What is Audible? (How to Use It, Cost, and More)

Audible allows you to listen to your favorite audiobooks on your device within a few clicks. So, what is audible, and how does it work? Keep reading this article to find out more about Audible.

Amazon is not only known for its wide range of products but also as a great marketplace for digital content and streaming services. This retail giant provides unlimited digital content, from movies, music, and video games to books.

One of the popular streaming services offered by Amazon is Audible, which sells and produces spoken audio content. While Audible provides a wide range of content, including radio and TV programs, it is best known for digital audiobooks.

Table Of Contents

What is Audible?

Audible is Amazon’s audiobook service offering a huge selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and exclusive originals. Amazon purchased Audible in 2008. It uses this platform to produce a wide range of spoken-word entertainment titles across various genres.

Users can buy and stream their chosen titles with a subscription. You’ll have books read aloud by a narrator, the authors, and even well-known stars. Audibles offers its users a wide range of benefits, from Audible originals, Audible meditations, and Audible Latino to Amazon Audible Escape.

How Does Audible Work?

Audible is a subscription-based service that allows users to choose from various membership plans. Your plan determines how many audible credits you can receive each month. These credits can be exchanged for audiobooks on Audible. The basic membership plans include the following:

Audible Plus monthly: This plan gives you access to a great selection of audiobooks, Audible Originals, meditation programs, podcasts, and sleep tracks.
Audible Premium Plus 1 Credit monthly: includes everything in the Audio Plus catalog. You’ll also have a bonus of 1 credit per month that can be used to redeem any title from the premium selections.
Audible Premium Plus 2 Credit monthly: includes everything in Audible Plus, with the bonus of two monthly credits.
Audible Premium Plus Annual -12 Credits: includes the Audible Plus Catalog with a bonus of 12 credits.
Audible Premium Plus -24 Credits: includes immediate access to 24 credits

You’ll need an Amazon account to start using Audible. After creating your Amazon account, you’ll be required to download the Audible app. Depending on your chosen plan, you’ll either pay a monthly or annual subscription rate. You can then listen to your desired Audio titles on a Kindle device or through the Audible app available on various devices, including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac computers, and Alexa devices.

You can effortlessly sign up for audible using your existing Amazon account. Therefore, if you don’t have one, you’ll be required to create an Amazon account before signing up for Audible. Here are the steps for signing up for Audible:

Visit Audible.com
Click on the Sign in or Sign Up links at the top right corner
You’ll be redirected to create or log into your Amazon Account
After you’re signed in, you’ll find your available credits at the top right corner.

Audible offers a free 30-day trial which includes two free audio credits to give you access to a wide range of audiobooks without paying anything. You can then subscribe to its various plans through which you’ll receive credits. Audible users can use their credits to purchase any audiobook, regardless of price. However, you should remember that Audible credits expire after one year.

How Much Does Audible Cost?

After signing up for Audible and the 30-day trial period elapses, the amount of money you’ll spend depends on the plan that you choose. The subscription rate of Audible plans is as follows:

Audible Plus monthly: Unlimited access to thousands of titles for $7.95 per month
Audible Premium Plus 1 Credit monthly: $14.95 per month
Audible Premium Plus 2 Credit monthly: $22.95 per month
Audible Premium Plus Annual -12 Credits: $149.50 per year
Audible Premium Plus -24 Credits: $229.50 per year

You’ll also get a 30% discount when you purchase titles without credits. Audible also offers daily deals and special packages to keep you entertained. You should keep in mind that Audible is not free for Amazon Prime members. However, you can use your Prime membership to buy some e-books from Prime Reading that include Audible narration. Audible narration utilizes Whispersync technology that allows you to pause and resume your narration whenever you want.

How to Return Audible Audiobooks?

While Audible has a great selection of titles, you may purchase titles by mistake or find yourself no longer interested in the story or the narrator. Audible makes it easy to return titles that you no longer want. You can take the following steps to return Audible audiobooks:

Log into your Audible account
Select your name and then click on Account Details from the dropdown menu
On the left side menu, click on Purchase History
Here, you’ll see a list of titles you purchased
Find the title you would like to return and click on the Return Order button found on the right of the title.

After returning a book to Audible, you’ll get your credit back that you can use to shop for other audiobooks. However, you should initiate the return process within 365 days.

How to Cancel Your Audible Membership?

Amazon allows you to cancel your Audible membership any time you no longer need it. Here are the steps you can take if you would like to cancel your Audible membership:

Visit the Audible website and log into your account
Click on Account Details from the dropdown menu under your name
Under Your Membership, click on Cancel Membership
Confirm your choice, after which Audible will cancel your membership

Instead of canceling your membership, you can switch to a different plant. Under Your Membership section, click on the Switch membership button instead. You can then choose the plan you would like to switch to, click on Select this plan, then select Confirm to complete the process.

Conclusion

Audible is a popular platform offered by Amazon for listening to books. With an Amazon account and the Audible app, you can listen to top authors narrate their books. In addition to its 30-day free trial, Audible can also refund you when you return audiobooks for whatever reason you might have.

You can also easily switch between plans or cancel your membership whenever you no longer need it. Audible is one of the best streaming services, with a wide range of benefits and easy access to thousands of audiobooks.