November Brings a New National Rail Family Ticket and Other Changes Across Germany

A Deutsche Presse-Agentur summary published on 29 October 2026 outlines the key rule changes taking effect in November. The most prominent for families is a new Deutsche Bahn Familienticket, available from 1 November, allowing up to five people to make a single return journey by ICE for a flat price of €99.99, with seat reservations included. Tickets went on sale from 26 October. The offer was originally introduced for the summer holidays but is being made permanent after strong demand. From 20 November, stricter rules for micro-loans and buy-now-pay-later products come into force: lenders must now carry out affordability checks even for short-term credit below €200 or interest-free deferred payments, with the aim of protecting consumers from debt traps. Two important deadlines fall on 30 November: applications for wage-tax adjustments for the current year must reach the Finanzamt by that date, while applications for 2027 can be submitted from 1 November. The deadline for cancelling or switching vehicle insurance also falls on 30 November for policies that run to 31 December. Also from November, a new €2 handling fee applies to packages imported into the EU from non-EU countries such as China or the United States; online retailers and importers are liable for the charge, though experts warn it could be passed on to consumers through higher prices. The Christmas market season gets under way before the first Advent weekend — which falls on 28 and 29 November — with markets in Aachen and Munich opening on 20 November, Frankfurt and the Berliner Gendarmenmarkt on 23 November, Dresden's Striezelmarkt on 25 November, and Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt on 27 November.