Ordering tickets by mail through Bahn.de
 

I want to purchase some tickets from Bahn.de . Online printouts are not an option for these particular tickets, and I have to select the option to receive them by mail. However, although I have more than two months to receive them, I'm a bit nervous.

Has anyone ordered tickets through the Bahn.de web site with the requirement to receive them by mail, and how did it go?

Are you actually sure that these tickets need to be ordered in advance? Unless they are some advance discount tickets (like SparPreis or Europa Spezial) you can as well get them on arrival and not worry at all.
On the other side, there was a question in this forum about their mail option abroad - and it seems that the tickets arrived in California, free of postal charge, within 5-6 days after ordering them.

If you don't mind telling us, I'm also curious what particular tickets have a "by mail" requirement. I've purchased online tickets from Bahn.de several times but I have always been able to print the tickets immediately.

>I've purchased online tickets from Bahn.de several times but I have always been able to print the tickets immediately.

Usually, cross-border tickets from/to outside of the TEE agreement (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) are not available for print but have to be ordered by mail (because they must be issued by a real person, or through access to the DB's own internal database, or whatever). However, usually there is no reason to buy them 2 months in advance.

These are two Cologne to Paris round-trip tickets - 2 Smileys. The discount price with which I have no option to print them online gives me a price of 118 Euros for the tickets, versus a regular price of 342 for the two tickets.

If there is some other way to buy them that doesn't involve the postal service, I'd be happy to know. If I could postpone the purchase until our arrival, I'd be pleased, but I'm worried about getting stuck with the 342 Euro price. RailEurope's price is ridiculously high.

That is Smily, not Smiley.

Is the postal service in your country so bad? If not, there is absolutely no reason not to order these tickets by mail. You are right - there is probably no other way than getting them by mail, unless you have the option to pick them up on arrival in the station. I am not sure this service is still offered, though.

... and don't hesitate too long, these Smily tickets get sold out very fast - and then you are indeed stuck with the full price tickets.

The Canadian postal service is not that reliable, certainly not for an 118-Euro untraceable purchase. However, I found out I could get the exact same tickets for 116 Euros total vis Thalys.com, and I did print them out for myself at home.

Way to go, Will.

((I))

WillTravel: What an amazing luck that you got it for even less.

Altamiro: "Usually, cross-border tickets from/to outside of the TEE agreement (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) are not available for print but have to be ordered by mail "

I've purchased train tickets for Berlin-Prague and Berlin-Amsterdam with immediate printing on Bahn.de.

>I've purchased train tickets for Berlin-Prague and Berlin-Amsterdam with immediate printing on Bahn.de.

It seems to be possible for selected destination. Even to Switzerland, I can buy tickets to big cities (Zürich, Bern, Geneva etc.) online and print them but smaller stations in Switzerland are not in the price database for online purchase. Then the only way is to go to the counter, or order by mail.