BahnCard 25, 50, 100: when each card pays off
When does a BahnCard 25, 50 or 100 pay off? Deutsche Bahn prices as of November 2026, break-even maths and examples for occasional and frequent travellers.
In this article7
How many people own a BahnCard 100?
Deutsche Bahn does not publish a current figure for the BahnCard 100 alone. In its 2025 annual report, DB Fernverkehr, the long-distance division, only lists the total of all BahnCards: 4.702 million on 31 December 2025, after 4.687 million a year earlier.[1] At the end of 2023 the figure was still 5.019 million. Among the reasons for the 2024 decline, the company names the Deutschland-Ticket and poor operational quality.[2]
For the BahnCard 100 there are only older figures. In 2018 the news site Nahverkehr Hamburg, citing Statista, reported more than 50,000 holders in 2017; in first class there were about 7,000 in 2016, according to Deutsche Bahn.[3] For 2023, Statista records a clear drop compared with 2022 and attributes it to the launch of the Deutschland-Ticket in May 2023.[4]
Measured against the total, the BahnCard 100 is a card for a small group. That fits its price: it is aimed at people who travel long-distance almost every day, not at holidaymakers.
When does a BahnCard 100 pay off?
A BahnCard 100 pays off when, with a BahnCard 50, you would pay more than €4,655 a year for flexible-fare tickets. That equals about €9,310 of flexible fares before the discount. The basis is Deutsche Bahn's prices: €4,899 for second class and €7,999 for first class, valid for one year.[5]
The calculation compares with the BahnCard 50 because it is the obvious alternative for frequent travellers. It costs €244 and halves the flexible fare (Flexpreis).[6] With it, you pay €244 plus half of your flexible fares. The BahnCard 100 is cheaper as soon as that sum exceeds €4,899.
The Deutschland-Ticket, Germany's monthly pass for all local transport, is included in the BahnCard 100 at no extra cost.[5] On its own it costs €63 a month, rising to €66.80 from 1 January 2027.[7] If you would subscribe to it anyway, deduct 12 × €66.80 = €801.60 for a card that runs mostly in 2027. The threshold then falls to about €7,700 of flexible fares a year.
| Comparison (second class) | Flexible fares before discount from which the BahnCard 100 is cheaper | At €100 per one-way trip (assumption) |
|---|---|---|
| against BahnCard 50 | €9,310 | from 94 trips a year |
| against BahnCard 50 plus Deutschland-Ticket | €7,706.80 | from 78 trips a year |
| first class against BahnCard 50 first class | €15,014 | – |
The €100 per trip is an assumption for a longer ICE route at the flexible fare, not a tariff. Use your own price: divide the threshold by the flexible fare of your usual route. 94 one-way trips equal just under four return journeys a month.
Other benefits count alongside the price. The BahnCard 100 includes a quota of free reservations for seats or bicycles and ends after one year without cancellation. To try it out, Deutsche Bahn offers the three-month Probe BahnCard 100 trial card for €1,459 in second class and €2,599 in first class.[8] Everyone under 27 can get the My BahnCard 100 for €3,199 in second class.[9]
BahnCard 25 cost
The BahnCard 25 costs €62.90 for second class and €125 for first class, as of November 2026.[10] It is valid for twelve months and renews automatically for another year unless you cancel it in writing at least four weeks before it expires. The standard card is for travellers aged 27 to 64; Deutsche Bahn offers separate versions for other age groups.
| Version | Second class | First class | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| BahnCard 25 | €62.90 | €125 | 12 months |
| Probe BahnCard 25 (trial) | €19.90 | €39.90 | 3 months |
| My BahnCard 25 (under 27) | €39.90 | €81.90 | 12 months |
| Senioren BahnCard 25 (65 and over) | €40.90 | €81.90 | 12 months |
| Reduced BahnCard 25 | €40.90 | €81.90 | 12 months |
| Jugend BahnCard 25 (age 6 to 18) | €7.90, also valid in first class | – | 12 months |
The prices come from Deutsche Bahn's BahnCard comparison.[9] The reduced card is for people with a full reduction in earning capacity and severely disabled people with a disability degree of at least 70. The Jugend BahnCard 25 currently costs €0 instead of €7.90.[11] According to Deutsche Bahn, it can be ordered at that price from 7 October to 12 December 2026.[6]
With the Probe BahnCard 25, the small print matters. Without cancellation it turns into an annual subscription automatically.[12] If you only want it for a single trip, note the cancellation deadline when you buy it.
BahnCard 25 benefits
The BahnCard 25 gives 25 percent off super saver, saver and flexible fares within Germany, in the class of the card.[10] That sets it apart from the BahnCard 50, which gives 50 percent off the flexible fare only and also 25 percent off saver fares. For anyone who books early and uses saver fares (Sparpreis), both cards do the same job.
- Trains: The discount applies to ICE, IC/EC, ÖBB Nightjet trains and regional trains such as IRE, RE, RB and S-Bahn.
- Transport associations: Some regional transport associations give BahnCard holders a discount on their fares. Whether that applies on your route shows at booking, which deducts the discount automatically.
- City-Ticket: With saver and super saver fares, the additional City-Ticket for local transport at your start and destination is not discounted. With the flexible fare it is included free of charge.
- Digital: You can use the card as a digital BahnCard in the DB Navigator app; you need a DB customer account for that.
- BahnBonus: When you buy, you can sign up for Deutsche Bahn's loyalty programme and collect points.
For planning, it matters that you can buy a BahnCard up to six months ahead and tickets up to twelve months ahead. The card does not have to be valid at booking, only on the day of travel. You can therefore book a spring trip with the BahnCard discount and buy the card so that it starts on the travel day.
BahnCard 25 savings calculation example
The BahnCard 25 pays off as soon as your ticket spending before the discount exceeds €251.60 a year. At that point, 25 percent off is worth more than the €62.90 the card costs.[9] In first class the threshold is €500. For the BahnCard 50 it is €488 of flexible fares or, if you only book saver fares, €976.
Three travel profiles show how this works in practice. The ticket prices are assumptions: €40 per one-way trip at the saver fare, €100 per one-way trip at the flexible fare, second class.
| Profile (assumption) | Ticket costs without BahnCard | Result with BahnCard 25 | Result with BahnCard 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 return journeys at the saver fare | €320 | €17.10 saved | €164 lost |
| 2 return journeys at the flexible fare | €400 | €37.10 saved | €44 lost |
| 10 one-way trips at the flexible fare | €1,000 | €187.10 saved | €256 saved |
Each result is the discount minus the card price. In the first profile, the BahnCard 25 saves €80 in discounts and the card costs €62.90. The BahnCard 50 also only brings €80 there, but costs €244.
Switching to the BahnCard 50 pays off from €724.40 of flexible fares a year. Below that, the extra 25 percentage points of discount are worth less than the €181.10 price difference between the cards.[9] With saver fares there is no switching point, because both cards give the same there.
For a single larger trip, the Probe BahnCard 25 can be the better choice. On one return journey at €100 per direction at the flexible fare within three months, you save €50 and the card costs €19.90. That only works out if you cancel in time.
Do the maths with your own trips before you buy. Count your long-distance journeys over the past twelve months and note whether they were saver or flexible fares. Then compare the total with the thresholds above. For destinations that are easy to reach by train, see destinations in Germany, for example the comparison Baltic Sea or North Sea. More trip-planning guides are collected in the Travel section, and the methodology describes how Adtouro checks prices and sources.
Frequently asked questions
Is the BahnCard 25 worth it for one trip a year?
Only if that trip costs more than €251.60 without a discount. For a single trip, the Probe BahnCard 25 for €19.90 is often cheaper, as long as you cancel it before it expires.
When is the BahnCard 50 better than the BahnCard 25?
When you spend more than €724.40 a year on flexible fares. If you book almost only saver fares, you get 25 percent with either card and are better off with the cheaper BahnCard 25.
Do I have to cancel the BahnCard 100?
No. The BahnCard 100 ends automatically after one year. The BahnCard 25 and 50, by contrast, renew unless you cancel them in writing at least four weeks before they expire.
Is the Deutschland-Ticket included in the BahnCard 100?
Yes. Deutsche Bahn adds the Deutschland-Ticket to the BahnCard 100 free of charge, for the card's term and without a separate subscription. It is valid on all local transport in Germany.