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How to get more credits on Audible
Credits are an essential part of how Audible works, and the best way of buying audiobooks if you can manage it — you’re not paying in real cash when you use them. There are a few ways of getting more Audible credits, though only three of them are dependable.
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Typically you can only get Audible credits by being a Premium Plus subscriber, even if you want to buy them apart from your membership. You can also get credits by exchanging titles bought with credits, or more rarely, through special promotions.
How to get more credits on Audible
Subscribe to Premium Plus
If you subscribe to Audible Premium Plus in the US, you’ll get at least one credit per month. Plans start at $14.95 monthly or $149.50 per year. You can get two credits per month with an even more expensive tier, priced at $22.95 per month or $229.50 per year.
You may have similar options if you live outside the US, but check Audible’s website — plans can vary not just in price but in benefits and naming.
Buy more credits
Assuming again that you’re in the US, you can buy three-credit bundles for less than it costs to get some individual books outright. There is a major catch, though — you need to be a Premium Plus subscriber with one or zero credits left on your account. Even then you have to wait for Audible to extend the offer. You also have to have to been a Premium Plus subscriber for at least 30 days, so you can’t sign up for a month, get a few cheap books, and then cancel.
Return a book
This is once again limited to Premium Plus members, but if you buy a book using a credit, you have up to a year to return it and get your credit back. Be warned that Audible is monitoring accounts for abuse — in some cases you might be denied for “excessive” returns, particularly if you regularly spend a long time listening beforehand or exchange multiple titles at once. If you push things too far, you might permanently lose return privileges.
Special promotions
Audible wants to keep subscribers hooked, so it may occasionally offer free credits. That can include when you’re prepared to cancel and talking to customer service. If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you’ll get two free titles just for signing up to a 30-day Premium Plus trial.
FAQs
Yes. You have up to a year to use a credit as long as you’re still a Plus or Premium Plus subscriber.
Not directly. You can use one of your own credits to gift someone a specific title, but otherwise, you’ll have to buy someone a gift membership. The good news is that if you buy someone a membership, they’ll get all of their credits at once instead of scattered throughout the year.
No, unfortunately, unless you’re just downgrading from Premium Plus to a standard Plus plan. Be sure to use up all your credits before canceling completely, since books bought that way will stay attached to your Audible account.