I signed up to Audible AGES ago and then forgot all about it. It was only after going through my bank statements that I realised I’d been paying £7.99 a month for it for about 18 months.

I was kind of shocked, to say the least; I didn’t realise it was like Spotify, whereby your account is debited each month for membership. I figured it was done on a purchase-by-purchase basis. But no… this is not how Audible works at all.

How It Works Is Simple Enough (If You Read The T&Cs)

• You sign-up for an account. 
• It debits £7.99 a month from your bank account. 
• And in return, you get one Audible credit a month (i.e. one free audiobook)

And that’s it. Pretty simple, right?

I know what you’re thinking: £7.99 is a lot to pay for membership. And it would be, save for the fact that you get a new Audible credit every month, which means you buy an audiobook.

If you want to buy another audiobook, not using your credit, you’re looking at prices that range from anywhere between £10 to £30 for a title. Basically, it’s expensive.

And for this reason, I wanted to cancel. But here’s the rub: I had around 17 Audible credits on my account – and that meant I could download around 17 audiobooks.

I’d paid for these through my membership, but me being the numpty that I am, I had never used them, so I had a massive surplus to get through.

And because it takes a while to listen to and audiobook (anywhere from 10-20 hours), you can easily spread one out over a month, ensuring you never have to fork out additional monies on top of your membership fee.

Or you can do what I did and just let the Audible Credits rack up for a few months before you start using the service, though I wouldn’t advise this, as it kind of defeats the purpose of downloading the app. You’ll want to use it right away.

Why I Like Audible

For me, it’s a great way to get books into my head that I wouldn’t necessarily read. I do 80% of my non-fiction through Audible and save the fun stuff (fiction) for reading.

I use Audible when I’m walking the dog or doing cardio at the gym. This way, I can get through three or four non-fiction books a month.

I was dubious at first, being an avid reader, but Audible is a great way of ramming lots of information into your brain with very little effort.

The Android application is great; you can buy new titles inside it and it updates across devices, so you never lose your spot. It’s simple enough to use and is easy to navigate around when you’re on the treadmill or walking a Jack Russel.

Who’s Audible For?

Anyone, really. For me, I like it because I can get all my non-fiction books done with very little effort. I can learn while I’m walking the dog or hitting the treadmill, or even while I’m driving or travelling.

If you want to start consuming more books, but aren’t time-rich, Audible is a great option for helping you form a new habit and consume more literature and information. Of course, you can get similar results from podcasts, but I’m kind of old school in my view of the power of books.

The only potential off-putting element of Audible is the price – it’s £7.99 a month.

This aspect doesn’t really bother me, however, as I can spend that in less than 10 seconds on a round of drinks (which I do most Fridays, multiple times), so for me, it’s a cost I am willing to take.

Plus, audiobooks is REALLY expensive. Like, really expensive. However, with an Audible membership, you’re getting an audiobook for free (or the price of your membership) every month – and it applies to ALL content inside Audible.

I love Audible and use it every day. If you’re interested in checking it out, you can sign up for a free 30-day trail right now (just remember to cancel it before the 30 days is up!).