How to get Audible for cheap (or free)

Nowadays, it seems that many people are increasingly having trouble reading books. Everyone’s always busy, and it’s often quite difficult to keep your attention on a page, with the best smartphones and other distractions all around. That being said, technology has also made it possible to consume books without physically reading them. That’s where audiobooks come in, and they allow you to listen to your favorite authors while doing chores or even working.

So, it’s worth taking a look at different services where you can get the best audiobooks. Audible is, undoubtedly, one of them. The Amazon-owned website provides access to a huge number of titles for a subscription fee. From Audible originals to well-known classics, everyone is sure to find something to their liking there.

Unfortunately, with all other services requiring a subscription fee, it might be tough finding a spot in your monthly budget for another payment. Don’t lose hope though, as there are some ways of using the service for free. Or, if that doesn’t pan out, you can at least expect to get the service for a bit of a discount if you know where to look.

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What is Audible, and how does it work?

Audible

Price

Starting at $7.95 per month

Free trial

Yes

Originals

Yes

Concisely put, Audible is a one-stop shop for all your audiobook needs. It’s a platform that allows you to listen to, buy and manage your library of audiobooks, using a vast collection of titles that the platform offers.

Apart from your usual titles, Audible is also well known for its Audible Originals, which are prepared and performed exclusively for the service and that are unavailable anywhere else. It also offers a range of podcasts to listen to, as well as things like meditation guides or sleep tracks.

Interestingly, you don’t need a membership at all in order to start using Audible. You can simply buy any audiobook that interests you, or even choose from numerous free titles, and start listening right away. However, paid subscriptions give you access to the aforementioned Audible Originals for free, as well as a range of other titles free of charge – among other benefits.

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How much does Audible cost?

While many subscription services offer quite a lot of different plans to choose from, Audible chose to keep things simple and stick to only two different price points:

• Audible Plus: This plan costs $7.95 a month. For the price, you get access to all Audible Originals, as well as select audiobooks, sleep tracks, meditation programs and podcasts. However, if you want to listen to audiobooks that are not part of the Audible library, you’ll have to buy them separately.
• Audible Premium Plus: The higher Audible plan costs $14.95 a month. It includes all the benefits of the cheaper plan, but it also adds one free audiobook credit a month. This means you can choose one audiobook per month and get it for free, and it’s yours to keep even if you end your subscription.

Additionally, you can choose to pay more for your Audible Premium Plus plan in order to receive more audiobook credits per month. For $22.95 a month, you get a monthly allowance of 2 credits, letting you choose two books per month.

Do you get Audible for free with Amazon Prime?

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As Audible is owned by Amazon, you might expect that the benefits included in Audible Plus or Premium Plus could be a part of the Amazon Prime subscription. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as both of these services require a separate subscription in order for you to use them. That being said, having an Amazon Prime subscription does have some benefits if you’re looking into starting your journey with Audible. When starting your Audible Premium Plus trial, Amazon Prime subscribers can get two free titles instead of the regular single audiobook.

How to get Audible for free?

There are a few ways to start using Audible for completely free, and even keep some of the audiobooks that the service offers for later use.

Using Audible’s core service for free

Audible’s core functionality is not automatically locked behind a paywall. If you just want to purchase your favorite audiobooks to listen to in your spare time, no monthly payment is needed. Even better, you can still find quite a few free titles that way, including a lot of stories aimed at children, so it’s a great way to get your young ones to start listening to books.

Get a month free with an Audible trial

Even though Audible’s basic functionality is free, in order to access Audible Originals and many more titles for free, among other benefits, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, Audible itself offers a way to try the service out free of charge for a limited time.

If you’re a first-time subscriber, Audible has a free subscription trial waiting for you. You can use it by simply creating a new account and choosing a subscription plan, then inputting your billing information. After all is said and done, the first month of your subscription will be completely free, and the company will start billing you only when the second month starts, provided you don’t cancel the membership earlier.

Once again, though, you need to remember that this offer is only available for new users, so if you’ve already taken advantage of that trial period, you won’t be able to use it again. That being said, it’s worth checking out, especially because, with the Audible Premium Plus subscription, you are still eligible for free audiobook credits. That means you get a book for completely free with your trial, and you can keep it even if your subscription ends.

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Amazon Prime subscribers can get 3 months of free Audible

Even though we’ve already mentioned that having an Amazon Prime subscription does not get you free access to Audible, there are some more benefits than paying for Amazon’s delivery service offers.

When you’re creating an Audible account with the same credentials as your Amazon account with a Prime subscription, you’re eligible for a much longer trial period: 3 months instead of the regular one. Add to that the fact that you can get 2 free credits in the Amazon Premium Plus subscription thanks to being a Prime subscriber, and combining these two starts looking like a really compelling option to save a bit of money.

How to get Audible with a discount?

If the free Audible tier does not meet your needs, and you’re no longer eligible for a free trial, there are still some methods that will allow you to save money on the subscription. Even though these are not completely free, they can slash the price of the subscription for a while, letting you keep some pocket change.

Students can get Audible cheaper

Especially if you’re a student, it might be a bit tough to make ends meet every month. That’s where Audible comes in clutch with a special offer for college and university students, and all you need is an email on your uni’s domain.

In order to access the discount, you’ll need to get an Amazon Prime subscription. However, this also has to be done with your student email, and you’ll usually be able to get it for free (or with a significant discount) for at least six months. Then, go to Audible and sign up with your Amazon credentials, along with your student email. This should allow you to choose a student plan, which allows you to get an Audible Plus subscription for 50% off.

Keep up with promotions

Audible is quite well-known for running all kinds of promotions. Whether it’s Prime Day, Audible’s anniversary or many different occasions, you can expect the service to announce some kind of discount, whether these are free audiobook credits or heavily discounted subscription plans. No matter if you’re a subscriber or not, it’s worth following the platform on your favorite social media or signing up for a newsletter to keep up with the latest promos.

Additionally, you can also find Audible promo codes and discounts in a variety of places. The platform likes pairing up with large retailers and even small book clubs to promote its services. So, when you’re browsing the shelves for new tech, or if you’re in your local library, keep an eye out for Audible discounts included with various purchases, or simply available at the counter.

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Make Audible work to keep you subscribed

Finally, you can also use the fact that Audible wants to keep you as a subscriber to your advantage. The platform is well-known for its insistence on keeping its users from leaving, and it often does so by offering enticing promotions.

This means that, essentially, by ending or pretending to end your subscription, you can net yourself a great deal. When going through the process of cancelling your Audible plan, you can expect the service to ask you to stay by offering you a discounted rate for up to three months.

Even better, once you finally end your subscription, these promotions do not end. As long as you stay subscribed to Audible’s emails, you can expect to be asked to rejoin the service. Of course, the platform will want you to feel enticed to do so, and you can expect huge discounts to be included: sometimes going as low as 60% off the original subscription price.

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