Accidentally bought a Deutschlandticket as a tourist and may end up paying €126 for 9 days of transport — is there anything I can do?

TL;DR: I’m a tourist in Berlin for 9 days, accidentally bought a Deutschlandticket on 29 July thinking it would cover a month from purchase, and now I may be charged €63 for July + another €63 for August because it’s a calendar-month subscription. Looking for advice/help.

Hi everyone,

I’m visiting Berlin from 29 July to 6 August and wanted to get around using public transport. I saw the Deutschlandticket (€63/month) and thought it was perfect because I would be here for around 9 days and wanted to explore outside Berlin too.

I purchased it today through the BVG app, and only afterwards realised that it is not valid for one month from the date of purchase — it is tied to the calendar month and automatically renews unless cancelled before the 10th of the month.

I immediately contacted BVG after realising my mistake and asked them to cancel it/refund it. I explained that:

• I am a tourist, not a resident;
• I only need transport for this short trip;
• I misunderstood the subscription model;
• I contacted them immediately after purchase.

Unfortunately, they replied that they cannot make any exception because the rules are standard and a cancellation after the 10th only takes effect at the end of the following month.

So now I am potentially paying €126 for 9 days of public transport (€63 for two days of July + €63 for August), which feels pretty painful as a visitor.

I understand that I should have read the terms more carefully, and I’m not saying rules shouldn’t exist. But I’m surprised that a product marketed so broadly to visitors has such a different expectation from what many tourists would assume (a “monthly ticket” meaning 30 days from purchase).

Does anyone have experience with:

• successfully getting BVG to make a goodwill exception?
• escalating this beyond first-line customer service?
• whether there is any other tourist-friendly solution?

I’m not trying to avoid paying for transport — I just really don’t want to pay for a subscription month I will not use.

Thanks in advance!