Deutsche Bahn: valid ID for online booking & home print out - help!

Munro_Bagger

Hello everyone! I've just been going through the online booking process with DB, to get their super-saver tickets for a journey next week (my other half and I). This is the first time I've used it, and I'd really appreciate some help / advice!

Online booking requires an ID method, which must be presented on the train. I am booking two return tickets, one for me, one for my other half.

The site states the ID method 'credit card' (American Express, MasterCard, Diners Club, Visa or JCB), but then mentions that payment can be made with a debit card...but under the payment tab 'Credit card VISA' is listed! I don't own a credit card - I have a Visa debit card. I'm terrified that I get this wrong and then have to pay a supplemental fare on the train (there is a massive difference between the saver and standard fares)

Can anyone help?

Many thanks.

jjblondie

My experiences of booking have been thus: DB online will not accept my Mastercard or Visa debit cards for payment, only my Mastercard credit card or direct booking from my German bank account. It was very annoying and the system isn't really geared to branded debit cards because they aren't common over here - so despite my German bank saying my Metro bank UK Mastercard debit card would work, it didn't.

For train ID I use my German electron-style card. Which you can't pay with, only use as ID. Find the logic in that one. I think a passport may be ID, but I'm not sure, and my debit cards weren't ID either.

You may have to book expensive fares through international agents if you don't have a credit card.

agrinnall

I would certainly try to use your Visa debit card to book the tickets, if it works that's the first part of the task sorted. However, I've seen several other threads reporting similar issues with DB to those experienced by jjblondie, so even if your debit card works make sure you have plenty of ID with you in case that card isn't accepted.

jjblondie

Just to give you the information from DB itself regarding online tickets:
"Mögliche Identifizierungskarten sind:
BahnCard (eine vorläufige BahnCard gilt nicht als Identifizierungskarte)
Kreditkarte (American Express, MasterCard, Diners Club, Visa oder JCB)
ec-Karte/Maestro
Personalausweis (Die Personalausweise/Identitätskarten der folgenden Länder können für die Identifizierung im Zug verwendet werden: Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz, Frankreich, Niederlande, Belgien, Luxemburg, Italien)
bahn.bonus Card."

I assume you won't have a bahn.bonus or bahn card (railcard for here), EC Card (basic debit card thing here), or a passport ID card from one of the above countries (UK not valid as not in that list), so according to that list your only ID options are a credit card or a Maestro card. Sorry.

Munro_Bagger

Many thanks for your replies. jjblondie - you are correct - I don't have a bahn.bonus / bahn card, EC card (as you point out, not UK) or ID card (again, not in the UK!). I also don't have a credit card...all I have is a Visa debit card. In fact, my Visa debit card used to be a maestro card, before my bank decided Visa was the better way forward, and reissued it!

So, my options appear to be input my debit card details anyway and pray the transaction goes through (and hope if it does that any ID I then take with me [passport, debit card, driving licence] is enough to convince the authorities that I (and my other half) are who we say we are)...or phone the DB UK booking line and see if I can get the same saver tickets through them. Saver tickets are 24EUR in total - standard are 48EUR so I don't want to be clobbered with a surplus! Plus, my language skills are extremely basic and I'm petrified!

Wondering whether I should just try online - has anyone else had this experience? Thanks again

nuttyrockeress

Just to note, we have been to Berlin 4 times now over the past few years.

We went earlier this month after not going since Dec 2010 and noticed that quite a few places wouldn't accept Visa debit or Visa credit. The shops seemed to favour Eurocard.

I understand this isn't what your question was but thought it may be useful information to others.

littlestar1981

I used that site to book a train between Munich and Salzburg last October, just chose the Visa option using my debit card and it was fine.

GlennTheBaker

I travelled on Deutsche Bahn a couple of years ago and I'm pretty sure I used my Nationwide Visa debit card for ID, selecting the 'Visa' option.

Munro_Bagger

Many thanks all that responded - just out of interest, I emailed DB and received the following reply;

"Our system should accept the Visa debit card only as the payment method. However, unfortunately the debit card cannot be accepted as the online-ticket identification card. In the mentioned circumstance, the only delivery method our system can offer you is the delivery via "Ticket per mail", because for those ticket a identification is not necessary. We regret that we cannot tell you something more positive".

So, I booked using the UK phone number, and opted to receive a code by email, which I'll punch into a ticket machine in Germany to retrieve the tickets!!!!