Audible for Seniors [The Ultimate Guide]

Audible is world’s largest audiobook publisher, retailer and subscription service by Amazon. It has audiobooks in 47 languages across all genres.

In this article, I will discuss Audible for seniors in details. We will cover Audible membership features, pricing, discount for seniors and more.

Audible for Seniors – A Detailed Guide

Let’s start with some of the latest statistics about Audible and audiobooks in general.

12 Audiobooks and Audible Statistics

Here are some of the statistics, facts and figures regarding audiobooks and Audible.

1. Audible is the largest audiobook producer and retailer in the world with over 200,000 titles.
2. Audible had 63.4% share in audiobook publishing in 2022, generating over $1.01 Billions through audiobook sales and subscription service
3. Audible listeners represent 180 countries and listen audiobooks in 47 languages
4. Top 5 countries with most Audible users include U.S, India, UK, Japan and Germany
5. U.S. audiobook revenue reached $1.81 Billion in 2022 with 23% growth from prior year. This makes 10 years in a row for double digit growth
6. The global audiobook market recorded valuation of $5.38 Billions in 2022 and is projected to reach $35 Billion by the end of 2030.
7. Over 53% of Americans have listened to an audiobook (at least once) as of 2023
8. An average audiobook listener listens 6.3 books in one year
9. 9% of all book sales in U.S. are from audiobooks
10. 74000+ Audiobooks were published in U.S. in 2022
11. Fiction is top category in audiobooks, accounting for 65% of all audiobook sales
12. Top 3 audiobook markets are U.S. ($1.81 Billion), China (600 million users) and Europe ($850 Millions). Germany has 32% of Europe’s audiobook market share

(source: Wordsrated and Publishers Weekly)

Latest trends show that audiobook is fastest growing format in publishing industry.

7 Reasons for Seniors to Use Audible

Audible is the most popular audiobook service with excellent features and extensive book collection. Here are the top 7 reason for the elderly to use Audible.

1: Get New Releases and Best Sellers

Audible is your best bet to get the new titles and best sellers as soon as they release. Many new releases are Audible-only and you can not find them anywhere else in audio format.

This is one of the most important reasons why I recommend Audible for seniors.

2: Audible App is Easy to Use

The Audible app is one of the easiest audiobook apps for older adults. The user interface is simple and clean with fewer options and no glitches.

Audible app is compatible with Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple watch and Windows. The best thing about the Audible app is that it has same simple design across all platforms.

3: Try for Free, Cancel Anytime

You can use Audible for free and access thousands of free audiobooks and podcasts in their Free Listen section. The free 30 days trial comes with 1 free premium book (2 if you are Amazon Prime member).

Try Audible membership for 30 days and cancel anytime if you think it’s not for you. The purchased books are yours to keep and you can continue using Audible as a free service.

4: Pre-order Price Guarantee

Audible’s Pre-order Price Guarantee ensures best price on your audiobooks. When you opt for pre-order, you get the lowest price available between pre order and when the audiobook releases. If the price at release is lower, you get the refund.

5: Simple Returns

You can try a new audiobook or podcast before purchasing, without losing a credit. If you are not happy (or purchased by mistake), you can submit return request within 365 days of purchase to get your credit refunded.

6: Cross-Platform Compatibility

You can listen Audible on your iPhone, android phone, Android tablet, iPad, Alexa devices, Kindle, Apple Watch, Fire tablet, computer or even in your car.

Audiobook will resume playing from where you stopped listening last time, even if you change the device. Your purchased audiobooks and data are available on all devices.

7: Largest Library of Audiobooks

Audible is currently the largest retailer of audiobooks in the world. It is also the largest audiobook producer and retailer in the U.S.

Due to Audible’s largest catalogue of audiobooks, you will most certainly find the audiobook you are looking for including classics, new releases and bestsellers.

Cross platform compatibility, easy to use app and largest audiobook catalogue make Audible the best choice for older adults.

Audible Membership: How much does it Cost?

Audible offers 5 subscription plans. Most people opt for Audible Premium Plus.

Note: You get a free 30-day trial with each subscription plan.

Here are the details about each subscription option

• Audible Plus ($7.95/Month): You get unlimited access to Plus Catalog. Listen to thousands of selected audiobooks, podcasts, sleep tracks and meditation programs as much as you like.
• Audible Premium Plus (($14.95/Month): Everything from Plus Catalog + 1 Credit per month. You can use the Credit to get any of your favorite title from an extended selection of bestseller and new releases. You keep the purchased book forever in your library, even if you cancel Audible membership.
• Audible Premium Plus – 2 Credits ($22.95/Month): Plus Catalog + 2 credits/month. You can use Credits to purchase two titles from premium selection.
• Audible Premium Plus Annual – 12 Credits (($149.50/Year): Plus Catalog + 12 credits/year to purchase and keep 12 premium titles.
• Audible Premium Plus Annual – 24 Credits (($229.50/Year): Plus Catalog + 24 credits/year to purchase 24 titles from bestsellers and new releases.

If you have Amazon Prime, you get two premium titles as part of free trial.

5 Benefits of Audible Membership

You do not need an Audible membership to use Audible or to buy audiobooks. But Audible Membership gives you many benefits and it is worth it for its price.

Here are some of the key benefits of Audible Membership.

1: Audible Plus Catalog

Each membership plan comes with unlimited access to Plus Catalog section. With Plus Catalog, you can listen to a wide range of originals, audiobooks, sleep tracks, meditation programs and podcasts. Think of it as a streaming service for audiobooks.

2: Free 30-days Trial

All plans come with free 30 days trial. You get one free credit, redeemable for any premium title that you can keep permanently. Amazon Premium members get 2 credits for their trial. Unlimited access to Plus Catalog. You can cancel the trial anytime, no questions asked.

3: Exclusive Sales, Deals and Coupons

Audible offers amazing deals and perks for its members. You get 30% discount on audiobook purchases, 2 for 1 deals and exclusive sweepstakes. Members also have access to Audible Daily Deal that offers a new featured audiobook every day at discounted price.

Audible occasionally offers promotional coupons to its members. You can get up to 60% discount on purchases or use the coupons for free credits.

4: Audible Membership is Affordable

With access to thousands of audiobooks in Plus Catalog and 1 Credit every month, Audible membership is really affordable. Audiobooks are expensive so it is a big deal to get 30% discount on every purchase, as a member.

The occasional deals, access to daily deals and promotional coupons make the Audible membership feel like a no brainer.

5: No Commitment Membership

You can cancel Audible membership anytime, no questions asked. You do not lose access to any audiobook that you purchased (using credits or cash), all purchases are yours to keep. This includes purchases during the trial period.

You can reactivate your membership anytime.

Let’s recap the pros and cons of Audible membership for seniors.

Pros

• Access to Plus Catalog with listen all you want option
• 2 free Audiobooks when you subscribe to a plan
• One free audiobook every month (using the 1 credit)
• Hassel – free return policy. Simple exchange policy
• 30% off on all audiobook purchases
• Exclusive sales, deals and coupons for members
• Access to new releases and bestsellers that you can’t find anywhere else
• Cancel anytime. Keep the purchased audiobooks forever

Con

• No special discount for seniors

Overall, I think Audible membership is worth it for older adults.

Audible Discount for Seniors

Unfortunately, Audible does not offer any specific discount for senior citizens. You also do not have the option to get AARP discount on Audible.

You can still get free or discounted audiobooks from Audible using any of the following 5 methods.

1: Audible Free Listens

You can use Audible Free Listens section to stream hundreds of audiobooks, podcasts and more. No membership or trial is required to use this section.

2: Use Trial to Get Free Audiobooks

If you like a title and you are not an Audible member. You can buy the book by cash or sign up for 30 days free trial. The trial comes with 1 credit that you can use to buy any book, no matter how expensive the book is.
If you are Amazon Prime member, you get 2 Credits when you sign up for trial. Cancel the trial after purchasing the books and the keep the books.

3: Get Discount as Audible Member

If you decide to get the Audible membership, you get 30% off on all purchases and many other deals including daily and monthly discounted offers and coupons.

4: Get Discount using Wish List Feature

If you like a specific title, add it to the Wish List. Audible will let you know when the title goes on sale

5: Purchase Sensibly

If you like a specific audiobook and it costs more than $15, it’s in your best interest to buy it using Credit. One credit equals one audiobook so use it to buy expensive titles.

Visit the notification page and sign up for sales and offers emails. Make sure to visit Aduibook Sales and Deals page for special offers, sales and deals.

How To Use Audible

After using Audible on different compatible devices, I have come up with the 9 best Audible devices for seniors. The recommended Audible device for older adults is their smartphone.

You do not need a dedicated device for Audible if you have a smartphone. The Audible app is easy to use and comes with offline support so you can download the book on your phone to listen even without the internet connection.

Let’s show you how to use Audible on your smartphone.

Note: Audible apps for Android and iPhone (and even iPad) have similar user interface and options. You can follow this method to use Audible on both platforms.

• Download the Audible app on your smartphone [Audible for Android | Audible for iPhone]
• Open Audible app. Sign in using your Audible/ Amazon account by tapping on Sign in option or create a new Amazon account by tapping on Get Started
• Once signed in, the bottom navigation bar has four options: Home, Library, Discover and Profile. Tap on Library to access all the books that you have purchased with your Audible account.
  The cover of audiobook with down arrow in corner indicates the book can be downloaded. Download will start with a single tap. If the cover does not feature the down arrow, it is already downloaded.

• Tap on the audiobook cover to begin listening. While listening the audiobook on Audible player, you have the following controls

After the audiobook is downloaded on your phone, you can listen (or resume listening) any time, using the Audible app, without the internet connectivity.

The Ellipses Menu (three dots on the top right corner) gives more options including title details, sharing options, marking as finished and more.

Tip: You may want to delete the audiobook after you have finished listening to free up space for other audiobooks. You can download the purchased audiobooks again anytime.

There are some additional features of Audible app on the top and bottom navigation bars.

Across the top (above your list of books) you can select different options to view your library, including: All titles, Not Started, In Progress, Downloaded and Finished.

You can also sort you content by:

• All
• Audiobooks
• Podcasts
• Wishlist
• Collections
• Authors
• Series
• Genres

You can use Collections section to create your own groups of audiobooks. This makes finding a book easier and you can divide books according to genres here (fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies etc).

How to Buy Audible Audiobooks – 3 Options

You can buy Audible audiobooks using your credits or using the cash (bank card). If you are an Audible member, chances are that you have credits.

One credit is used to buy one audiobook, regardless the price of book.

Related: 20 Best Audible Books for Seniors

Here are a few things to keep in mind regarding an audiobook purchase on Audible.

• The purchased audiobooks will show up in the Library section on the Audible app, ready to download and listen
• If you are using a bank card to buy an Audible book, go to Audible website (on your computer or phone). The mobile apps only support buying a book using credits.
• You do not need Audible membership to buy audiobooks from Audible (But you get 30% discount on book purchases with membership and other offers and coupons)
• The audiobooks your purchased in Audible (with Audible credits or bank card) are always yours. Even if you cancel Audible membership or deleted them after listening on your phone (you can always download them again)

Option 1: Purchase Audiobooks using Audible App

Follow the instructions below to buy an audiobook using Audible App on your smartphone.

• Open the Audible App and sign in
• Tap Discover on the bottom navigation bar
• Search or browse for the audiobook you want to purchase
• Tap on the title you want to buy and tap the “Buy with 1 credit” option

To access the purchased book, go to the Library section in your Audible app. You will also receive an email confirming your purchase.

Option 2: Purchase Audiobooks from Audible Website

You can buy audiobooks from Audible website with Audible credits or your bank card. This is the useful option if

• You have Audible membership but do not have credits or it is much cheaper to buy the book without using the credit (for instance, if a credits costs $14.95 and book cost is $8, the best option is to buy the book with cash and save your credit for expensive audiobooks)
• You do not have Audible membership and want to buy an audiobook using cash. It is also a useful option to take advantage of good audiobook deals here and there.

The good news is that you can buy audiobooks from Audible website, with or without Audible membership.

• Go to Audible website
• Sign in with your Audible account and search for the audiobook you are looking for. You can also use the Browse option to explore different options from different categories.
• Once you have selected the title, click/tap on Add to cart option

• Go to cart. Select the option to purchase using credit or payment and click Go to checkout

That’s it. The purchased audiobook can be found in the Library section of your Audible app.

Option 3: Purchase Audiobooks from Amazon

You can also buy Audible audiobooks from Amazon using the below instructions.

• Go to Amazon website
• Search the audiobook in top search bar or browse to see more options
• Once you have chosen a book to buy, select Audiobooks format

You can now buy the audiobook with Audible credit or by making a payment. The purchased audiobook will be available in the Library section of your Audible app.

What is an Audible Credit?

Audible Premium Plus members receive 1 credit each month. You can use 1 credit to buy 1 audiobook, regardless the price of the book.

Here are few important things to know about Credits.

• If you do not use your Credit to purchase a book, your credit will roll over to the next month. Next month you will have 2 credits to spend.
• Credits expire 12 months after they are issued. You have a full year to redeem each credit.
• You get 1 credit when you sign up for 30 days free trial (2 credits for Amazon Prime members)
• Members can also get extra credits when purchasing a bundle offer or as part of special and promotional offers.
• Members who are running low on credits (0-1) see special offer to purchase 3 additional credits. You can find more at buy extra credits page.

Use your Audible credits to buy expensive audiobooks. If a book costs less than credit price, buy the book using your bank card instead.

Audible Alternatives for Seniors

Although Audible is the best choice for older adults for many reasons, there are some other players in audiobook arena.

Let’s have a look at top 3 alternatives to Audible for seniors.

1: Audiobooks.com

You get a 30 days trial with 3 free audiobooks. The audiobooks.com features include:

• 1 Book and 2 bonus VIP books in free trial
• 10,000+ free audiobooks
• 400,0000+ best sellers, new releases and classics
• Download audiobooks for offline listening
• Listen to audiobooks on smartphone, tablet and laptop

Audiobooks.com subscription costs $14.95/ month after trial.

2: SCRIBD

SCRIBD subscription provides access to millions of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, podcasts and comics.

The key features include

• Free 60 days trial for premium membership
• 2 million + audiobooks and eBooks
• Content in over 20 languages
• Membership includes access to unlimited number of books and other content (restrictions to some titles)

Stephen King called SCRIBD “It’s like Netflix for word wonks”.

SCRIBD membership costs $11.99/ month after trial.

3: Libby

Libby is a free alternative to Audible that allows you to borrow audiobooks with a library card.

The main features of Libby include.

• Borrow eBooks, audiobooks and magazines with your local library card
• Download audiobooks and eBooks for offline reading/ listening
• Option to send your books to Kindle
• Available on Android and iOS devices

The best thing about Libby is that it’s completely free to join with your local library card. To find more options for free audiobooks, check out the free audiobooks for seniors article that i shared earlier.

You may not get all of your favorite books on Libby but it is a free service and worth a try.

That’s a wrap. I recommend Audible for seniors who like listening their books in audio format. It is one of the best ways to access newly released audiobooks and best sellers.