When can a rail delay qualify for compensation?

If you reach your destination 60 to 119 minutes late, compensation is 25% of the fare. From 120 minutes, it is 50%. The calculation uses the amount you actually paid for the delayed journey.

If outbound and return journeys share one ticket and only a total price is shown, DB uses half of that price for the delayed direction. Amounts below €4 are not paid.

These rules apply to ordinary tickets. Season tickets, BahnCard 100, Interrail and some local-network tickets have separate fixed amounts or conditions. Bahnsparer therefore estimates compensation only for individual tickets.

The relevant delay is at the destination on your ticket, not at departure and not the largest delay of any individual train along the way. If the journey makes up time, the actual arrival counts.

If you miss a connection, arrival at the final destination counts when every segment is covered by one through ticket. With separate tickets, each ticket is a separate contract. This is the same risk that matters with split ticketing .

If the ticket is refunded, you cannot also receive percentage-based delay compensation for the same journey. A refund and compensation are two different remedies.

If DB expects a domestic journey to arrive at least 20 minutes late, the train-specific restriction on a saver fare is lifted. You may continue at the next opportunity or travel later. For international journeys, DB states a 60-minute threshold.

If a delay of at least 60 minutes is expected at the destination, you may choose not to travel. Depending on the journey, a full refund, the unused portion, or—if you return to the origin—the part already travelled may qualify.

If you are stranded, you may also have rights to refreshments, accommodation or alternative transport. Do not arrange a taxi or hotel too quickly: DB sets specific conditions and maximum amounts, and transport or accommodation it offers generally takes priority.

The 25% or 50% figure is only the calculated amount. Whether you are entitled to it also depends on the ticket and cause of the disruption. Extraordinary circumstances can exclude fare compensation, while rights to a refund, rerouting or assistance may still apply.

Compensation may also be excluded if you were told about the delay before buying the ticket or an alternative connection gets you to the destination less than 60 minutes late. Local transport associations and special tickets may have additional rules.

The railway makes the binding decision on your claim. This page and the estimate in the app are not legal advice.

For a ticket bought from or stored with DB, open the trip in your DB account or DB Navigator and start the claim under passenger rights. For a digital ticket without a stored account, use DB's order search with the order number and surname.

Alternatively, DB provides a passenger-rights form. You need the scheduled and actual itinerary, your ticket and, where relevant, receipts for additional costs. DB asks for complaints to be submitted within three months of the incident.

1. 1

   Open “Vergangene Reisen” on bahn.de.

2. 2

   Choose the relevant trip and open its details.

3. 3

   Choose “Entschädigung beantragen” and check the details.

Past journeys at DBOther ways to claim through DBCurrent DB rulesEU rail passenger rights