Short Answer
Deutsche Bahn travel cards and transit passes operate as automated rolling subscriptions that require a formal cancellation notice to stop future payments. You must submit your termination request exactly six weeks before your annual term ends, or by the tenth day of the month for local travel tickets.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You purchased a temporary "Probe-BahnCard" for a short vacation and threw the physical card away when your trip ended. You assumed the account would close automatically, but Deutsche Bahn rolled it into a full-priced annual membership and drafted the balance from your bank account. You tried to dispute the charge via customer service email, but the system ignored your digital request and added a late fee. You lost €110 on transit cards you never used because you missed the strict administrative deadline.
What To Do
- Open your online account profile or your booking app to check for an official "Kündigungsbestätigung" cancellation confirmation.
- Book a trip to a local "Reisezentrum" travel center to resolve the subscription dispute in person with an agent if your digital messages remain unanswered.
- "Bitte bestätigen Sie mir diese Kündigung schriftlich." (Please confirm this cancellation to me in writing.) — demand this from the counter agent to secure irrefutable proof that the contract has ended.
The Truth
DB is a bureaucratic behemoth. Their systems are famous for missing cancellations. To them, if it’s not in the database, it didn't happen—even if you have proof.