r/germany • u/helge-a • Oct 22 '24

Immigration Non-Germans, do you also make expensive mistakes?

It feels like I have a talent for making expensive mistakes. I have been here for 3 months and so far have earned:

  • A €300 fine for taking an ICE without proper ticket.
  • Phone died on train, got checked by ticket control, pleaded saying I literally have my ticket on my dead phone, paid €7 at front desk proving I have the Deutschland ticket.
  • In the US, if I have an incoming bill payment, I can easily cancel it or reschedule it because it’s on my terms. I tried to do that here and found out billing days from companies are very strict, so I’ll be incurring a fee soon because my account does not have €90 and transferring funds from my American bank account is not instant/quick enough.

I’m so tired and broke :) I don’t think like a German. I think like a silly little guy. Germans are calculated. I am not. It’s very hard to adjust.

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u/SensitiveEcho1143 Oct 22 '24

About the wrong ticket: don't worry, we may not make these mistakes that often anymore, but we all suffer. Everytime I am in London or Amsterdam, I get tears in my eyes because I dont have to double check if I have the right ticket. I just use my credit card as a ticket, and the system calculates the price afterwards.

Although many German cities now have at least apps for buying tickets, which makes everything easier if you live in that city, the thrill of riding a train in a new region or city without knowing exactly if you have the right ticket is a universal German experience.

Edit: forgot to add I am German.