Deutsche Bahn: Company abolishes BahnCard!

At the Deutsche Bahn has a new timetable in effect from today. The company is significantly expanding its offering – but many prices are also rising. Flex tickets for long-distance transport, for example, cost an average of 4.9 percent more, while Bahncard discount cards and route season tickets are also on average 4.9 percent more expensive.

But there is another important innovation: the company is doing away with something! The plastic rail card will no longer be available in the future. In the future, the maps intended for frequent travelers will only be created digitally. First of all, from There will no longer be a plastic version for the timetable change for the trial BahnCards 25 and 50, which are each valid for three months.

Change of long-term BahnCards in the middle of the year

In our experience, the target group is “very digitally savvy” and the duration is also short before a replacement card made of plastic would be necessary. “That is why we have decided to no longer offer an analog alternative here,” said a DB spokeswoman for the German Press Agency.

The changeover of the annual products is planned for the second half of 2024, but customer feedback should be taken into account for the specific design of the digitalization process.

5.1 million BahnCards per year

According to DB information, 5.1 million BahnCards are issued every year. “A digital BahnCard saves a lot of plastic,” explained Stefanie Berk, marketing director at DB Fernverkehr. Another advantage: unlike in physical form, the card cannot be forgotten or lost once it has been uploaded to the DB Navigator smartphone app.

With a BahnCard, passengers receive a 25 or 50 percent discount when purchasing a ticket, depending on the option; a BahnCard 100 allows free travel on all trains. According to DB information, 60 percent of BahnCard customers are already using the digital form of the cards in the DB Navigator app.

The initial response to the measure has so far been mixed: While some praise the railway for its environmental friendliness, others criticize that older people without smartphones are left behind as a result.