Hi flatlander,

if the price differential for 1st and 2nd class is only 20 EUR than you probably have a Sparpreis/Sale ticket. These tickets are not easily upgradeable as the only way to do it is to buy a full price 1st class ticket less the cheap 2nd class Sparpreis-ticket plus a change fee of IMO 17,50.

e.g. if you have a Europe Special 2nd class ticket for e.g. 39 EUR oneway and want to travel FRA-AMS in 1st class, the full fare is 202 EUR and the upgrade would then be 202-39+17,50=180,50.

If you have a full fare 2nd class ticket for FRA-AMS this would be 120 EUR and the upgrade would just be 202-120=82 EUR.

To determine if you have a full fare or a sale ticket the difference usually is that the sale tickets are bound to a specific train and the regular one can be used on any train at that day.

The upgrade can be done onboard any long distance train (EC, IC, ICE trains) but not onboard most regional trains, where you would be deemed to be without a ticket if a ticket inspection is done and you sit in 1st class with a 2nd class ticket. It can be done with any kind of ticket that shows a fare in EUR, regardless of type of ticket.

If you want to cancel and buy a new ticket at a train station ticket office be aware that this is only possible if you hold a DB stock paper ticket (not an online ticket!) and it has been paid in cash. In the case of a Sparpreis / Sale ticket the refund would be less the 17,50 fee.

And one last bit of information: If you hold a BahnCard of Deutsche Bahn which e.g. gives you a 25% off of any fare (BahnCard 25) or a 50% rebate on full fare (BahnCard 50), upgrades are even more complicated if you hold the standard 2nd class BahnCard vs. the quite expensive BahnCard First (which is for 1st class tickets obviously).

Confused? Well, rumors are that to become a DB manager responsible for ticketing you need to have job experience in the airline business... ;-)