TL;DR: This Trainvave Guide is a comprehensive tutorial on Buying a DB Ticket at the Automat: Step-by-Step English Guide. How to buy a long-distance DB ticket in English at a DB Fahrkartenautomat — find the machine, switch language, pick your train, pay by card or cash, and validate only if your ticket needs it.
Platform survival: Station navigation, boarding, and rules.
A condensed visual summary of the most important takeaways from our Buying a DB Ticket at the Automat: Step-by-Step English Guide guide.
No gates: German stations have no ticket barriers. Validating before boarding is key.
Buying a German long-distance train ticket at a DB Fahrkartenautomat (ticket machine) is faster than queuing at the Reisezentrum counter, and the Automat speaks English. The interface is a touchscreen, the language toggle is in the top-right corner, and the payment menu accepts foreign cards, contactless, and cash. This walk covers the exact screen sequence: language switch, route entry, class and BahnCard selection, payment, and when (if ever) you need to validate the printed ticket at the red Entwerter on the platform.
If you are travelling with luggage or a bike, brush up on the luggage, bikes, and pets guide before you head to the platform. For seat reservations, see the seat reservations guide.
When to Use the Automat (and When Not To)
The DB Automat is the right tool for:
- A single ICE, IC, or EC long-distance ticket bought at the station right now
- A Sparpreis or Flexpreis fare for a specific connection
- Adding a seat reservation to a journey you have already planned
- Buying a BahnCard 25 or 50 at the station
The Automat is not the right tool for:
- Super Sparpreis (the very cheapest saver fare) — often only available on bahn.de or in DB Navigator
- BahnCard 100 — sold only at the Reisezentrum or by phone
- International tickets to some countries — these sometimes need to be issued at a counter
- Länder-Tickets for groups of 5 — only sold in the app or online
Before You Walk Up: Have These Ready
- Your start and destination stations — spelled as on bahn.de (e.g. “München Hbf” not “Munich”)
- Travel date and approximate time — the machine shows the next 2-3 connections by default
- Passenger count and ages — adults 15+, children 6-14, under 6 free
- BahnCard number if you have one
- Card or cash — the machine does not give receipts for amounts under 7 EUR
Step 1: Find the Right Automat
Not every touchscreen at a German station is a DB long-distance Automat. Look for the red DB logo and the word “Fahrkarten” on the machine. Regional machines (HVV in Hamburg, MVV in Munich, BVG in Berlin, VRS in Cologne) sell only local tickets and will refuse long-distance routes. Inside larger Hauptbahnhöfe the DB Automaten are grouped near the main hall and the DB Information counter; outside smaller stations there is usually one or two Automaten right at the platform entrance.
Step 2: Switch to English
The language button is in the top-right corner of the touchscreen — it is a small flag icon or a globe. Tap it, pick “English” from the list, and the entire interface changes instantly. The screens that follow (ticket type, payment, confirmation) will all be in English. The machine remembers the language until you finish the transaction.
Step 3: Enter Route and Pick a Connection
Tap Tickets & Reservations → Single ticket (or Day ticket for a Länder-Ticket). The machine asks for From and To — type the city or station name; auto-complete kicks in after 3 characters. Pick the date and time. If you are flexible, leave the time as “next connection” and the machine shows the next 2-3 trains.
For each connection you see:
- Train type (ICE, IC, RE) and train number
- Departure and arrival time
- Travel class offered (1st / 2nd)
- Price for the cheapest fare available
- Transfers (Umsteigen) — direct trains are marked “0”
Pick the connection that matches your travel plan. If the cheapest Sparpreis is not available at the Automat, the machine shows the Flexpreis and any available Sparpreis — confirm the fare class before paying.
Step 4: Class, BahnCard, and Reservations
The machine asks for travel class (1st or 2nd) and then for any discounts. If you have a BahnCard 25, 50, or 100, tap “Yes” when asked and enter the BahnCard number — the discount is applied automatically. For children aged 6-14, the machine applies the Kinder (50%) reduction; under 6 are free and do not need a ticket.
You can add a seat reservation at this stage (about 5.50 EUR in 2nd class; 6.90 EUR in 1st class, and included free only with a 1st-class Flexpreis, not with a 1st-class Sparpreis). Reservations guarantee a specific seat — recommended for busy Friday afternoons, holiday weekends, or journeys over 2 hours. If you skip the reservation, you can still sit in any unreserved seat (green light above it) on board.
Step 5: Pay
The payment screen offers:
- Debit / credit card — insert chip-first, follow the prompts, do not remove the card until told
- Contactless — tap your card, phone, or watch on the reader
- Cash — insert banknotes and coins; the machine gives change from a separate slot (limited change for large notes)
- Apple Pay / Google Pay — supported on the newest Automaten (look for the symbol on the card reader)
The machine does not print until payment is approved. If your card is declined, the machine returns to the start of the payment screen — try another card, or pay cash.
Step 6: Take the Ticket, Validate Only If Needed
When payment is approved, the machine prints your ticket and (if you paid cash) returns change from a separate slot. Take both. The ticket is now your travel document.
Validation rules for Automat-bought tickets:
- ICE / IC / EC tickets with a specific date and train — pre-validated, do not stamp
- Länder-Tickets and the Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket — valid from purchase, not stamped at an Entwerter, but only valid once the first and last names of every paying passenger are written on the ticket before boarding
- Plain regional single paper tickets with no printed “valid from” time — must be validated at the red/yellow Entwerter on the platform before boarding
- Tickets bought at a Reisezentrum counter — already validated, do not stamp
If you have any doubt, check the bottom of the ticket for a “Gültig nur entwertet” (valid only when validated) marking. If you stamp an ICE/IC ticket by mistake, it is not a problem — the date and seat binding still control travel.
Common Mistakes Tourists Make at the Automat
- Using a regional machine for a long-distance ticket — the HVV/MVV/BVG machines do not sell ICE/IC tickets. Find a red DB Automat.
- Forgetting to switch to English — the German UI is correct but slow to navigate if you do not read German. Tap the flag icon top-right.
- Paying cash with a 50 or 100 EUR note — the machine may refuse large notes because it cannot give change. Use 20 EUR notes or smaller, or pay by card.
- Buying the wrong fare class — if the machine only shows Flexpreis and you wanted Super Sparpreis, check bahn.de on your phone before paying.
- Forgetting the ticket in the dispenser — the slot is shared with the change; take both before you walk away.
Related Reading on Trainvave
- DB Navigator app: tickets, seat map, live updates — the fastest way to buy Super Sparpreis and Länder-Tickets from your phone
- Understanding German train tickets — Sparpreis vs Flexpreis, when each fare is worth it
- Seat reservations on German trains — when to pay for a guaranteed seat
- Validate a ticket (Entwerter) explained — when you still need the red stamp machine
Step-by-Step Instructions
Find a DB ticket machine at the station
Look for the grey DB-Automaten with a touchscreen and the red DB logo. They stand near the platform entrance, in the station hall, or next to the DB Information counter. Regional transport machines (e.g. HVV, MVV) are not for DB long-distance tickets — use a DB Automat for ICE and IC journeys.
Choose English on the start screen
In the top-right corner of the touchscreen, tap the flag icon or the language list and select English. The entire UI switches to English instantly and stays in English for the rest of your transaction, including payment prompts and ticket type names.
Enter your route and select a connection
Tap Tickets & Reservations, then Single ticket (Einzelfahrt) or Day ticket. Type your start and destination — the machine auto-completes after 3 characters. Pick the date, time, and number of passengers (adults 15+, children 6-14, under 6 free). Confirm the train from the list of connections.
Pick ticket type and add a discount
Choose 1st or 2nd class. Add a BahnCard discount if you have one — the machine asks for the BahnCard number and applies the reduction automatically. Note: the very cheapest Super Sparpreis fare is often only sold online or in the DB Navigator app, not at the machine.
Pay by card, contactless, or cash
Insert your debit or credit card chip-first, or tap contactless. Cash (banknotes and coins) is accepted but the machine gives limited change — small notes work best. Apple Pay and Google Pay work on newer machines. Keep the card in the reader until the machine confirms payment.
Take the ticket — validate only if needed
Collect your ticket and change from the dispenser slot. ICE and IC long-distance tickets bought at the Automat are pre-validated for the date and time printed on them — no Entwerter stamp needed. Länder-Tickets such as the Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket are valid from purchase and are NOT stamped, but they are only valid once the first and last names of every paying passenger are written on the ticket — do this before you board. A plain regional single paper ticket with no printed "valid from" time still needs a stamp at the red/yellow Entwerter on the platform.
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