Deutsche Bahn is launching a significant discount campaign targeting young travelers. According to CEO Evelyn Palla, the company is gifting the “Jugend-Bahncard 25” for an entire year to all children and adolescents across Germany. This initiative opens the railway’s services to an estimated potential base of 15 million young people.
The sale promotion runs from mid-June until the end of September and is open to all children and youth aged six to 18, regardless of their citizenship. The card, which typically costs 7.90 euros, will be provided free of charge for twelve months. Palla stated that the goal of the free Jugend-Bahncard-25 is to help millions of young people start the summer enjoying train travel.
With the gifted card, young passengers receive a 25 percent discount on all Super-Spar, Spar, and Flex fares for both first and second class when traveling on ICE and IC/EC services. Tickets must be booked and used digitally via bahn.de or the “DB Navigator” app using a personal customer account. The card automatically expires after one year, and no cancellation is needed. Furthermore, for single travelers aged six to 14, the card reduces the already discounted fare by an additional 25 percent. Children traveling with parents or grandparents continue to benefit from general complete free travel on long-distance routes.
These promotional efforts coincide with the railway group’s broader financial adjustments. Following a loss of 2.3 billion euros last year, the state-owned enterprise is restructuring its finances with an aim of achieving an operating profit-a “zero result”-this year. Palla commented that the focus on efficiency is yielding positive results, noting that reaching a break-even point seems “tangibly close” after half a decade of multi-billion losses. She added that the internal slimming program is successfully mobilizing numbers toward increased efficiency and, consequently, greater stability.