From 1 May 2023, the new Deutschland Ticket will allow you to use all local and regional public transport in Germany for only €49 per month. It’s sold as a subscription, but the minimum term is only one month. With the Mo.Pla app, you can buy it in English and get a €10 discount for the first month.
After last year’s success with the 9-Euro-Ticket, the German government has now introduced a permanent low-fare monthly pass.
Where it is valid
It is valid for the following means of transport at all times in all of Germany (so also in Berlin):
- local buses, local night buses
- trams (Straßenbahn, Stadtbahn)
- U-Bahn
- S-Bahn
- Regionalbahn (RB)
- and Regional-Express (RE)
It is not valid for long-distance transport, so no:
- InterCity (IC)
- EuroCity (EC)
- InterCityExpress (ICE)
- Flixtrain, Flixbus, or other long-distance buses
It is valid for exactly 1 calendar month, e.g. from 1 May to 31 May. (So you cannot buy it from 15 May to 14 June.)
Where to buy
You can buy it at any local public transport company in Germany where the ticket is valid. However, the best option for English speakers is apparently the Mo.Pla app, which works both for Android and iPhone. It:
- has an English interface (also Czech, Ukrainian, and German)
- allows you to subscribe with no deadline (so even on 31 May to be valid for May)
- allows you to subscribe and then pause your subscription, so essentially buy it only for one month
- allows you to pay by debit or credit card (so no EUR bank account required)
- gives you a €10 discount until 31 May 2023
After downloading the app, you first need to create a profile with your e-mail, password, name, address and phone number. Then you can start the booking:
Booking start
Pick 1st month
Add payment
You will get a digital ticket as a QR (AZTEC) code inside their app, so be sure to carry your charged smartphone when travelling, and also your ID or passport.
If you loose your phone, you can still access the ticket on another device by logging in with your e-mail address and password.
Good for (some) tourists, too
If you’re staying in Berlin or Germany for at least a week, the ticket may already pay off. A 7-day ticket for Berlin ABC (that is: Berlin + suburbs and Potsdam) already costs €46.
While Deutschland Ticket costs slightly more, it allows you to use all local public transport without worrying about going too far out of the city. You can take even day trips to Dresden or Leipzig using regional trains (it will take 3 hours one way, with 1 change).
And in the Mo.pla app, you can use a non-German phone number and pay by debit or credit card, so no EUR bank account is needed.
