Subscription terms and conditions

Subscription tickets are issued with a validity period of twelve consecutive months. Participation in the direct debit system is a prerequisite for the subscription. The subscriber’s contractual partner is the respective transport company.

Subscription tickets are issued as smart cards with an electronic ticket (‘smart card with EFS’). The EFS is valid from the first to the last day of the subscription’s period of validity.

Certain tickets by subscription are issued in twelve monthly tokens, on which the respective calendar month is marked with the month and year. A token is valid from midnight on the last day of the preceding month to midnight at the end the first day of the following month.

When personal tickets are issued as a smart card with EFS, the required photograph and only the first name and surname of the holder are printed on the card. For certain personal tickets that are not issued as a smart card with EFS, a VBB customer card with a photograph and, if applicable, a validity period, is required in addition to the token.

2.1 Subscriptions with monthly direct debit

The following tickets are issued as subscription tickets with monthly direct debit:

(a) Transferable season tickets

• Monthly VBB eco-tickets
• 8 o’clock tickets (only valid in the Cottbus fare zone)
• 9 o’clock tickets (only valid in the Brandenburg an der Havel, Frankfurt (Oder), and Potsdam fare zones, as well as in the towns with local public transport)
• 10 o’clock tickets (only valid in the Berlin fare zone)

(b) Personal season tickets

• Trainee and school student monthly tickets (the provisions of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Sections 5.2.5.1 and 5.2.5.2 apply)
• Potsdam school student tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2.5.4)
• VBB trainee subscription tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2.5.6)
• VBB 65plus subscription tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2. 6)
• VBB 65vorOrt subscription tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2. 7)

The amount is debited in ten or twelve monthly instalments in accordance with the regulations of the individual transport companies in the subscription contract.

2.2 Subscription tickets with annual direct debit

The following tickets are issued by subscription with annual direct debit:

(a) Transferable season tickets

• Monthly VBB eco-tickets
• 8 o’clock tickets (only valid in the Cottbus fare zone)
• 9 o’clock tickets (only valid in the Brandenburg an der Havel, Frankfurt (Oder), and Potsdam fare zones, as well as in the towns with local public transport)
• 10 o’clock tickets (only valid in the Berlin fare zone)

(b) Personal season tickets

• Trainee and school student monthly tickets (not for Berlin fare zones AB, BC, and ABC;
• subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2.5.1 and 5.2.5.2)
• Potsdam school student tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2.5.4)
• VBB trainee subscription tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2.5.6)
• VBB 65plus subscription tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2. 6)
• VBB 65vorOrt subscription tickets (subject to the regulations of the VBB Fares Scale, Part B, Section 5.2. 7)

Use of the direct debit scheme requires a bank account in the SEPA area, a permanent or current address in the Federal Republic of Germany, and a SEPA direct debit mandate to authorise the collection of due payments by the transport company. To issue the mandate, the customer must use the order form provided for this purpose or the relevant online order form and send it to the transport company by the 10th calendar day of the month before the subscription is due to start. The written mandate may be submitted in person at selected points of sale of the transport company or by post or by telecommunication (by fax or as a scanned document by email or online).

When applying for a subscription for personal season tickets, both the order form and the required proof of eligibility as well as a photograph must be presented in person at a sales outlet of the transport company or the relevant online order form must be used. Photographs or proof of eligibility may also be submitted by telecommunication or online.

The transport company reserves the right to carry out a credit check in connection with the application, renewal, or modification of the subscription contract. Depending on the result, the BVG may exclude employees from use of the direct debit scheme. In addition, applicants who are found to have provided incorrect information in their applications or who have missed payments in previous subscription contracts may also be excluded from use of the direct debit scheme.

The transport company must be promptly notified, in writing or in text form (e.g. email), of any changes to the customer’s name, address, email address (if specified in the order), or bank details. Changes must be made by the 10th of the month prior to the month in which the change is to take effect. If the bank details and the account holder change, a new SEPA direct debit mandate must be submitted. The customer shall bear the costs of any address checks and the loss of the tokens or smart card (EFS) due to failure to notify.

Subscriptions commence on the first day of each calendar month. At the customer’s request, authorisation to travel (temporary card) can be issued and is valid until the start of the subscription requested, provided that a subscription is requested at the same time and the conditions for participation in the direct debit scheme as set out in Section 3 are met. The temporary card is part of the subscription applied for, but not part of the fixed contract period of twelve months.

In accordance with Part B, Section 5.2, the fare conditions of the season ticket ordered shall apply to the temporary card.

Temporary cards for personal season tickets are only valid in conjunction with the corresponding VBB customer card.

Temporary cards for the VBB 65plus subscription ticket are only issued to persons who are at least 65 years of age on the first day of validity of the temporary card.  Temporary cards are issued only to the holder of the subscription or their legal guardian. An ID document and, if necessary, an authorisation must be presented as proof of identity.

The price of a temporary card is calculated as follows:
daily price = price of the subscription requested x 1/365.

The daily price calculated in this way is rounded to the nearest cent to the third decimal place and then multiplied by the number of days for which the pass is valid.

As a general rule, the amount for the temporary card is debited with the first debit of the amount for the subscription. Each transport company is free to charge the full amount or a part of the amount of the temporary card in cash or cashless immediately upon issue.

If the subscription contract is not concluded or is terminated prematurely during the fixed contract period of twelve months, the fare for the use of the temporary card will be calculated in accordance with the subscription conditions in the event of extraordinary cancellation in accordance with Section 10.5.

No replacement will be provided in the event of the loss of the temporary card as a token.

In the case of subscriptions for which smart cards with EFS are issued, temporary cards can also be stored as EFS on the smart card. If a smart card is lost, Section 9 will apply.

5.1 Smart card

The smart card valid for the contract period will be sent to the customer or their legal guardian by post or delivery service. In the event of non-receipt or incorrect delivery, the customer is obliged to notify the contracting transport company immediately, but no later than ten days after the beginning of the first month of validity, in writing, in text form (e.g. by email), or in person at selected sales outlets of the contracting transport company. If notification of non-receipt or incorrect delivery is not made within this period, the customer’s obligation to pay shall remain in force until notification is received.

The smart card can also be issued at specified sales outlets. If the contract is renewed, the validity of the EFS is automatically extended.

When the smart card is issued or sent out, the information relating to the subscription saved on its chip is also provided in the attached letter. The customer must check this information to make sure that it is correct and complete. Complaints must be reported to the contracting transport company immediately, but no later than ten days after the start of the first month of validity, in writing, in text form (e.g. by email), or in person at selected sales outlets of the contracting transport company.

The information stored on the chip card can be read out at specified sales outlets.

5.2 Tokens

The twelve monthly tokens valid for the contract period will be sent to the customer or their legal guardian by post or delivery service. The tokens may also be delivered in two or more instalments. In the event of non-receipt or incorrect delivery of the tokens, the customer is obliged to notify the contracting transport company immediately, but no later than ten days after the beginning of the first month of validity, in writing, in text form (e.g. by email), or in person at selected sales outlets of the contracting transport company. If notification of non-receipt or incorrect delivery is not made within this period, the customer’s claims are excluded.

In the case of personal season tickets, the number of the VBB customer card must be entered in the space provided on the relevant token. In the case of subscriptions with the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) or S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, the subscription number shown on the token must also be entered in the space provided on the VBB customer card.

The applicable total subscription payments are set out in Appendix 4 of the currently valid and published VBB Fares Scale. 

The applicable basic price for the VBB AboFlex subscription is listed in Part C, Section 5.6 of the currently valid and published VBB Fares Scale.

If using the direct debit scheme for subscriptions with annual billing, the total amount is generally debited in advance on the first banking day of the first month of validity.

If using the direct debit scheme for subscriptions with monthly billing, the total amount is debited in monthly instalments on the first banking day of each month.  Any rounding differences arising from splitting the annual payment into monthly instalments are settled with the final payment. In the event of changes to fares during the period of the subscription, the monthly instalments will be adjusted accordingly from the date of the change.

If using the direct debit scheme for the VBB AboFlex subscription, the monthly basic price is debited on the first banking day of each month. The cashless issue of reduced-price tickets as part of the subscription is exclusively for subscribers of Stadtverkehrsgesellschaft mbH Frankfurt (Oder) by direct debit. Tickets purchased during the current month are debited collectively at the end of the month. A fee of EUR 1.50 per month will be charged for the postal delivery of the itemised list. If a valid email address is provided, the itemised list will be sent electronically free of charge. VBB AboFlex subscribers with other transport companies and reduced-price VBB AboFlex tickets purchased from other transport companies are excluded from the direct debit scheme and the itemised list. The ticket serves as receipt and proof.

The customer is obliged to check the debits and to report any discrepancies to the contracting transport company within eight weeks of the specified booking date. Failure to meet this deadline will be at the customer’s expense.

Individual transport companies may stipulate different rules regarding the debit date in the subscription contract.

If the account cannot be debited (one-off total amount or monthly instalment) on time for reasons for which the transport company is not responsible, the amount owed and the bank charges incurred, together with a handling charge of at least EUR 2.50, will become due and be debited in the following month, unless the customer proves that no loss or a lower loss has been incurred. This also applies to any further returned direct debits.

If a return debit note is issued under the VBB AboFlex for which SVF is not responsible, the smart card will be automatically blocked. The smart card can only be unblocked by making a payment to the account of the transport company that concluded the contract or by providing proof in text form that all outstanding debts have been settled. Otherwise, the card will be unblocked by means of a new direct debit after successful settlement of the outstanding debt.

When a subscription contract is concluded for the first time or renewed, the customer will be notified of the direct debit date and amount to be debited no later than five banking days before the date of the first payment.

Subscription contracts for transferable season tickets and for the VBB 65plus and VBB 65vorOrt season tickets are initially concluded for a fixed term of twelve months and are subsequently extended for an indefinite period if they are not cancelled in accordance with Section 10.

Trainee subscriptions (with the exception of Potsdam school student tickets) generally end after twelve months. Renewal must be applied for at least six weeks before the end of the term and the necessary documents must be submitted. If a subscription contract already exists at the time of renewal and the training period ends before the end of the next twelve months, the subscription will be renewed for a maximum of the period of the proven entitlement and will automatically end at the end of the fixed contract period. After the fixed contract period of twelve months, the contract can be cancelled at the end of any month, including the current month, in accordance with Section 10.

Subscriptions for the Potsdam school student ticket are initially concluded for a fixed term of twelve months and are subsequently extended for an indefinite period if they are not cancelled in accordance with Section 10. The subscription ends when the customer reaches the age of 16, without the need for cancellation, unless the customer provides proof of continued entitlement in accordance with Part B, Section 5.2.5.4 of the VBB Fares Scale. In this case, the subscription will be extended at the longest in accordance with the proven entitlement and will end automatically when it expires. After the fixed contract period has expired, the contract can be cancelled at the end of any month, including the current month, in accordance with Section 10.

If the conditions for personal season tickets cease to apply, the subscriber is obliged to inform the transport company holding the contract immediately.

During the contract period, it is possible to change or extend the selected fare zone(s) or to change the subscription type on written request with effect from the 1st of the following month, provided that the change request is made by the 10th of the previous month (in writing or text form (e.g. by email)) and the customer meets the requirements for the change. The previous or new subscription will be invoiced on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of Section 4. Amounts already paid will be set off. If payment is made annually, the prices in force at the time of the start of the contract are used as the basis for billing the original subscription.

It is not possible to switch between annual and monthly payments or vice versa within a contract period.

9.1 Smart cards

The smart cards are the property of the contracting transport company. If the validity of the card has expired or if a change in the fare zones and/or personal data is required, a new smart card will be sent to the customer either unsolicited or upon request, or the change will be written on the smart card.

The contracting transport company must be notified immediately of any loss or damage to the smart card. The originally issued smart card will then be blocked. The same applies if the customer does not present their smart card for inspection in time according to Part A, Section A(8)(1a). A replacement smart card will be issued for a fee of EUR 10.00 and, in the case of personal season tickets in accordance with Section 2.2 (b), upon presentation of a photograph. A fee of EUR 20.00 is charged for every further replacement smart card within 24 months of the first replacement issue.

If the smart card has been damaged or is unreadable due to circumstances caused by the issuing or inspecting transport company, no fee will be charged for issue of a replacement smart card.

9.2 Tokens

No replacement will be provided in the event of lost or damaged tokens.

All cancellations must be made in writing or in text form (e.g. by email).  From 1 July 2022, the following also applies: If the contracting transport company offers the conclusion of subscriptions via its website, the cancellation can also be made via a cancellation button on the website of the transport company. If the cancellation is possible in the app of a contracting partner of the VBB, this is also permitted.

10.1 Ordinary cancellation

Subscription contracts can be cancelled at any time at the end of the fixed contract period. After the end of the fixed contract term, cancellation is possible at the end of any month, including the current month, subject to the following: If the contract is cancelled by the customer by the last day of a month, the cancellation is effective at the end of that month unless the customer specifies a later date. For postal cancellations, the date of the postmark applies.

10.2 Extraordinary cancellation by the customer

Subscription contracts may also be terminated prematurely by the customer during the fixed contract term of twelve months at the end of each month, provided that the remaining tokens or the smart card with EFS (no later than ten days after expiry) are returned to the contracting transport company at the same time as the cancellation notice or no later than ten days after expiry of the cancelled subscription. If the cancellation and return are made on or before the last day of a month, cancellation shall take effect at the end of that month, unless the customer specifies a later date. For postal cancellations, the date of the postmark applies.

The subscription period already used will be invoiced in accordance with Section 10.5.

In the event of extraordinary termination of the contract, a handling charge of EUR 2.50 will be applied unless the customer proves that no loss or a lower loss has been incurred.

10.3  Extraordinary cancellation by the transport company

The contracting transport company is, in particular, entitled to terminate the subscription contract without notice in the following cases:

• if the customer’s direct debit is returned for reasons for which they are responsible
• if the SEPA direct debit is cancelled, or if valid bank details are not provided in time

The subscriber must return the remaining tokens or the smart card to the contracting transport company.

All amounts outstanding prior to the extraordinary cancellation taking effect shall remain outstanding. If the extraordinary termination takes place within the fixed term of the contract, the period of use will also be invoiced in accordance with Section 10.5.

In the event of extraordinary termination of the contract, a handling charge of EUR 2.50 will be applied unless the customer proves that no loss or a lower loss has been incurred.

10.4  Invoicing in the event of ordinary cancellation

In the event of ordinary cancellation in accordance with Section 10.1, any overpayments resulting from direct debits already made will be refunded by bank transfer.

10.5  Invoicing in the event of extraordinary cancellation

In the event of extraordinary cancellation before the end of the fixed contract period, the calculation of the usage period (period from the beginning of the prematurely terminated contract until the return of the tokens or until the blocking of the EFS of the smart card) is based on the respective prices of the corresponding monthly tickets without subscription. This does not apply if the reason for the extraordinary cancellation is the change to a VBB corporate ticket with mandatory employer contribution in accordance with Part C, Section 1.3.1.

In the case of extraordinary cancellation (with the exception of the VBB 65plus subscription ticket, the Potsdam school student ticket, and the VBB trainee subscription ticket), 1/365 of 12 times the price of the corresponding monthly ticket without subscription will be charged for each day of use according to the VBB Fares Scale. In the event of extraordinary cancellation of the VBB 65plus subscription, 1/365 of the reference annual price of EUR 720.00 will be charged for each day of use; in the event of extraordinary cancellation of the Potsdam school student ticket, 1/365 of the reference annual price of EUR 306.00 will be charged for each day of use; and in the event of extraordinary cancellation of the VBB 65vorOrt subscription ticket, 1/365 of the reference annual price of EUR 388.00 will be charged for each day of use. In the case of extraordinary cancellation of the VBB trainee subscription ticket, 1/365 of the reference annual price of EUR 534.00 will be charged for each day of use.

The above calculation based on days of use is limited to the total annual subscription price applicable in each case, even if the contract is terminated prematurely.

Transport companies that debit in ten monthly instalments will not incur any additional charges, as the monthly subscription amount is equal to the price of the monthly ticket.

Amounts already paid will be set off and the outstanding amount debited. Any credit balance will be refunded by transfer.

10.6  Further regulations for returning smart cards with EFS

The smart cards are cancelled by the contracting transport company at the end of the contract period (normal end or termination). The smart card must be returned at the request of the contracting transport company within ten days of the end of the contract. If this deadline is not met, a fee of EUR 10.00 may be charged, unless the customer proves that they are not responsible for exceeding the deadline. The fee will be debited using the direct debit scheme or offset against an existing credit balance.

Fare reimbursements for personal subscription season tickets are only granted in the event of sick leave involving in-patient hospital treatment or confinement to bed lasting at least 15 consecutive days. Proof must be provided in the form of a medical certificate issued by a doctor, hospital, or health insurance company.

For each period of sick leave lasting at least 15 days, 1/365 of the annual amount of the corresponding season tickets is refunded from the first day, in accordance with the VBB Fares Scale, after deduction of a handling charge of at least EUR 2.50. The request must be submitted promptly by the customer, and no later than one week after the end of the illness. Reimbursements will be made following review of the claim. Reimbursement payments are made by bank transfer.

Last updated: 09 February 2022