Feuillesmortes
Member
Why does the Flexpreis vary? Between Monday afternoon 23/02/23 €90 and Friday afternoon 27/02/23 €104 for example.
From @30907 in https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/end-of-the-line-for-return-rail-tickets.242970/page-24
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Flexpreis Berlin Bielefeld is variable
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From @30907 in https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/end-of-the-line-for-return-rail-tickets.242970/page-24
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Because DB has variable pricing, exactly the same as the UK. Fridays are more popular than Mondays
dutchflyer
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Well no, not as weird and impossible to follow-that is only as for now on SJ in SE. DB has 2 tiers for FLEX_weekend and during week. Which is exactly what dead leaves has found and hit. Well, now that I write this: it MAY be possible in some cases that there is even a 3d and higher price for very busy top-peak times. Also not forget that if the quota has not yet been fully taken, Sparpreis (saver/advance) fares-tied to that train, may also be available and offer a lower price to pay. Others may confuse this with the generally lower NON-Fernverkehr (long distance) local fares, which are also mostly as Verbund or Land (region).
They have many more than 2 Flexpreis levels. Some examples here:
DB: Differenzierter Flexpreis mit deutlichen Preisunterschieden - Cycle around Europe
Bereits 2017 hat die DB den sogenannten differenzierten Flexpreis eingeführt. Hierbei ist der Flexpreis abhängig vom Reisetag und der Auslastung (siehe z.B. Zugreiseblog). In der Theorie...
www.cycle-around-europe.de
The UK doesn't yet have variable pricing of "anytime" fares, it has offpeak fares (and super-offpeak in some cases) which never vary but are time-limited. A different way of managing demand, but with a similar intention.
Feuillesmortes
Member
@30907 @rvdborgt Thank you for understanding this and explaining it here. When people say the continental systems are simpler, this is an example of the opposite.
The normally well-informed Man in Seat 61 doesn't cover it by the way. "Flexpreis = fully-flexible standard price. These full-fare tickets have a fixed price, unlimited availability and cannot sell out."
The normally well-informed Man in Seat 61 doesn't cover it by the way. "Flexpreis = fully-flexible standard price. These full-fare tickets have a fixed price, unlimited availability and cannot sell out."
johncrossley
Established Member
It is explained in the thread quoted that the base fare is the same, but if you use ICE trains then the fare is higher and varies by day.
For Berlin to Bielefeld, the fare without ICE or IC is 65.70 and that is the same fare at any time on any day as long as you change at Magdeburg and Braunschweig.
(Although it would be 32.85 with a Bahncard 50, or you could use a 44.00 day ticket after 09:00).
The supplement for IC or ICE is more expensive on Friday, hence the differentials quoted in the original post.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preissystem_der_Deutschen_Bahn explains that since December 2016 the Flex price varies by day
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He's behind the times there!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
The Regional tariff is purely distance-based.
The IC/EC and ICE tariffs (there are two distinct ones, with ICE always being more expensive) are market-based to an extent AND vary both by day and by time of day (in the example I originally quoted the highest and lowest were ICE fares).
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
This slightly bizarre policy copies what easyJet are/were doing with their flexible fares.
The obvious answer is to find the cheapest that day on the desired route and train type, then use it on the more expensive one you want. Thus DB makes money by confusing people.
Simple?
The obvious answer is to find the cheapest that day on the desired route and train type, then use it on the more expensive one you want. Thus DB makes money by confusing people.
Simple?
johncrossley
Established Member
Where did you get your fares from? ICE seems to be the same throughout the day when I checked for next Friday. All ICE connections 104.10.
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
They have many more than 2 Flexpreis levels. Some examples here:
DB: Differenzierter Flexpreis mit deutlichen Preisunterschieden - Cycle around Europe
Bereits 2017 hat die DB den sogenannten differenzierten Flexpreis eingeführt. Hierbei ist der Flexpreis abhängig vom Reisetag und der Auslastung (siehe z.B. Zugreiseblog). In der Theorie...www.cycle-around-europe.de
Rimini isn't in Germany to be fair. This example looks like being FS's doing, but translated into German. FS (Trenitalia) prices airline style.
I did think for ICE it was just by day of week, but I've heard all sorts.
johncrossley
Established Member
Later in that link it shows fares for wholly internal journeys, Munich to Berlin, Hamburg to Berlin and Cologne to Dresden, showing different fares by the day of the week. It can't possibly vary by time of day as the ticket is valid for all trains that day.
Feuillesmortes
Member
Indeed, and a Sunday Flexpreis is 91% of Basispreis, whereas Monday is 117% of Basispreis.This slightly bizarre policy copies what easyJet are/were doing with their flexible fares.
The obvious answer is to find the cheapest that day on the desired route and train type, then use it on the more expensive one you want. Thus DB makes money by confusing people.
Simple?
So a Monday traveller simply has to buy the cheapest Sunday ticket and use it on day 2 of validity, taking care to complete the journey before midnight.
Alternatively they could buy "Flexpreis Plus" for Tuesday and use it on day -1 of validity.
The fares I quoted were all for the same Friday - just past. Maybe it was an anomaly, as I've not yet manage to replicate it.
Friday 17/2 is almost certainly a very busy travel day BTW, and I notice fares go even higher later in March.
That option has now been eliminated, as the journey has to start on day 1.
So you now have to book from the previous IC/E stop and start short...
Mainline421
Member
Not quite, as with Anytime Flexpreis tickets aren't linked to any itinerary, you can buy from TVMs without selecting a train. The price only varies by the day (similar to SWR's weekend fares).This slightly bizarre policy copies what easyJet are/were doing with their flexible fares.
The obvious answer is to find the cheapest that day on the desired route and train type, then use it on the more expensive one you want. Thus DB makes money by confusing people.
Simple?
It may be possible to save money by buying a Flexpreis+ for the 'wrong' day, but I can't find any like that.
johncrossley
Established Member
Are Flexpreis fares regulated?
Fragezeichnen
Member
No. The DB Fernvekehr network(IC/ICE/EC) is operated on a commercial basis and is in UK terms just an enormous open access operator(albeit one wholly owned by the German government).
In certain parts of the network(the most prominent being Intercity services to Emden) these services receive som support from local transport subsidy, in this case tickets at the regional tarif are also valid in parallel alongside DB's own fares. The regional tarif fares are not exactly 'regulated', so far as I understand, the local tarif organisation for the region simply decides what they should be and then pays an operator to run the service.
FWIW it's news to me that FlexPreis fairs vary by day, but I would be surprised if they also vary by what time you entered in the journey planner. At the end you have a ticket with a just a date and a route. It would be kinda strange if the price was a random number depending on what search times you used to find it.
In certain parts of the network(the most prominent being Intercity services to Emden) these services receive som support from local transport subsidy, in this case tickets at the regional tarif are also valid in parallel alongside DB's own fares. The regional tarif fares are not exactly 'regulated', so far as I understand, the local tarif organisation for the region simply decides what they should be and then pays an operator to run the service.
FWIW it's news to me that FlexPreis fairs vary by day, but I would be surprised if they also vary by what time you entered in the journey planner. At the end you have a ticket with a just a date and a route. It would be kinda strange if the price was a random number depending on what search times you used to find it.
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Mainline421
Member
Wouldn't even be possible to implement as you can buy them without ever using a journey planner.
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