older companions cannot travel free on the ticket.

Who pays for it

About 14.5 million customers currently use the ticket, according to the federal government. The federal government covers half of the cost: €1.5 billion in each of 2023, 2024 and 2025, and it intends to keep paying that amount until 2030. The states contribute the same amount. The money compensates transport companies for lost fare revenue. A study by a group of consultants led by infas puts the ticket's savings at about 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 a year, roughly 3% of emissions from private car traffic.