Important changes

• Seat reservation prices will increase on Deutsche Bahn's long-distance services from June 15.
  • You'll pay €5.50 per person (instead of €5.20).
  • In first class, you'll pay €6.90 per person (instead of €6.50).
  • The flat-rate family reservation fee of €10.40 will be abolished. This means you must also pay for the seat reservation for your children. Previously, it was free.
• Scammers posing as energy consultants. The scammers call you or ring your doorbell. They claim that energy consulting is now required by law, and they must do an assessment of your house and heating system. However, there is no such law. So be aware of these scams and don't entertain such calls or home visits.

Your rights in case of flight delays and cancellations

Your rights if your flight is delayed

Delay at arrival

Under EU law, you may be entitled to compensation if your flight arrives at your destination late. The following criteria must be met to be eligible for compensation.

• The flight arrived at the destination more than 3 hours late.
• The airline is responsible for the delay.

It could be that the flight was delayed for more than 3 hours at departure, but arrived on time, or was delayed less than 3 hours. In this case, you are not eligible for compensation.

The compensation depends on the flight's length and not the ticket price.

Here are your rights

• For short-haul flights (less than 1,500 kilometers): 250€ per person
• For medium-haul flights (up to 3,500 kilometers): 400€ per person.
• For long-haul flights (over 3,500 kilometers): 600€ per person.
• Should the delay result in lengthy waiting times at the airport, the airline must provide you with complimentary drinks and snacks.

Delay at departure

You have the right to withdraw from the flight if your departure is delayed by more than 5 hours. The airline must refund you the ticket price.

Your rights if your flight is overbooked

If your flight is overbooked and you cannot travel as planned, you can request

• a timely replacement flight or
• compensation or
• a ticket refund.

If you have to wait a long time at the airport, you are also entitled to complimentary drinks, snacks, and a hotel stay.

Your rights if your flight is cancelled

Flight cancellation when the airline is at fault

When a flight is cancelled, you can claim compensation if

• the airline informs you of the cancellation less than 14 days before the scheduled departure AND
• the airline is responsible for the cancellation.

Flight cancellation where the airline was not at fault

Suppose the flight is cancelled through no fault of the airline. In this case, you are entitled to

• a replacement flight or
• rebooking, or
• refund of the ticket costs, including any additional costs for seat reservations or baggage.

You aren't eligible for compensation in this case.

Flight cancellation at short notice

Suppose your flight is cancelled at short notice. In this case, you can claim both compensation and a ticket refund.

However, you must meet the following criteria.

• Cancellation was the airline's fault AND
• You are not offered a replacement flight

Other criteria you must meet to claim compensation

• You must have checked in on time.
• The flight must have either departed from or landed in the EU. In the latter case, the airline must be based in the EU.
• The cancellation must have occurred within the last 6 years.

How long do you have to assert a claim?

You have up to 3 years to file your claim. The claim deadline is calculated at the end of the year.

For example: You experienced a flight delay, cancellation, or other flight irregularity in 2022, you can claim compensation until the end of 2025.

How can you assert your right?

You have three options to claim your rights.

• Do it yourself: You can claim compensation in writing.
• Support from a lawyer: Contact a lawyer and let them handle the situation. In Germany, you don't pay a lawyer more than the dispute amount. This means that if you can get a compensation of 600€, you'll pay less than 600€ to the lawyer. You can learn more about how legal costs are calculated here.​
• Online services: Several online services exist, like FlightRight and FairPlane. They offer a digital solution for claiming your rights in case of flight problems. You pay only if you get the compensation. The platform deducts 20% to 30% of the compensation amount plus VAT.

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How can you save on dental care in Germany?

Dental treatments can get expensive very quickly. Here are a few ways to reduce your bill.

#1 Bonus booklet (Bonus­heft) to increase your dental subsidies

Normally, statutory health insurance covers 60% of the cost of standard care dental treatments. However, you can increase this subsidy to 70% and 75%.

You can increase the subsidy by visiting a dentist at least once a year for a preventive dental check-up.

• Your subsidy increases to 70% if you do regular dental check-ups for 5 years.
• The subsidy increases to 75% if you do dental check-ups for 10 years.

Ensure the dentist enters the examinations in your bonus booklet (Bonusheft). If it’s your first visit to the dentist, you can get the bonus booklet from your dentist.

#2 Get a second opinion

You should always ask the dentist for a dental treatment cost plan. Ask your dentist about the treatment and its alternatives.

If you feel confident about the treatment and the costs, proceed with the dental procedures. But if you don’t, get a second opinion.

Get a dental cost plan from another dentist and compare it with the previous one. This will give you a better idea of dental services and their costs.

Moreover, the second opinion is free of charge. And the consulting dentists are not allowed to treat you. This ensures that the advice is independent of economic interests.

#3 Cheaper material and affordable labs to reduce dental costs

Dental laboratory and material costs comprise more than half of every dental treatment bill. You can save money by suggesting affordable labs to your dentist.

Don’t worry; you don’t have to search for cost-effective labs yourself. You can ask your health insurance provider.

Insurers help their members in finding inexpensive dental labs and material providers.

#4 Supplementary dental insurance for comprehensive dental coverage

You can reduce dental treatment costs only to a certain extent. So, you need a supplementary dental insurance policy to get comprehensive dental coverage.

Good dental insurance covers up to 100% of dental costs. However, dental insurance plans come with a reimbursement limit period of 4 to 5 years.

During the reimbursement limit period, the insurance company limits the amount of dental costs covered. In addition, dental insurance providers don’t cover existing dental problems.

So, get a dental insurance policy sooner rather than later. You should consider getting dental insurance if you are 35 or above.

In our research, we found

• ​Deutsche Familienversicherung AG* (Exclusiv 100),
• Allianz (MeinZahnschutz 100)

among the best dental insurance plans in Germany as of 2025. You can read how we found the best dental insurance plans here.

#5 Get dental treatment abroad

Getting dental treatment from Eastern European countries or Asia can save you a lot of money. However, you should know the challenges and legal boundaries.

• Travel time and cost: Some dental treatments require multiple visits to the dentist over months. In such a situation, treatment abroad only makes sense if the dental clinic partners with other dentists in Germany.
• ​Public health insurance dental coverage: The public health insurance reimburses the costs of dental treatments in EU countries. However, the dental costs that the public insurer reimburses are the same as they would have been for the treatment in Germany. But you should always confirm with your insurer before starting the dental care.
• Dental treatment cost estimate: To get reimbursement from your health insurance company, you need a treatment cost plan from a dentist in Germany and from a foreign dentist who’ll perform the treatment. Submit the cost plan to your health insurance company and await their confirmation. Once the health insurer confirms what they’ll cover, you can proceed with the dental care.
• Pay yourself first: You pay the costs for dental treatments abroad out of your pocket. Then, you can submit the invoice to your health insurance company for reimbursement.
• After treatment support: You may need dental check-ups after the treatment. This means a visit to the dentist, which incurs additional travel and accommodation costs. Some dentists in Eastern EU countries have partners in Germany who can provide support. So, always check with the foreign dentist about this.
• Medical liability: Compensation for pain and damages is more difficult to obtain outside Germany. Moreover, you must file a lawsuit in court at the dentist’s registered office abroad.
• Save on laboratory costs: Suppose you don’t want to get dental treatment abroad. You can still benefit from the low lab and material prices in neighboring European countries.

Types of taxes in Germany

Learn more about the types of taxes in Germany here.

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The world of AI

Latest development

• NotebookLM introduces public notebooks for sharing: With one click, you can turn a private notebook into a web page that anyone can view without a Google account. [1]
• Translating sign language into spoken text in real time. Google DeepMind introduced SignGemma. It translates sign language into spoken text in real time using AI. [2]
• OpenAI Models Reportedly Defy Shutdown Commands in Internal Tests. OpenAI's advanced models are beginning to resist human-issued shutdown commands, raising fears of loss of control. [3]
• Google Quietly Launches App for Running AI Models Locally. Google has released an experimental app that lets users download and run AI models directly on their devices. [4]

Learning material

Guides about building AI agents

• OpenAI: A Practical Guide to Building Agents​
• Google: Agent Companion​
• Anthropic: Building Effective Agents​

Guides on prompt engineering

• Google: Prompting Guide for Gemini​
• Anthropic: Prompt Engineering Overview​

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