Before You Cancel: Two Things to Do First
1. Use your unused credits. Any credits in your account expire when you cancel. Log in, check your balance under Account Details, and spend them. Pick something from our best negotiation audiobooks or best finance audiobooks list — something you have been meaning to get to. Once you cancel, those credits are gone.
2. Consider pausing instead. Audible lets you pause membership for 1, 2, or 3 months. Your credits freeze and resume when you reactivate. If you are cancelling because you have not been listening lately — not because you dislike the service — a pause is almost always the smarter move.
How to Cancel Audible: Step by Step
Cancellation must be done through Amazon's website, not through the iOS or Android app.
On desktop or mobile browser:
- Go to audible.com and sign in
- Click your name in the top right corner → Account Details
- Under Membership Details, click Cancel Membership
- Follow the prompts — Audible will try to offer a discount or pause option first
- Confirm cancellation
You will receive a confirmation email. Your membership continues until the end of your current billing period.
Important for iPhone users: Do not cancel through the iOS App Store settings. Your Audible subscription is billed directly through Amazon, not Apple. Cancelling through the App Store has no effect on your Audible billing.
What You Keep After Cancelling
Everything you purchased with credits stays in your library permanently. This includes:
- Any audiobook bought with a monthly credit
- Your free trial credit audiobook
- Any titles purchased individually
You can re-download and listen to them anytime using the free Audible app, even with no active subscription. Your listening history, bookmarks, and notes are also preserved.
What You Lose After Cancelling
- Access to the Audible Plus Catalog (the streaming library included with membership)
- The ability to earn or spend new credits
- Any unused credits in your account — these expire immediately on cancellation
- Member discounts on additional purchases
The Pause Option (Worth Knowing About)
If you are cancelling because life got busy or you are in a reading slump, the pause option is genuinely useful. During the pause:
- No charge hits your card
- Your unused credits are frozen (not lost)
- Your library and history are preserved
- You can reactivate anytime
To pause: go to Account Details → Membership Details → Pause Membership. You can pause for 1, 2, or 3 months.
Many people who cancel for cost reasons would be better served by pausing for a month or two. The credits you save are often worth more than the subscription cost.
After Cancelling: Free Alternatives
If you have decided Audible is not for you long-term, these are the best permanent free options:
Libby — borrow audiobooks free with your library card. Best selection varies by library system, but most city libraries have thousands of titles including recent bestsellers.
LibriVox — free audiobooks of public domain classics, narrated by volunteers.
Spotify Premium — includes a growing audiobook catalog at no additional cost if you already subscribe.
For more options, see our guide on where to listen to audiobooks for free.
One Last Thing Before You Go
If the reason you are cancelling is that you have not been listening — not that you dislike the service — it is worth trying one book before you leave. Pick something from our best audiobooks for working out or best dark psychology audiobooks and give it two commutes. Sometimes all it takes is finding the right book.