How does Audible work?

[Janeway]

I wanted to buy some things that come on "Audible." These things listed prices. I would rather have disks, but that does not seem to be offered. I Googled "how to use Audible" and got references to big fees for memberships. I am very unclear how to use Audible as a result. Please help.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Audible are digital downloads, not CDs.  I believe there is a way to transfer what you want to CD, but have not tried.  I use the audible app, which makes it very easy to listen on the iPad/iphone/ieverything, and I assume other devices too.  

 

I have a membership, which means I get a free book each month of my choosing, as well as a discounted price compared to non-members on other books.  If you don't use your monthly credit, it rolls over, so you never lose them.  I tend to buy in batches, then wait a few months, then buy a few more for some reason, so that's never a problem.  

 

I believe some types of membership are yearly, and some are month to month cancel any time.  You'd have to read carefully which type of membership if you want the option to cancel any time.  

 

We LOVE audible.  LOVE LOVE LOVE.  

[Tree Frog]

We love Audible, too, but according to the customer service reps I've spoken to, be aware that if you cancel your membership, unless you've downloaded your books to a device, you'll lose Audible access to the books. You can pause your membership for (I think) up to 90 days during which you don't purchase credits or books, but can access your already purchased books. If someone knows differently, please let me know. I'd like to cancel the membership, but don't want to download the books to only one device and haven't decided if it's worth the monthly credit purchase to keep the account open.

 

I joined at Christmas a couple of years ago when new customers could purchase monthly credits for a couple of dollars/month for the first several months. Now I pay around $15 or $17/month.

 

I use the audible app on my android; it's very easy to use.

[Tree Frog]

 

What happens to my audiobooks if I cancel my membership?

After you cancel your membership, your credit card will no longer be billed every month. Any previously purchased audiobooks will always be readily accessible to you. You can log in and access your online library from either the Audible desktop site or any of our mobile applications. However, you will no longer be able to take advantage of the other membership benefits.

 

What happens to my credits if I cancel my membership?

Because credits are considered a membership benefit, they are lost when an Audible customer chooses to discontinue their membership. It's highly recommended that you use any remaining credits prior to making changes to your plan. Once you have used your credits to purchase any title(s) of your choice, you can cancel your membership and all of your titles will remain in your library.

 

Can my membership be placed on hold?

Audible monthly memberships can be placed on hold for up to three months. During this time you will not be billed your monthly membership fee. To place your account on hold, please contact Customer Care.

You will still have access to most of your benefits while on hold such as:

• Access to any unused credits
• 30% discount on any Audible purchases
• Great Listen Guarantee return policy

When placing your account on hold, you will lose unlimited access to channels until your plan resumes.

Note: Customers on annual memberships cannot put their accounts on a monthly hold. Please contact Customer Care for other alternatives.

 

http://audible.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4507/related/1

 

 

 

Thanks, Plum Crazy! Seems like something I should have been able to find online myself, but didn't think to look after I spoke with customer service about it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

And BTW, you don't HAVE to have a membership.  I found that it was cheaper for me to not have a membership because the few books I wanted were not expensive. 

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

And BTW, you don't HAVE to have a membership.  I found that it was cheaper for me to not have a membership because the few books I wanted were not expensive. 

 

Yes, this. I joined so I could get the Harry Potter audio books with credits. The basic membership fee for 7 months was cheaper than buying the books outright. However, I usually don't have a membership and in fact cancelled my membership after I got the HP series. You can set up and account and buy any books you want. You just won't get the member discount (which isn't always that good) nor will you get any credits for "free" books (free in quotes because you're paying a membership fee for those freebies). 

 

Some classics are free, many are inexpensive. There's also a daily deal that's really a sale on a particular book. They run regular sales in different genres as well. Again, you don't need to be a member to take advantage of these perks. You just need an account, which is free to set up.

 

For someone who listens to a lot of audio books, uses them for school, or doesn't have a library with a decent selection of digital audio books, membership makes sense. For the rest of us a free account is all we need.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[MeaganS]

I've had memberships on and off and play the audible game a bit. I will get a promotion for 3 months of $.99/month, then cancel. Then they will offer maybe 2 more months for half off. So I'll do that and then cancel. Then I'll wait a year and sign up again and get some other deals. I also pay attention to the sales when I'm a member. They often have 2/1 credit sales or $5 sales for popular books. And I pay attention to the deal of the day. I end up buying a book from that about once a month (that's even for non-members).

 

I also pay attention to whispersync books. Many books, if you buy the Kindle edition on Amazon, give you a discount on the audible version. More often than not, this costs the same or less total than just buying the audiobook. I think I did this with several Brandon Sanderson books recently. Whispersync deals don't require membership, just an account.

 

I still have access to all my books whether I'm a member at the time or not. And I only use credits if the whispersync deal is more than $15. If not, I just pay for it if I want it. Right now, most of my credits are going towards getting all the Harry Potters. (I only need the last 2!)

 

I adore Audible! My girls listen to an audiobook every night while in bed and I'm always collecting new ones for them. And I listen to audiobooks in the car. DH listens to them to and from work. So our whole family gets quite a bit of use out of them.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Meagan S

[mommytobees]

I've been an audible member since 2004 and have two different accounts. 

 

First, you can burn your own discs and I used to do that religiously. Now, I don't bother as I use my iPhone and simply use the Apple app (NOT the Audible app...I hate it).

 

As for "big fees"...well, I guess that depends on what you consider to be big. One account (2004) is Platinum for $23 month and gives me a free audio subscription to WTJournal and NYTimes, with 2 credits a month. My other account (2008) is Gold for $15 month for 1 credit per month. 

 

It comes down to: do you like to listen to audiobooks? I love it! But, I cannot read small print anymore. So, I have a choice: I can listen or I can get Kindle. Most of the time, I use Audible. I can multitask and listen to an audio book. My kids used to listen to audiobooks as well. Now, my daughter only does in the car/bus/train or when she is doing chores. My son, prefers music. But, when they were little (before 14 for both), they listened to audiobooks all the time.

 

HTH,

Kris

[Jamee]

I've been an audible member since 2004 and have two different accounts. 

 

First, you can burn your own discs and I used to do that religiously. Now, I don't bother as I use my iPhone and simply use the Apple app (NOT the Audible app...I hate it).

 

 

HTH,

Kris

 

I'm confused.  What Apple app are you using if not the Audible app?

[mommytobees]

I'm confused.  What Apple app are you using if not the Audible app?

 

iBooks rather than the Audible app.

 

http://www.apple.com/ibooks/

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audiobooks-from-audible/id379693831?mt=8

 

ETA: I used to use the iTunes "listen-to-music" app (whatever you call it...) but they pulled music and audio books apart.

 

Kris

Edited May 22, 2016 by mommytobees

[Forget-Me-Not]

I personally much prefer the Audible app over iBooks, and especially found it much easier to transfer the books to my devices using the Audible app.  YMMV.  

I will say if you go the membership route, be careful how you spend your credits.  Some books cost less than the credits do, so you don't want to use them in that case (and Audible will default to using credits, so check your cart carefully before checkout).  Also, sometimes you can get classic books super cheap if you own the Kindle version of the book already.  I've paid a couple of dollars for a Kindle book and then purchased the audiobook for .99 or 1.99.  

And Audible will have really good sales sometimes, so sign up for email updates or follow them on Facebook.  A few summers ago, they had a ton of children's titles on sale for 1.99 each.  We bought a whole bunch, including the entire set of Ramona Quimby books, which my 7 yo listens to constantly. 

Edited May 22, 2016 by Forget-me-not

[Lady Florida.]

I've had memberships on and off and play the audible game a bit. I will get a promotion for 3 months of $.99/month, then cancel. Then they will offer maybe 2 more months for half off. So I'll do that and then cancel. Then I'll wait a year and sign up again and get some other deals. I also pay attention to the sales when I'm a member. They often have 2/1 credit sales or $5 sales for popular books. And I pay attention to the deal of the day. I end up buying a book from that about once a month (that's even for non-members).

 

I also pay attention to whispersync books. Many books, if you buy the Kindle edition on Amazon, give you a discount on the audible version. More often than not, this costs the same or less total than just buying the audiobook. I think I did this with several Brandon Sanderson books recently. Whispersync deals don't require membership, just an account.

 

I still have access to all my books whether I'm a member at the time or not. And I only use credits if the whispersync deal is more than $15. If not, I just pay for it if I want it. Right now, most of my credits are going towards getting all the Harry Potters. (I only need the last 2!)

 

 

 

I play the game too - join, quit, join, quit. Whispersync is great because you can either read or listen, and both the Kindle (or Kindle app) and Audible will pick up where you left off on the other format. 

 

You always have access to your books. Before canceling a membership you do have to use any credits you have. That's the one thing that is lost when you cancel because credits are considered a membership perk. No membership, no perk even if you earned it while you were a member.

 

I will say if you go the membership route, be careful how you spend your credits.  Some books cost less than the credits do, so you don't want to use them in that case (and Audible will default to using credits, so check your cart carefully before checkout).  Also, sometimes you can get classic books super cheap if you own the Kindle version of the book already.  I've paid a couple of dollars for a Kindle book and then purchased the audiobook for .99 or 1.99.  

 

And Audible will have really good sales sometimes, so sign up for email updates or follow them on Facebook.  A few summers ago, they had a ton of children's titles on sale for 1.99 each.  We bought a whole bunch, including the entire set of Ramona Quimby books, which my 7 yo listens to constantly. 

 

Yes, always make sure you use credits on a book that costs more than your membership. That can sometimes be difficult because the member price is cheaper than the non-member price, and sometimes the member price is even cheaper than your membership fee. I always use the credits for the most expensive books on my wish list and I make sure the member price is higher than my monthly membership fee.

 

Also, sometimes audible will offer you the chance to buy extra credits. The last time I got that offer I bought 3 credits for $30 total - so I was able to get 3 books for only $10 each. 

 

I'm a fairly recent convert to audio books (started my Audible account in 2011) but now I love them. I can't just sit and listen to a book or my mind wanders. However, I can fold laundry, prep meals, do housework, or perform other mindless tasks while listening. 

Edited May 24, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[jjeepa]

 (and Audible will default to using credits, so check your cart carefully before checkout).  

 

Yes this!  I almost used a credit on a $1.99 audiobook.  Caught it in time though.  Now I always double-check before clicking the "Complete Purchase" button.