Deutsche Bahn makes €99 family ticket a permanent offer

Deutsche Bahn has announced that its 99-euro family ticket (Familienticket), which the national rail company initially planned as a summer-only offer, will be available permanently.

DB’s family ticket back by popular demand

Deutsche Bahn’s 99-euro family ticket will soon be available as a permanent offer. The ticket lets groups of up to five people book return tickets for long-distance trains for a total price of 99,99 euros, including seat reservations. 

Deutsche Bahn announced the deal in May and initially said it would run from late June to mid-September. But its popularity has prompted Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla to extend the offer. 

Palla told Bild am Sonntag that over the summer Deutsche Bahn saw “100.000 more families on board than in the previous year”. Appointed CEO last October, Palla has since announced several ticket deals in an effort to boost passenger numbers.

These include a ticket price freeze until May 2027 and a discount scheme for short-notice ICE and IC train bookings. 

What you need to know before booking a Familienticket

The family ticket will go back on sale from October 26 and can be used for train journeys on or after November 1. Palla explained that Deutsche Bahn will not limit the number of family tickets it can sell. 

However, as with other Deutsche Bahn ticket deals, such as Super Sparpreis tickets, family tickets may sell out quickly on particularly popular routes. Deutsche Bahn’s most popular routes include Munich to Augsburg, Berlin to Hamburg and Berlin to Amsterdam.

To buy a family ticket, at least one member of the five-person group must be under 14, and one member must be 15 or older. Group members do not need to be related.

While the 99-euro group price is for a return booking, eligible groups can also book a one-way ticket for just 59,99 euros.

Because at least one child must travel in the group for passengers to be eligible for the ticket, the Familienticket option will appear in the Deutsche Bahn journey search only if passengers tick that they are travelling with children.

Another factor to consider is that adults can already add children aged 14 or below to their ticket booking free of charge. So booking a family ticket is not always the cheapest option for groups of adults and children. 

This means that opting for the family ticket makes sense on longer or more expensive journeys where the price for two adults is already 100 euros or more.

One more thing: while the family ticket includes seat reservations, it does not guarantee that group members will be seated together if no neighbouring seats are left on the train.