Reader Question: Can I still get Germany's €49 travel ticket for May?

As of Tuesday, seven million people in Germany already purchased one of the tickets, according to German transport organisation VDV. Also dubbed the Deutschlandticket (or D-Ticket), the monthly travel pass can only be bought as a subscription but can be cancelled anytime. 

While you can’t buy the ticket from a machine at the U- or S-Bahn station - as with the wildly popular €9 ticket last summer - there are still a number of ways to sign up for a subscription starting for the month of May.

Where can I still get a hold of the Deutschland ticket?

If you’re not looking to transfer your existing transport subscription, you haven’t yet missed the boat to get a €49 ticket. For new monthly subscribers, there are a few apps that allow you to easily purchase the ticket. 

With transport app Mo.pla, you can order the ticket for May - and receive a €10 discount until May 31st. That means that users will pay €39 the first month, and then automatically be charged the normal €49 for each of the following months.

With German taxi booking app Free Now, it’s also possible to purchase a €49 ticket for May, and receive a €10 discount. The app also sells the Job Ticket, in which users - in cooperation with their employer - can get a hold of the D-Ticket for as little as €34.30 per month.

READ ALSO: State by state: Who will get a discount on Germany's €49 ticket?

According to the VDV, a good half of the tickets have been ordered via smartphone so far.

The ticket is also available as a chip card, although these are usually purchased through a transport association. Within a transitional period until the end of the year, some regions are also offering a paper ticket with a digitally readable QR code.

When is it too late to get a Deutschland ticket?

Many frequent travellers and commuters in Germany already have a subscription with their local transport association - for example the BVG in Berlin or KVB in Cologne. 

While many will choose to stay with the more expensive ticket they already have - because it allows them to take along another passenger in the evening and weekends, for example - others will choose to switch over to the D-Ticket.

However, they need to transfer the ticket by the 10th of the last calendar month in order for it to be valid for the next month, a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson told The Local. 

READ ALSO: What's the deadline for ordering - or cancelling - Germany's €49 ticket?

So those hoping to get on board with the €49 ticket in June rather than their current subscription have until the end of Wednesday to do so.

Keep in mind that the subscription for the ticket can also be cancelled by the 10th - so those looking to get a €49 ticket just for May can buy a subscription on Tuesday or Wednesday with an app and cancel it directly afterwards. 

According to the VDV forecast, there will be about eleven million regular customers who will switch from their subscription to the Deutschlandticket.

And, as a whole, the VDV predicts that, in the long term, five to six million new subscribers will opt for a Deutschlandticket.