The Audible Free Trial: What You Actually Get
Both Audible Standard and Premium Plus include a 30-day free trial, same duration, same Plus Catalog access, same one credit to use on any audiobook in the collection. The difference is what happens to that book if you cancel. On a Premium Plus trial, the book is yours permanently the moment you redeem the credit. On a Standard trial, it locks when your membership ends. That distinction is the most important thing to understand before you start, and most trial guides don't say it plainly.
Below is exactly what each trial includes, who should choose which plan, how to get the most from 30 days, and what the cancellation process actually looks like. Prices and terms verified April 2026.
What each trial includes
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95/month after trial
1 credit, any audiobook in the full catalogue, any price
Permanent ownership, yours to keep even if you cancel on day one
Unlimited streaming from the Plus Catalog
Member-only discounts and sales
Prime members receive 2 credits instead of 1
The genuinely risk-free option. Use the credit on any title you want, it's yours regardless of what you decide about the subscription.
Audible Standard
$8.99/month after trial
1 selection, any audiobook in the full catalogue
Rental access only, selection locks if you cancel your membership
Unlimited streaming from the Plus Catalog
Member-only discounts and sales
No Prime credit bonus on Standard trials
Right choice only if you're genuinely evaluating the Standard plan long-term. Otherwise, start with Premium Plus.
The thing most guides don't say
A Premium Plus trial credit buys permanent ownership the moment you use it. Cancel on day two with the book redeemed and it stays in your library forever. A Standard trial selection locks when your membership ends, it reappears only if you resubscribe. If you're not sure which plan you want long-term, start with Premium Plus. The $6 monthly difference costs you nothing during the trial itself.
Start your 30-day free trial
Premium Plus, 1 credit, yours to keep. Cancel anytime.
Amazon Prime members
You get 2 credits instead of 1
First-time Audible subscribers who are Prime members receive 2 free credits on a Premium Plus trial, two audiobooks of your choice, kept permanently regardless of whether you continue. This applies to your first Audible trial only. Returning Prime members who have previously claimed this bonus receive the standard 1-credit trial.
How to use 30 days well
- 01
Use your credit on the right book immediately
Don't wait. A Premium Plus credit used on day one is yours permanently regardless of what you decide later. Pick something you genuinely want to own, a long performance you'll return to, a narrator you've been meaning to hear. A 20-hour epic fantasy narrated by Nick Podehl or a Ray Porter title is a better use of a permanent credit than a 5-hour thriller you'll finish once.
- 02
Explore the Plus Catalog seriously
The Plus Catalog, thousands of streaming titles included with your membership, tells you more about whether Audible fits your listening habits than any single purchased title does. If you find yourself listening to Plus titles daily, Premium Plus is worth the ongoing cost. If you struggle to find anything, that's useful information too.
- 03
Test Whispersync if you read Kindle books
Whispersync lets you switch between reading and listening to the same book without losing your place, the Kindle text and Audible audio stay in sync across devices. If you're a Kindle reader, 30 days is enough to know whether this feature changes how you consume books. Many listeners find it does.
- 04
Set a calendar reminder for day 28
Audible sends an email reminder before your trial ends, but set your own reminder too. If you decide not to continue, cancelling takes about 90 seconds through account settings. Unused credits expire the moment you cancel, if you haven't used your credit yet and you're cancelling, redeem it first.
- 05
Browse by narrator before you commit your credit
Audible's narrator search is the best in the business. Type any narrator's name directly into the search bar and you'll get their complete catalogue with performance ratings. Use the 30 days to identify the narrators whose work you want to build a library around, that knowledge is worth more than any single title.
Cancellation: what you keep, what you lose
Cancelling before the 30-day trial ends means no charge. There are no cancellation fees. What you keep depends on how you used your credit:
Premium Plus credit used before cancelling: The audiobook stays in your library permanently. You can re-download it at any time through your Audible account, though Audible notes this isn't contractually guaranteed if a title is removed from the catalogue entirely, an edge case, but worth knowing.
Standard selection before cancelling: The book locks in your library with a padlock icon. You can see it but not listen to it. Access returns if you resubscribe at any point.
Plus Catalog titles: All streaming access ends when your membership does, regardless of plan. These titles were never purchased, they were included benefits of the active membership.
Unused credit at cancellation: Gone immediately. If you have an unredeemed credit and you're cancelling, use it on a title before you cancel. There's no grace period.