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I've signed up for Audible's free trial twice over the years - once as a brand-new customer back in 2015, and once again in 2023 after letting my membership lapse for a stretch. Both times I went in skeptical about whether a 30-day trial was actually worth the hassle of remembering to cancel. Here's what you actually get, what it actually costs if you forget to cancel, and who I think should bother signing up in 2026. If you're still comparing services, my guide to the best audiobook subscriptions covers Audible and the alternatives.

Trial detail

What you get

Trial length

30 days, new customers only

Credits included

1 credit on Premium (2 for Prime members on their first Premium trial); 1 monthly title on Standard

Catalog access during trial

Plus Catalog on Premium; a smaller curated Originals and Wondery+ selection on Standard

Keep books after canceling?

Yes on Premium (credit titles are yours to keep); no on Standard

Price after trial ends

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo (Standard) or $14.95/mo (Premium)

Cancellation

Cancel anytime before day 30, no charge

What You Actually Get With the Free Trial

Audible

Start your 30-day free trial. 1 audiobook included, cancel anytime before you're charged.

Start Your Free Trial

New customers get 30 days of free access to Audible, and you get full access to whichever plan you sign up under. On Premium that includes one credit for any audiobook in the store. On Standard you pick one title a month that you can play only while subscribed. If you're an Amazon Prime member and you sign up for the Premium trial (formerly Premium Plus) for the first time, Audible gives Prime members two credits instead of one, which means two full audiobooks of your choice during the trial period rather than just one.

On top of the credit, you get streaming access to the Plus Catalog - a rotating library of thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals that don't cost you a credit to listen to. During my second trial in 2023, I burned through two Plus Catalog titles just to see what the streaming tier actually included, on top of using my one credit on a full-price audiobook I'd been wanting for a while.

Since March 3, 2026, new US members choose between two plans: Standard at $8.99/month and Premium (formerly Premium Plus) at $14.95/month. Audible Plus at $7.95 is closed to new sign-ups, and both remaining plans come with a 30-day trial. The trial terms (30 days, cancel anytime) are the same on Standard and Premium; check the sign-up page for the plan you're choosing before you commit, since Standard has a different ownership structure that matters for what happens after you cancel.

Standard vs Premium: Which Trial Should You Pick?

Since March 3, 2026, new US members can trial either Standard ($8.99/month) or Premium ($14.95/month), and Audible Plus is closed to new sign-ups. On Standard you get one title a month from a catalog of about 1 million audiobooks, but it locks when you cancel and unused picks don't roll over. On Premium you get one credit a month for a book you keep, plus the Plus Catalog. Credits expire 12 months after they are issued. If you want to keep the book from your trial, pick Premium.

Do the Credits Roll Over, and Do You Keep the Books?

This is the main reason to try it even if you won't stay. On the Premium trial, any audiobook you buy with your trial credit is yours to keep permanently - it stays in your library forever, even if you cancel on day 29 and never pay a cent. With Audible, the credit converts into an actual owned file the moment you use it.

Credit rollover only matters once you're a paying subscriber, not during the trial itself, since you only get your one (or two) trial credits up front rather than accumulating more during the 30 days. If you stay on Premium after the trial, unused credits roll over and expire 12 months after they are issued, or immediately if you cancel, which is worth knowing if you're the type of person who forgets to spend a credit for a couple of billing cycles.

One important catch: this permanent-ownership setup applies to Premium, not to the newer Standard plan. Standard is priced lower at $8.99/month, but subscribers lose access to audiobooks they've listened to if they cancel - meaning the title you pick on a Standard trial gets locked when your membership ends, and you would have to buy it or rejoin to play it again. If keeping your books matters to you, sign up for the trial through Premium rather than Standard.

Woman holding headphones and a phone, ready to start an audiobook

How to Cancel Before You're Charged

Woman holding a smartphone, representing canceling an Audible trial

You can cancel online in a few clicks. On Audible's website, select your name, go to Membership details, click Cancel membership and confirm. If you signed up through the App Store or Google Play, you have to cancel there, and deleting the app does not cancel anything. Audible will typically try to offer you a discount or a pause option before finalizing the cancellation - you can decline those and continue through to actually canceling.

Set a reminder for a few days before your 30-day window closes. Audible's trial auto-renews into a paid subscription at your plan's regular price if you don't cancel in time, and there's no grace period once you're charged - you'd need to request a refund through customer support, which isn't guaranteed. I'd recommend canceling a few days early to be safe. Audible says membership benefits run to the end of the billing period, but unused credits are lost when you cancel, so spend your credit first.

If you do get charged unintentionally, Audible's help pages don't promise refunds for missed trial cancellations. Contact customer support,, but don't count on that as your plan - set the reminder instead.

Who Should Actually Sign Up

Woman wearing headphones, representing who should sign up for Audible

If you've never had an Audible account, the Premium trial is an easy yes. On the Premium trial you get a free audiobook you keep forever (two if you're a Prime member trying it for the first time) and a month of Plus Catalog access, and the ability to cancel before paying anything. Even if you decide Audible isn't for you long-term, you walk away with a book in your library.

It's less compelling if you're someone who's cycled through Audible trials before under different accounts hoping to keep getting free books - Audible limits trials to people who haven't been members or trialists in the past 12 months, so don't count on being able to trial-hop indefinitely.

If you're choosing between Audible and Spotify's included audiobook hours, use the 30 days to test whether you listen enough to justify a paid plan before committing your money long-term.

My Honest Recommendation

Sign up for the Premium trial, not Standard, if you want to guarantee you keep whatever book you pick regardless of what you decide afterward. Use the full 30 days to actually test the app on your commute or during whatever dead time you're trying to fill, not just to grab a free book and forget about it. Then make a real decision: if you're averaging more than an hour or two of listening a week, a paid plan is probably worth it. If you listened to your one trial book and never opened the app again, cancel before day 30 and don't feel bad about it - you still got a free audiobook out of it.

Person using white headphones to listen to an audiobook

What Happens to Your Wish List and Library After the Trial

Anything you add to your wish list during the trial stays there whether you continue or cancel - it's just a saved list, not a purchase. Your library, meanwhile, only holds what you've actually bought with a credit or added through Plus Catalog streaming access. If you cancel, Plus Catalog titles you added but didn't buy get locked and stop playing, since streaming access requires an active subscription. Only the book (or two) you bought with a Premium trial credit stays put. A Standard monthly pick gets locked.

I kept my wish list active between my 2015 and 2023 accounts without realizing it was still there, which made re-subscribing later a bit easier - I already had a shortlist of what to spend my next credit on instead of starting from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get more than one Audible free trial?

Generally no. The trial is for new customers. Audible's Standard help page says you qualify only if you haven't been a member or taken a free trial in the last 12 months. Prime members who already used the 2-credit Prime trial get only the standard 1-credit trial next time.

Do I need a credit card to start the trial?

Yes. Audible requires a valid payment method up front, and that is why setting a cancellation reminder matters - the card gets charged automatically the moment the 30 days are up unless you've canceled.

What happens to my audiobook if I cancel mid-trial?

Nothing happens to it. Once you've redeemed a credit for a specific title on the Premium trial, that audiobook is yours permanently, regardless of when you cancel afterward. You'll lose access to Plus Catalog streaming titles you didn't purchase, but not to anything bought outright with a credit.

Is the Audible app free to download during the trial?

Yes, the app itself is always free to download from the App Store or Google Play. You only need an active trial or paid membership to access content within it, and you can sign in on as many of your own devices as you like.

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