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Terms of use for your personal customer account

1. What is the purpose of the customer account?

  1. We want to our services to be as simple, convenient and personalized as possible. In these "Terms of Use", "we" means DB Vertrieb GmbH, DB Fernverkehr AG and DB Regio AG, collectively referred to as the "DB Companies". In legal terms, the DB Companies bear collective liability and collective rights.
     
  2. Using your "Customer Account", you can conveniently book and manage the offers and services of the DB Companies. Your Customer Account contains the data generated when using its features, particularly data connected with your journeys with the DB Companies. Based on your Customer Account, we share information with each other so as to be able to tailor our offers specifically to you. You can find out about what information we share in Section 4. This allows us to tailor your rail experience to you and your personal wishes and expectations – for example, from your first visit to our website bahn.de/int.bahn.de or one of our DB Travel Centres to your rail journey itself and services at your destination. It goes without saying that each of the three DB companies will communicate with you only within the legally permitted parameters. In particular, your Customer Account has no bearing on the consent to e-mail marketing activities you may have given to individual DB Companies. You will continue to receive newsletters, offers, vouchers and other product information only if you wish to do so. 
  3. You can currently access your Customer Account via the following touchpoints: On our websites, in the DB Navigator and BahnBonus apps and by telephone. In future, we would like to enable you to access your Customer Account via other touchpoints such as the DB Reisezentrum (DB Travel Centre) or your train attendant on long-distance and regional/local services.
     
  4. You can make use of your Customer Account as a consumer of services. It is free of charge for you and participation is voluntary. This means that you can still take advantage of offers and services provided by the DB Companies without opening or using a Customer Account. We reserve the right to discontinue the Customer Account service.

2. What are these Terms of Use for?

  1. These Terms of Use only apply to the use of the Customer Account. They do not apply to the offers and services that you book and manage via the Customer Account. For these offers and services, you enter into separate contracts with the respective provider on a case-by-case basis. For example, the conditions of carriage of Deutsche Bahn AG continue to apply to transport services.
     
  2. Certain touchpoints may have their own terms and conditions that apply in addition to these Terms of Use. In particular, these include the terms of use for the website bahn.de/int.bahn.de and for the apps.
  3. By registering for a Customer Account, you agree to be bound by the terms described here.

3. How do you get a Customer Account?

  1. You need to register in order to use your Customer Account. You must provide complete and truthful information. If anything changes, you must update your details without delay.
     
  2. You can only use your Customer Account when you verify your identity using your login details.
     
  3. You must keep your login details secret. You can change your password at any time. The use of your Customer Account by third parties is not permitted. If other people use your device, please make sure that your browser's auto-fill option is deactivated. In addition, please take care to prevent misuse of your login details.
     
  4. We may block your Customer Account if there is reasonable suspicion that someone has unauthorised access to it, if you breach these Terms of Use (in particular if we have reasonable suspicion that your Customer Account is being misused) or if there are other legitimate reasons. If you fail to act or if a breach of the Terms of Use continues despite us having given you a reasonable period of notice, your participation in the Customer Account will be terminated in accordance with Clause 7.2.

4. What does the Customer Account offer you?

  1. With the Customer Account, you are opting for a seamless customer experience when interacting with the DB Companies. The Customer Account makes your data available at the various touchpoints so that it is easier for you to use and book the offers and services of the DB Companies.
  2. Your data including your booking history are stored in the Customer Account so you can make use of the many options that it affords, depending on the touchpoint.
  • Managing your details
    You can save your name and address so that you can access them as a registered customer for future bookings. You can also specify a different delivery or billing address. In addition, you can save your preferred payment details to use for future bookings.
  • Making and managing bookings
    Our system automatically uses the data in your Customer Account, including your payment details, when you make a booking – but you still have the option to change this information during the booking process. In addition, as a registered customer, you have the option of making a booking for another person. You also get an overview of your future and past bookings, enabling you to manage them easily and quickly. For future bookings, you can create notifications for your journey, purchase additional options such as a seat reservation at a later date, or exchange or refund the booking in accordance with the fare conditions. 
  • Booking services: Save frequently used connections, routes and booking profiles
    Under "My next connections" you can set up, edit and delete frequently used connections. 
    Under "My routes" you can store, edit or delete various routes. If you want to search for travel information on a connection, you can then use one of the routes you've saved. 
    Under "My booking profiles" you can store, edit or delete frequently used settings for your booking as a profile so they are ready for the next time you book. If you use one of your profiles for a booking, the settings you have stored here will be automatically applied, but you can still change them in the course of the booking. You can save information on travellers and reservation preferences in different profiles
     
  • Travel notifications 
    You can set up notifications about your trip and deactivate them at any time. You can store connections so that you automatically receive information in the event of delays or cancellations.
     
  • BahnCard
    In your Customer Account, you will receive an overview of all your BahnCards, including both main cards and partner cards. Here you can find the start date and end date of your BahnCard validity and cancel the BahnCard contract or exchange it for another BahnCard in accordance with the BahnCard fare conditions. You have the option to simplify reordering of a BahnCard using the details from your Customer Account. 
    If you are a holder of the BahnCard 100 1st class, you will find an overview of your quota of free seat reservations in your Customer Account. The account displays the number of free seat reservations you still have available, and you can also use your Customer Account to make a seat reservation. 
     
  • BahnBonus
    You can register for the BahnBonus programme via your Customer Account. After registering, you can specify whether you want to automatically collect reward and status points every time you make a booking with your Customer Account. Otherwise, you will be asked each time you make a booking whether you would like to collect points. 
    You will be shown an overview of all your collected reward and status points as well as the redeemed points. This allows you to track your points balance at any time and see how many points have been credited or deducted, for example when you claim a reward. 
    You will also receive information on the status programme for frequent travellers. Here you will be able to see how many status points you have already collected. You have the option of redeeming your collected BahnBonus loyalty points for rewards from the BahnBonus loyalty rewards catalogue. If you no longer wish to participate in the BahnBonus programme, you can unsubscribe from the BahnBonus programme in your Customer Account.
     
  • DB subscriptions and commuter tickets
    In your Customer Account, you will find an overview of your DB subscriptions and commuter tickets. Here you will find the area of validity as well as the start and end of date of your contracts and can terminate them or start a new contract in accordance with the fare conditions for subscriptions and commuter tickets. You have the option to simplify reordering using the details from your Customer Account. 
     
  • Manage advertising and contact preferences
    In your Customer Account, you can give your consent to receive the DB Vertrieb GmbH newsletter or withdraw consent previously given. 
    You can also consent to DB Fernverkehr AG's e-mail marketing or withdraw consent previously given.
     
  • Complaints, criticism, praise and suggestions
    Having a Customer Account simplifies the process for submitting complaints, criticism, praise or suggestions about a future or past booking. 
     
  • Applying for compensation (passenger rights)
    Being a registered customer means a simpler process for exercising your passenger rights and requesting compensation in the event of a delay or train cancellation.
     
  • Offers, vouchers and information
    You can receive offers, vouchers and information from the DB Companies by letter, on the websites, in the apps of the DB Companies and, if you wish, by e-mail. 
    For example, we will send you messages to inform you about disruption to rail operations to help you plan and complete your journey. 
    As a Customer Account holder, you can receive offers or vouchers for future journeys and for the BahnCard when you visit the DB Reisezentrum (DB Travel Centre). Please identify yourself at the DB Reisezentrum if the assistant asks you to do so.
    We may also use your e-mail address collected during registration or due to contractual commitments (e.g. booking a digital ticket) to inform you electronically (especially by e-mail and push notifications) about our own similar products or services. You can object at any time to the future use of your data for such advertising purposes. You can submit your objection via the link provided in any e-mail received for this purpose or by sending an e-mail to p.d-datenschutz@deutschebahn.com (Advertising Objection).
    We would like to continuously develop and improve the Customer Account. We therefore reserve the right to expand, restrict or otherwise alter the functions offered in the Customer Account to a reasonable extent at any time. 

We would like to continuously develop and improve the Customer Account. We therefore reserve the right to expand, restrict or otherwise alter the functions offered in the Customer Account to a reasonable extent at any time.

5. What do I need to know about the availability of the Customer Account?

  1. We cannot guarantee that the Customer Account will be available at all times without interruption across all touchpoints or that it will always function error-free. Due to technical circumstances which may not be within our control, there is the possibility of downtimes, which may involve complete or partial inaccessibility for a certain period of time. This also applies to a reasonable extent in the event of maintenance measures. You do not have an entitlement to uninterrupted use of the Customer Account.
  2. You can only load your BahnCard into the DB Navigator app if a stable connection to your Customer Account can be established. You must therefore ensure that your BahnCard is also available offline in the app before you start your journey. It is your responsibility to be able to show a valid BahnCard if required.

6. What happens to your data?

We inform you about the processing of your personal data in the Customer Account in our privacy policy.

7. How can you terminate your customer account?

  1. You can terminate your customer account with immediate effect and without notice. You can do so online via bahn.de, by telephone via the DB Dialog customer service centre or in writing.
  2. Your account may be terminated automatically after 24 months of inactivity.
  3. As soon as you terminate your customer account, you will no longer have access to the data stored there. Your contract with us for the provision of the customer account is terminated at that point.
  4. Please do not terminate your customer account if you still need it for current contracts or claims, e.g. for subscriptions or multi-journey tickets. If you nevertheless express a wish to terminate your customer account, we will endeavour to warn you. We also reserve the right to allow the termination of the customer account only after current contracts and claims have been fulfilled. However, we cannot accept responsibility if you are no longer able to use paid services due to the termination of your customer account.

8. How is liability regulated?

  1. We assume no liability for the availability of the customer account or the functions offered therein.
  2. In all other respects, we shall only be liable for damage caused by intentional or grossly negligent breach of duty by legal representatives or vicarious agents of the DB companies. This limitation of liability does not apply to damages resulting from loss of life, bodily injury or damage to health.
  3. We shall not be liable for ordinary negligence on the part of legal representatives and vicarious agents of the DB companies unless an obligation is breached with which compliance is of particular importance for achieving the purpose of the contract (hereinafter referred to as cardinal obligations). Cardinal obligations are obligations that must be fulfilled in order to enable the proper performance of the contract. If these are breached, it may jeopardise the achievement of the purpose of the contract. The other contracting party therefore regularly relies on these cardinal obligations being met. In the event of a negligent breach of a cardinal obligation, liability shall be limited to the foreseeable damage typical for the contract.
  4. Liability under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz) remains unaffected.
  5. We expressly point out that the contractual provision of the offers and services of the customer account depends decisively on you providing truthful information about yourself. Liability for damages based on incorrect or incomplete information provided by you is therefore excluded.
  6. We are not liable for any damages in connection with the services you book via the customer account. This is governed solely by the contract you have concluded separately with the respective provider on a case-by-case basis, as well as any statutory provisions.

9. How are these terms of use changed?

  1. We may amend and adjust these GTC with effect for the future if there is a valid reason for the amendment and insofar as the amendments are reasonable taking into account the interests of both contracting parties.
  2. A valid reason exists in particular if the changes are necessary to a not insignificant extent due to a disruption of the equivalence relationship of the contract that was unforeseeable for us at the time the contract was concluded, or if they are necessary for the further performance of the contract due to changes in case law or legislation.
  3. The amendment of a major obligation is excluded.
  4. We will send you the amended terms and conditions in written form at least eight weeks before the planned date of entry into force, and will draw particular attention to the new provisions and the date they enter into force. At the same time, we will give you a reasonable period of at least eight weeks to declare whether you accept the amended GTC for further use of the service.
  5. This period begins from receipt of the message in written form. If you do not make a declaration within this period, the amended conditions shall be deemed to have been accepted.
  6. We will inform you separately about this legal consequence, i.e. the right of objection, the objection period and the significance of not responding, at the beginning of the period.

10. Which law is applicable and which court has jurisdiction?

  1. The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies if you have your habitual residence in Germany. If you have your habitual residence in a member state of the European Union, German law shall also apply, without prejudice to mandatory provisions of the state in which you have your habitual residence. In all other respects, the applicable law shall be determined in accordance with the statutory provisions.
  2. The place of jurisdiction for all disputes is Frankfurt am Main if you have your domicile or habitual residence in Germany. The place of jurisdiction for all disputes shall also be Frankfurt am Main if your domicile or habitual residence was in Germany at the time you registered for the customer account and have relocated this from Germany after concluding the contract, or if your domicile or habitual residence is unknown at the time the action is brought. Otherwise, the place of jurisdiction shall be governed by the statutory provisions.
  3. We are not obliged to participate in a dispute resolution procedure of a consumer arbitration board and do not offer participation in such a procedure.


​​​​​​​(Last modified: 1 October 2021)

 

Answers to FAQs

You can find additional information and answers to your questions about the Customer Account Terms of Use in the FAQ