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Whether you’re already an Audible member or you’d like to assess how affordable it is before you sign up, here are some of my top tips to keep costs down and save money on Audible membership.
Cheap Audible alternative: Before I continue, did you know that most libraries have an audiobook service giving you access to thousands of audiobooks for free? If your library has an audiobook app, I’d recommend downloading it and checking there before making a purchase on Audible. The downside to library apps is that you may have to wait a few days or weeks to download the most popular releases, but you can usually reserve them so that once they’re available, you get notified. It’s worth checking and saving yourself a bit of money!
Audible free trial
Audible offers a free trial for 30 days to all new customers. As part of this, you’ll get a free audiobook which you can keep – whether you stick around after the Audible free trial or not.
If you decide Audible membership is not for you, it’s really easy to cancel before you get charged. Set a reminder on your phone so you don’t forget and miss the deadline!
Sign up for your Audible free trial here. Did you know that if you’ve had Audible membership in the past but it’s been a while since you last used it, you might be able to get another free trial? It’s worth a go.
Make the most of Audible 2 for 1 deals
This might sound like an obvious one but keep an eye out for 2 for 1 emails from Audible
Reassess your plan every so often
There are a few Audible membership plans to choose from and if you’re a heavy Audible user, it may be worth changing your plan rather than paying full price for audiobooks once your credit’s ran out.
The closest thing to an Audible discount code
While I’m yet to see an Audible discount code, as such, there are plenty of Audible deals to make the most of. For example, new members can often benefit from offers such as ‘3 months for 50% off’. It’s simply a case of googling them before signing up.
Audible’s 3 credit offer
If you’re already a member and a heavy listener, Audible’s 3 credit offer for members only could come in handy. This offer tends to give you 3 credits for just £18, making each credit just £6 each instead of £7.99. You can purchase this deal both on desktop and mobile. Next time you run out of credits, lookout for a little pop up offering you the 3 credits for just £18.
Add audiobooks to your wishlist
When you add audiobooks to your wishlist, you’ll get notified whenever one of those books are on sale.
Is it cheaper to pay card instead of credit?
Let’s imagine a book is on sale for £5.50. There’s little point buying it with a credit that cost you £7.99. Instead, save that credit for a more expensive book and consider using your card for this one.
Compare prices with books on Amazon
Before buying a new audiobook, I’ll often compare how much it’ll cost me with the price of the actual book on Amazon. For example, right now the paperback of Celeste Ng’s award winning book Everything I Never Told You is just £2 on Amazon – way less than the amount I paid for the credit I have left on my account.
Of course, if you really do want the audiobook, ignore this tip.
Return audiobooks you’re not enjoying
A few chapters into an audiobook and just not feelin’ it?
Audible membership comes with a flexible returns policy & you can return any audiobook you’ve purchased within the last year. Read more about returning books to Audible via my return guide.
You should be able to do this by using a computer or laptop and selecting Account Details > Purchase History > Return Audiobook (you’ll find this button next to the audiobook in question). This is an automated process so it’s really quick and easy to do. However, if you apply for too many refunds, you might have your returns capabilities restricted. This means you’ll have to speak to an Audible representative via email and ask them to approve your request.
Threaten to cancel the service & let Audible fight to keep you
If you threaten to cancel your Audible membership, you may be offered a discount to stay.
All you need to do is log into your account and go through the motions to cancel. Hopefully, you’ll then be offered a better deal.
There’s no guarantee this will work but most people I’ve spoken to who tried it had some success. Here’s how to get an Audible discount by threatening to cancel.
- Log into your account on a computer or laptop and find the Account Details section. Click ‘Cancel membership’.
- When you’re asked why you want to leave, choose ‘It’s too expensive’.
- When it asks if you’d like to go ahead and cancel, click yes. There’s a risk Audible might call your bluff, but you can reactivate your membership later if you need to.
- You should be offered a discount to stick around. For some, this’ll be £3.99 a month for 3 months. For others it may be a free credit.
Make sure you’ve already used all your credits because any unused ones will be lost. You will be able to keep ebooks you’ve already bought.
The screenshot below shows what your screen could look like if you threaten to cancel.
Built up an audiobook backlog? Cancel for a short while
This one might sound a bit ‘duh’, but stick with me. If you have a collection of audiobooks you’ve not listened to yet and you’ve already made use of the other tips on this list, don’t let Audible pressure you into sticking around.
Once your account has been cancelled, you’ll still have access to audiobooks you’ve already purchased. Work your way through them and try to resist the temptation to buy more.
Pause your membership for up to 3 months
Alternatively, pause your Audible membership instead of cancelling.
While your account is paused, you won’t be charged monthly and you won’t accrue any new credits. But you also won’t lose any remaining credits like you would if you cancelled.
