Consumers: watch out
That will change on December 1st
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New laws, rights and obligations – you can find out here what will change at the turn of the month and what consumers should be prepared for.
Even shortly before the turn of the year, consumers should keep an eye on what is changing for them in terms of laws, rights and obligations. We have compiled the three most important changes in December here: Deutsche Bahn is changing its timetable on December 1st, the nationwide warning day will take place on December 8th and further relief is planned in the wake of the energy crisis. You can find out what these changes mean in detail here.
1. Deutsche Bahn winter timetable
The new Deutsche Bahn timetable will apply from December 11th. As part of this, Deutsche Bahn is making around 13,000 additional seats and 80 special trains available every day due to the high volume of travel at Christmas time. This applies in particular to heavily used routes. At Frankfurt Airport, for example, the seats will be increased by almost 60 percent. Furthermore, even after Christmas, other European countries should be visited far more often. You can find more timetable changes and new route networks here.
2nd nationwide warning day
The nationwide warning day serves as an exercise in the event of a serious threat or disaster and will take place on December 8, 2022. At 11 a.m., German mobile phone users receive a warning text message on their smartphone, accompanied by a loud signal tone. Other means of warning such as sirens, loudspeaker trucks, and radio and television are also tested and may be responsible for louder alarms. The new system runs via cell broadcasting and is to be used for the first time from February 23, 2023. You can find more information about the warning day here.
3. State aid to the energy crisis
Customers of gas and district heating will receive immediate aid for the additional costs incurred for heating in December. The state takes over the down payment – either in part or even completely – for the entire month. Whether the costs are paid in part or in full is calculated from the forecast of annual consumption, which was determined in September. Accordingly, a twelfth is paid for by the state. In addition, pensioners receive a one-off payment of 300 euros, which will be paid out automatically on December 1st. However, this sum is not tax-free.
Sources used: rnd.de, bundesregierung.de, morgenpost.de