As of: March 6, 2024, 4:57 p.m
By: Karolin Schaefer
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Deutsche Bahn uses tricks when purchasing tickets.
Former employees reveal this in a ZDF broadcast.
However, they are easy to spot.
Frankfurt – Recently, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has been making headlines, particularly due to failed collective bargaining negotiations with the GDL.
It's not just impending strikes that are likely to annoy passengers.
Now former railway employees reveal what happens behind the scenes.
Deutsche Bahn is apparently using low ticket prices as a lure
In front of the camera they only speak with elaborate masks and distorted voices - the fear of being recognized is too great.
One of them is Björn (name changed), who worked at the Deutsche Bahn headquarters for six years.
In the
ZDF
program “Deutsche Bahn: The Insiders” he stated that tricks are also used when booking train tickets.
Deutsche Bahn's low ICE prices are usually just a lure.
Super savings prices under 20 euros are often linked to certain conditions.
Early bookings and determining the train and time are prerequisites for this.
It is not uncommon for the discounted prices to only be available on trains that run very early in the morning or even in the middle of the night.
That's why trains are often much cheaper at off-peak times
This becomes clear with an example: A trip from Munich to Frankfurt am Main (Monday, April 8th) for less than 20 euros is only available between three and five in the morning (as of March 6th).
Later trips, on the other hand, can cost over 100 euros.
So if you don't book in time, you'll pay many times more for the same service.
“It’s cleverly done,” admitted Björn.
“The railway earns very, very well from this,” he said.
The insider described that the railway aims to control the utilization of the trains evenly.
Travel times at night are less popular and therefore cheaper.
“The railway is trying to educate customers so that they use their trains evenly throughout the day,” said Björn.
Spontaneous bookings at peak times can be really expensive.
Be careful with the trial train card: “There is speculation that we will forget to cancel”
In addition, the trial Bahncard 25 offers a 25 percent discount when booking your ticket.
Cost with a validity of three months: 19.90 euros.
The insider in the
ZDF
program revealed that Deutsche Bahn is relying on luring customers with short-term discounts.
Passengers usually save money with the trial version from the very first trip.
Bahncard 25 |
25 percent discount on flexible prices and savings offers on long-distance transport |
|---|---|
Bahncard 50 |
50 percent discount on flexible prices and 25 percent discount on savings offers on long-distance transport |
Bahncard 100 |
Use every train flexibly for 1 year |
But not everyone thinks about canceling their subscription.
“But of course there is speculation that we will simply forget to cancel,” says Björn.
The trial BahnCard is automatically extended by one year unless it is canceled four weeks before the end of the term.
Consumer advocates recently filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bahn.
In your opinion, the notice period is inadmissible.
A ZDF program reveals secret tricks used by Deutsche Bahn.
© imago
“There can be no talk of 'trickery' on the railway,” replied a railway spokeswoman when asked by
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
“We describe the conditions of the trial BahnCard in detail in all offer descriptions and in the general terms and conditions and inform our customers about this transparently during the sales process,” she explained.
Buying a ticket from Deutsche Bahn: How you can save even without a Bahncard
The insider knows that you can save money when buying tickets even without a rail card.
He recommends planning a stopover when booking and booking both sections of the route separately.
The following example shows that this can save money:
The journey on April 8th from Munich to Frankfurt around 10 a.m. with a change in Nuremberg costs 59.90 euros
The first leg at the same time from Munich to Nuremberg costs 19.90 euros
The second leg from Nuremberg to Frankfurt costs 27.90 euros
Both sections total 47.80 euros and therefore offer a saving of 12.10 euros
As in this example, it is often even the same train.
Passengers would then have two tickets, but these would be just as valid and passengers could simply remain seated, the insider explained.
The major general renovation of the rail network begins this year.
The consumer advice center is therefore calling for better compensation for rail passengers.
(cheese)
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.