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Home › Pay › Common problems › Music and audiobook subscriptions
Subscriptions

Music and audiobook subscriptions

Music and audiobook services are easy to start and easy to forget. A free trial turns into a monthly charge, unused audiobook credits pile up, and prices creep up after you sign on. Before you pay, it helps to know that your public library may already offer many of the same books and albums for free.

Common problems to watch for

  • A free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel before a set date
  • Audiobook credits that expire or vanish when you cancel the membership
  • Family or bundle plans pushed as upgrades when one person uses the service
  • Price increases announced by email that many people never notice
  • Signing up through a phone carrier or device, which hides where the charge comes from
  • A cancel button that leads to several offers before the real cancel option

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Free and low-cost alternatives

Libby (public library app)Borrow ebooks, audiobooks and magazines from your local library for free. You sign in with your library card.
hoopla (through participating libraries)Many libraries offer hoopla, which lends audiobooks, music albums, movies and more free with a library card. Ask your library if it takes part.
Spotify's free planSpotify offers a free plan alongside its paid ones. It has fewer features, but may be enough for casual listening.
Free public-domain audiobooksVolunteer projects such as LibriVox record older books whose copyrights have expired and share them free. Many libraries link to them.

Availability depends on your device and model. AblePro has no relationship with any company named here.

How companies charge more here: Ads in paid plans · Digital “ownership”

What fair pricing looks like

Many people can get music and audiobooks free through a library or a free plan. A paid plan is fair when you listen often and the price stays clear and steady.

Before you pay

  • Check whether your library card gives you free access through Libby or hoopla
  • Write down the date the free trial ends and set a reminder
  • Find out what happens to unused credits or downloads if you cancel
  • Check if a paid plan is already included with your phone or internet bill
  • Look up exactly how to cancel before you sign up

How to cancel

  1. If you subscribed through an app, cancel in the App Store or Google Play subscription settings. Deleting the app does not cancel the plan.
  2. If you signed up on the service's website, sign in there and look for account or membership settings.
  3. Use any remaining audiobook credits before you cancel, since they may be lost.
  4. If the plan came through your phone carrier, cancel it through your carrier account.
  5. Keep the cancellation confirmation email and check your next statement.

Step-by-step cancel guide for iPhone, Android and PayPal →

Common questions

Will I lose my audiobooks if I cancel?

It depends on the service. With some services, books you bought or redeemed with credits stay in your library after you cancel, but unused credits may disappear. With others, everything goes away when the plan ends. Read the service's help page on cancelling, and use or note any credits before you end the membership.

Is the library really free?

Yes. Libby lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks free with a library card, and many libraries also offer hoopla. Popular titles may have a waiting list, and each library chooses what it carries. Library cards are usually free for people who live in the area, so ask your local branch.

Why am I still being charged after deleting the app?

Deleting an app does not stop a subscription. If you paid through Apple or Google, the plan keeps renewing until you cancel it in the App Store or Google Play subscription settings. If you paid on the company's website or through your phone carrier, cancel it there instead.

General consumer information, not legal or financial advice. Reports reflect the experiences and opinions of their writers, not AblePro, Inc. We check reports against our posting rules but do not verify them.