Germany pushes for unified rail tickets as Deutsche Bahn overhauls bonus program

The passenger association PRO BAHN urges the German federal government to create a nationwide mobility ticket that would work across all public‑transport services, including long‑distance operators such as Westbahn, Flixtrain and Eurostar. The aim is to keep competition from new entrants from fragmenting the system and to preserve flexible, customer‑friendly travel.

Deutsche Bahn announced that, from 1 August, its bonus‑points scheme for free journeys will be changed. Customers will be able to redeem points for any domestic route and class, with thresholds ranging from 750 to 2 750 points. The redemption price will be set dynamically according to factors like travel time, booking window and demand. Critics say the new model reduces price transparency and could raise the cost of free‑travel tickets.