From 1 January 2027 the Deutschlandticket goes up from €63 to €66.80 a month. If you subscribed through Deutsche Bahn before 15 October 2026, you must actively agree to the new price – otherwise the subscription ends on 31 December. Here are the key questions answered (as of 23 October 2026).
What will it cost? €66.80 instead of €63: €3.80 more a month, or €45.60 a year. The job ticket will cost €63.46 and the semester ticket €40.08 (for semesters starting 1 June 2027). According to an epd report of 1 October, the state transport ministers set the price – for the first time using an index the transport ministers’ conference adopted in March 2026.
Why is it rising? The index factors in staff, energy and general costs (a cost factor of 4.5 per cent) and sets public subsidies against the number of tickets sold. Federal and state funding is capped at roughly €3bn net a year, so when costs rise, passengers automatically carry a bigger share. For perspective: the ticket cost €58 in 2025 and will cost €66.80 from January – a rise of just over 15 per cent in two years, and about 36 per cent since the 2023 launch at €49.
Do subscribers have to do anything?
It depends on the provider. At Deutsche Bahn, anyone who subscribed before 15 October 2026 must consent by 30 November in the Abo-Portal on bahn.de or in the DB Navigator app. Without consent DB cancels the subscription as of 31 December 2026, and travelling afterwards without a valid ticket means a surcharge of at least €60. If you miss the deadline, “Abo reaktivieren” works until the cancellation date. Those who ordered on or after 15 October were told at checkout and need do nothing. Only the person who placed the order can consent – for example a parent who bought it for a child.
Other providers may have different rules. If you booked through the MVV app in Munich, check the app and your confirmation email; tickets bought from MVG or S-Bahn München are handled by those providers.
How and when can I cancel? The ticket can be cancelled monthly, by the 10th for the end of that month – for the turn of the year, that means 10 December 2026. With MVV you can cancel in the app (Ticketshop → profile → Abonnements → Kündigen), via the link in your confirmation email or by emailing kundendialog@mvv-muenchen.de. One note for new Munich customers: MVV says new subscriptions can only be paid by credit card, not SEPA direct debit.
Are there cheaper options? Bavaria offers a reduced ticket for trainees, students and volunteers; for school pupils MVV points to the €365 ticket. Employees can ask about the job ticket: the employer must contribute at least 25 per cent, and there is a further 5 per cent discount. It is worth asking HR.
What comes next? Because the index applies every year, another adjustment on 1 January 2028 looks likely, probably announced in autumn 2027. That is our reading of the index logic, not an official decision. Critics such as consumer-advice chief Ramona Pop warn of an “automated price spiral”, and Deutsche Umwelthilfe notes that federal and state subsidies are frozen until 2030. Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) still calls the ticket a very attractive offer.
Sources: Deutsche Bahn, MVV Munich, epd, Giga (citing Spiegel and WDR)
