What is Audible.com? Answers To Most Important Audible FAQs

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The very name ‘Audible’ gives you a slight idea of what this thing might actually be. And if you are already here, then there is already a high chance that you are aware of at least the gist of what it is or what it might be capable of doing.

In this guide we will take you a bit further from that and explain to you in detail and depth, everything that there is to know about Audible and how it can be one of those many things that can bring some good changes to your lives.

Audible Alternative

What is Audible?

Audible, in the simplest of terms, may be defined as a service or medium which helps you to actually read a book by listening to it. And due to this very reason, when it was first launched in the year 1995, it was commonly called as “Books on Tape”. 

Today, Audible is one of the most popular services offered by popular tech giant company Amazon itself and easily ranks as one of the top Audiobooks services all around the Internet.

Being the first audiobook services to have ever existed, Audible has managed to come up a long way in these 25 years of its existence and grows exponentially every minute and hour as we talk.

Moreover, there are quite few other things which it has to offer apart from just audiobooks, like podcasts as well as other various kinds of TV content and so on. 

Presently, this service covers over 200 million books from different parts of the world and in different languages which most often are narrated by the writers themselves. A truly first hand experience to interact with a book from the very writer him or herself.  

How does Audible work?

In the simplest of terms Audible lets you gain access to thousands and millions of famous books from all around the globe which you can listen to in the form of audiobooks.

All you need to do is simply Sign up for an Audible account. This you can do with the help of an Amazon account as shown in the “How to Sign up for Audible?” section below.

Once you have successfully created an Audible account, you can start listening to all your favorite books and podcasts online anywhere and anytime as long as you have their app installed onto your Android, iOS or Windows device.  

Here Some Quick Details About The Audible

  • Developed & Owned by: Amazon
  • Key people: Don Katz
  • Released On: 1995
  • Platform: Fire OS, Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone
  • Pricing model: Variable subscription and a la carte

Audible Competitors & Alternatives 

How much does Audible and it’s services cost?

You usually get a 30 Days free trial, once you sign up for the first time. All you need to do is register your account against any payment card of yours and after one month, you can start with a subscription plan of your choice provided by them.

You can look up the cost as well as subscription options from the following “How does Audio Memberships Plan work?” section OR whenever you want to cancel your subscription you can straight away refer to “How to cancel Audible Memberships?” as mentioned below. 

Why do you need to use Audible and is it worth it?

If you ask me why one needs to use Audible. Then my answer would be simply to make your life efficient and easy. For people who enjoy reading books, today’s day to day 9 to 5 jobs and home responsibilities 

How does Audible Memberships Plan work?

Being a subscription based service, there are primarily 5 different types of  membership plans available for users. 

  • Audible Plus membership gives users unlimited access to Originals, audiobooks as well as podcasts on a monthly payment basis of $7.95 per month.
  • Audible Premium Plus membership ($14.95 per month) gives users unlimited access to all the above as mentioned in Audible Plus along with 1 credit per month against which 1 premium selection title can be redeemed by the user to keep. 
  • Audible Premium Plus 2 credit membership ($22.95 per month), similar to Audible Premium Plus, lets you have access to everything included in the Premium Plus plan, but with 2 credits per month instead of just one. 
  • Audible Premium Plus Annual 12 credits membership ($149.50 per year), lets you have access to all Premium Plus services and 12 credits for a year. 
  • Audible Premium Plus Annual24 credits membership ($299.50 per year), lets you have access to all Premium Plus services and 24 credits for a year.

Is there any kind of discount for Prime members with Audible memberships?

Although Audible Membership is completely unrelated to Prime Membership, Audible does reserve certain discounts and benefits exclusively for Prime members now and then. To start with, Prime members do get to enjoy various limited offers during their 30-Day free trial.

Furthermore, for instance, Non-Prime members get only 1 free credit, but on the other hand, Prime members will be able to start their 30-Day free trial with 2 free credits to purchase audiobooks of their choice.

With an Amazon Prime account, you can get absolutely free access to a limited number of Audible Originals and Prime audiobooks.

How To Save Money On Audible?

In case you are an active Audible user and diligently spending your monthly credits, then you can save money on Audible comparatively, very easily and quickly.

Audible is a cost-effective service, and if you have a monthly subscription, it will greatly benefit you even if you think about reading one book or more than one book every month since taking out subscriptions is cheaper from Audible in contrast to other audiobook services. 

The fact that on using credits, we don’t have to spend much on the desired audiobook and can relatively save a lot as compared to those who don’t use their Audible credits religiously holds good.

Also, with the so-very-often offers and discounts Audible gives out, it also grants various member-only deals. You can usually save up to 60% or more on an audiobook during such deals.

Is There A Free Trial Available For Audible?

Yes, absolutely. Audible provides its customers with a free trial period to experience some of the many benefits it has to offer. So, before you subscribe to any of Audible’s Membership plans, you can enjoy Audible’s free trial period up to 30 days.

Moreover, do note that, if you realize that you do not want to keep on using Audible while you are on the 30-Day free trial, then make sure to cancel it before your 30 days come to an end. If one fails to do so, then usually he is charged for a month of service.

How to buy books on Audible?

Buying books on Audible is very easy, be it from your smartphone or your PC. 

If you are buying titles on Audible on your smartphone, then simply download the app. If you are using your PC, then go to Amazon and log in. Now, follow these steps to buy your Audible books:

  • Log in to Audible
  • Next to the main search bar, you will see the category ‘Audible Audiobooks’ from the dropdown menu. Select it
  • Search for the book title you wish to purchase in the search bar
  • Click on the book title that will be displayed. 
  • Boxes with options like ‘Kindle Edition’, ‘Paperback’, ‘Audio Download’. Go to the option ‘Audio Download’.
  • Now, in the ‘Audio Download’ category, either a price will be displayed or the option to buy the book with ‘1 credit’. If you go for the latter option, then you can purchase the audiobook with unused credits. Once you’ve selected your desired option, you are all set to enjoy your audiobook to its fullest.

The same steps can be approached if you are using the mobile version of the website.

How To Get Free Books On Audible?

You can enjoy the free 30-day trial, when you sign up with Audible. Audible will also send a free audiobook your way to help you get rolling with your audiobook journey. 

Once you’ve ended your free 30-day trial and have chosen one of many Audible’s plans that you wish to continue your Membership with, you’ll be given regular credits.

You can exchange these for any desired book titles without having to worry about what their prices are. However, one credit grants you access to only one audiobook at a time. 

What Are Credits In Audible?

When it comes to Audible credits, you can think of them as their internal online currency. In short, credits help you to purchase your desired audiobooks at a great deal.

However, you can only acquire one audiobook for one credit. Different membership plans grant different credit offers. For instance, the higher the subscription deal you opt for, the more credits you get per month. Basically, your subscription payment is paying for the credits.

Credits are granted to members every month, and you can even purchase additional credits in case you run out of them before your monthly or annual Membership ends.

Also, thanks to Audible credits, any audiobooks that you purchase with them, will be stored in your library forever, even when you cancel your Audible Membership.

How To Cancel Audible Memberships?

Audible Memberships, including the free trial period, automatically get renewed at the end of one’s membership plan.

So you can wait until the expiration of your Audible Membership plan, or you can get started with the following steps to cancel your Audible Membership at once, be it monthly or yearly Membership that you are terminating:

  • Log into your Audible website.
  • Click on ‘Account Details’ from the drop-down menu listed under your name
  • Go to ‘Account Settings’
  • Under ‘Account Settings, click on the option ‘Cancel my membership.’
  • You will be asked whether you are sure to terminate your Membership or not. Click that you do, and just simply follow the on-screen instructions that you will be directed with, and by the end of it, you will be done canceling your Audible Membership successfully

When your Audible Membership is canceled, unfortunately, any unused credits of yours will disappear.

But what will stay are your audiobooks that you’ve bought via your Audible library and even the ones that you’ve purchased during your free trial period. These audiobook titles will be stored up in your Audible library forever, even after your subscription ends.

In case you’re canceling your yearly Membership, then you won’t be refunded for your purchase but can use the credits that you’ve purchased.

Does Audible Credits Get Accumulated?

If you are worrying that your Audible credits will go to waste before getting the chance to use them, then you no longer need to.

Since Audible members are usually granted credits every month or in whatever way their membership plan gives them credits, audible credits will get accumulated, and any unused accumulated credits will roll over to one’s next billing cycle.

However, an important point to note is that these credits will no longer be valid and disappear after a year of disuse or its issuance under its annual plan. 

Can you exchange a free credit book after reading it for another?

One of the reasons while Audible credits are so useful is that if you want to exchange a free credit book after you are done reading it for another audiobook title, then you can absolutely do it without much of a hassle.

Although you can easily swap titles at any time, but it should not exceed a limit that may seem you are exploiting Audible’s exchange policy.

In case you try misusing this exchange feature, then Audible will right away know of it and will eventually pose certain restraints, and you will not be able to swap your books.

Do credits roll over on a month-to-month basis?

With so many cool features that Audible has to offer, it has yet emerged with another neat function, which is its rollover scheme.

In Audible’s rollover scheme, suppose if you were not able to use your monthly credits, then these unused credits simply get stored in your account. You can then later use them in the following months instead so that you no longer have to purchase credits every now and then or worry that your unused credits will no longer be valid.

Since credits roll over on a month-to-month basis, one can usually store and roll up to 6 credits, but no more than that. Moreover, if you haven’t used your rolled-up credits for a long time, do keep in mind that these unused credits will expire after a year of their issuance. 

Reasons why you should get Audible

Audible has really been hitting it off with audiobook users like us. Not to deny, the various offers, deals, and services that it presents us with are definitely something that we can’t say no to. Read on to find out why Audible might turn out to be the best thing you could’ve invested on: 

It is affordable

One can purchase audiobook titles individually or have a monthly subscription on Audible. Audible even backs users with the credits that it has to offer.

Moreover, Audible pops up with various great deals and offers for its users from time to time and comes up with regular promotions for those who pay a recurring membership fee.

It is hard to deny that Audible is absolutely affordable for us and helps to keep our passion for audiobooks burning vivaciously. Presently, Audible sure has become one of the most affordable audiobook platforms out there.

Your first audiobook is always free.

If you are having second thoughts on committing to Audible’s membership plans and wish to check out by yourself, whether it is worth it or not, then you can start off with your 30-day free trial.

Once you’ve subscribed to your 30-day free trial service, you can download an audiobook for absolutely free. A sweet touch to this free, first audiobook that you would have downloaded is the fact that even after canceling your 30-day free membership trial, you still get to keep it.

Refunding for books you don’t like is easy. 

Don’t like it? Then, don’t keep it. This has become possible thanks to Audible’s Great Listens Guarantee service.

Thanks to Audible’s flexible return policy, if you want to refund any audiobook that didn’t suit your taste or you don’t wish to keep it, then you can easily do so.

However, to refund for audiobooks, you need to be a member of Audible and must return the audiobook within 365 days of its purchase. You will also be refunded the same way you bought the title, even if you have used a credit or coupon to purchase the book, you will get back it back without any hassle.  

Authors narrate their own books.

While usually professional actors and experienced narrators read out books and classics in Audible but I’d say it gives somewhat of an intimate and a beautiful raw experience if you ever get to hear authors narrating their own books.

But if you’ve missed out on such excitement, then don’t be disappointed because Audible has made it possible for us to finally hear out our favorite authors.

You can now download and enjoy audiobooks that have been narrated by the authors themselves, just the way they intend to interpret their piece to us.

Canceling services can be done easily and quickly.

If you want to cancel services without having to suffer from all those complicated processes, then Audible is a trusted service. You can cancel your Audible service or subscriptions any time, anywhere, easily and quickly.

Furthermore, if you are not much of an active audiobook user, then instead of canceling your Membership, you can simply put a hold on your account, that is, pause your Audible account for a limited duration and restart your account whenever you feel like getting back on track. You will neither be charged nor will you have to sign up again.

To top it off, all of our purchased audiobooks are ours to keep forever, even after we cancel our subscription.

How to Sign up for Audible?

Here’s a simple guide to help you sign up for Audible

  • You can easily sign up for Audible by visiting audible.com
  • Click on ‘Start your free trial now. Clicking on it, you will be able to start with your 30-day free trial
  • You will be redirected to a page where you have to sign in with an existing Amazon account or create one if you don’t have one.
  • Once you’ve followed the on-screen instructions and have successfully signed in, you will be able to locate your available credits at the top right-hand corner.

 And that’s it. Pretty simple, right? with this, you’ve successfully enrolled into Audible and can use your available credits to purchase the audiobook of your choice. More so, if you’ve signed up as a Prime member, then you even get a second audiobook for free. 

How to return a book on Audible?

If you want to return a book that you didn’t really like or one that you bought by mistake, you can easily follow this simple guide to return it and even get refunded the same way you had purchased the audiobook:

  • Log into your account on the Audible website
  • Go to your name section, from where a drop-down menu will be listed
  • Click on ‘Account Details’ from the drop-down menu
  • Now, go to ‘Purchase History.’ From here, a list of your purchased titles will be displayed
  • If on mobile, tap on the book you wish to return and then click ‘Return this title.’ If on desktop, then click on the option, ‘Return this title’ next to the book title
  • Select your reason for Return
  • Then, click on Return, and that’s it. Once you’ve returned the book, you will receive a confirmation message stating that the audiobook has been returned successfully 

Audible FAQs | Audible Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it possible to create and have multiple users on a single account?

Yes, you can create and have multiple users on a single account. As an Audible user, you will be able to share your audiobooks with other users since there is no limit to the number of devices or users you can have on your account.

2. How many free books can I get out of Audible?

When you sign up with Audible, you will get one free book, and if you’ve signed up as a Prime member, then you acquire two free books. You can then further continue to attain free books on Audible by using the credits that you will receive as per what your Membership shall grant you with.

3. Are Audible books cheaper than other normal hardcopies or Kindle copies?

Comparatively yes. While hard copies or Kindle copies sure are expensive, but with Audible’s credit offers and membership services, Audible books come off at an affordable and cheaper rate for us users

4. Can I listen to a book more than once?

Absolutely yes, you can listen to a book more than once. You can re-download and re-listen to your audiobook title on multiple devices as much as you want. 

Audible Guides & Resources

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Rishikesh Hazarika is a tech enthusiast who is always curious to learn and absorb facts and data in the world of science and technology as well as tries to share his opinion. He has an M.Tech degree from North-Eastern Hill University, later he did a certificate course in Computer Hardware and Software, and a certificate course in Introduction to Architectingc