For whom is the 49 Euro Deutschlandticket worthwhile?

May 1 2023 saw the launch of the Deutschlandticket, which allows passengers to use public transportation throughout Germany. Find out who can benefit most from this ticket and for whom a job ticket is worthwhile in this article.

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What is the Deutschlandticket?

The Deutschlandticket is the nationwide successor to the 9-euro ticket, which was offered in the summer months of 2022. The 49-euro ticket is available as a monthly subscription and is available as a chip card or as a cell phone ticket via app. Thanks to the ticket, users can travel throughout Germany on local and regional public transport buses and trains.

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With the 49-euro ticket, using buses and trains will not only be much easier, but in many cases also cheaper.

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You can find a detailed overview of the Deutschlandticket here.

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Commuter

The 49-euro ticket is a great benefit for commuters in particular. It is significantly cheaper than previous monthly tickets or monthly season tickets of the transport associations. The bonus: Compared to monthly tickets, which are bound to the tariff area of the transport association, the 49-Euro-Ticket is valid throughout Germany. This means that the 49-Euro-Ticket can be particularly worthwhile for commuters using regional transport between cities.

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For many employees, the Deutschlandticket can be even cheaper. Because there is the Jobticket option. If companies provide their employees with the Deutschlandticket as a job ticket and pay a share of at least 25%, the federal and state governments also grant a further 5% discount. This means that employees can get the 49-euro ticket at least 30% cheaper.

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In principle, this means that the Deutschlandticket is worthwhile for holders of previous job tickets, because even with employer subsidies, the ticket prices of conventional job tickets are often higher than 50 euros.

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The Deutschlandticket has one disadvantage compared to most conventional monthly tickets of the transport companies: The Deutschlandticket cannot be used to take other people on weekends or evenings for free, and it is not transferable. It is also not possible to take dogs or bicycles with you.

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Excursionists and tourists

In the summer of 2022, the 9-euro ticket was particularly popular with day-trippers. Thanks to the low price for an entire month, the ticket paid for itself after just one (weekend) trip to another city or to the countryside.

In many regions, however, the Deutschlandticket only pays off for longer trips, overnight trips or several excursions per month.

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For a single day trip, the Quer-durchs-Land ticket for 44 euros may be worthwhile. Especially for a group excursion. Because each additional person only pays an extra 7 euros. For a group of five, that makes a price per person of 14.40 euros. 

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However, depending on the size of the group, the Deutschlandticket is worthwhile if an overnight stay is also planned, because it is still valid the next day.

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City dwellers and country dwellers

Of course, a low price does not make a good offer. Because where rarely a bus or train runs, even a cheap ticket does not help. 

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This is why the Deutschlandticket is initially worthwhile for city dwellers and residents of the surrounding suburbs, where there is generally good public transport coverage.

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But depending on the region, the Deutschlandticket can also be worthwhile for residents in the countryside. It is worth taking a closer look at the offers of the local transport associations and public transport providers.

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Last but not least, rural residents can also combine means of transport, i.e. car and train. Since the ticket is valid nationwide, users can drive to the nearest train station in their own car and use the 49-euro ticket to continue their journey by train. 

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Long-distance travelers and commuters

The Deutschlandticket is an offer for local and regional public transport and can therefore not be used for long-distance journeys, i.e. with IC/EC, ICE or night trains. Flixbus and Flixtrain cannot be used either.

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However, the ticket can be used to get to the station by bus or streetcar, or to take the S-Bahn or regional train to the nearest long-distance station. This in turn can reduce the ticket price for the IC or ICE ticket.

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