Is LOTR free on Audible?

Getting free audiobooks can seem like an impossible quest, but with some tricks up your sleeve, you can listen to audiobooks without spending a fortune. One of the most common questions audiobook lovers have is whether or not you can get The Lord of the Rings audiobooks for free on Audible. Let‘s explore the ways you can get free audiobooks and find out if LOTR is free on Audible.

How to Get a Free Audible Credit

The best way to get free audiobooks on Audible is to take advantage of their free trial offers. Here are some of the best free trial options:

• New Audible member free trial – New Audible members can get a 30-day free trial which includes 1 free audiobook credit to redeem for any title. You can cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged.

• Amazon Prime member free trial – Amazon Prime members who haven‘t tried Audible before can get a 3-month Audible membership for free. This also includes 1 free audiobook credit.

• Kindle Unlimited free trial – Kindle Unlimited subscribers can get a 30-day free trial of Audible Escape which provides unlimited listening to romance, mystery and thriller audiobooks.

• Audible Escape free trial – Non-Kindle Unlimited members can also get a 30-day free trial of Audible Escape.

Once your free trial ends, you‘ll need to pay to maintain an Audible membership and continue getting credits. But you get to keep any free audiobooks you picked out during the trial even if you cancel.

Audible Free with Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime members used to get free audiobooks included with Prime, but that is no longer the case. The only way Prime members can get free audiobooks now is through the free trial offers mentioned above.

However, Prime members do get discounts on Audible memberships. An Audible Premium Plus membership is $14.95 per month for non-Prime members, but only $12.95 per month for Prime members. So there are still some Audible savings, but no free audiobooks with a regular Prime membership.

3 Months Free Audible

The best free trial Audible offer is 3 months of Audible Premium Plus free for Amazon Prime members. With this, you can get 3 audiobook credits to redeem for 3 free audiobooks from Audible‘s full premium selection.

To get this extended free trial, you must:

• Have an active Amazon Prime membership
• Be signing up for Audible for the first time
• Sign up at audible.com/primeoffer

If you meet these requirements, you can get the 3-month trial and up to 3 free audiobooks.

How to Get Audible Books for Free

In addition to free trials, there are a few other ways to get free Audible books:

• Audible Plus catalog – Audible Plus members get access to the Plus audiobook catalog which has over 15,000 titles available for free listening. An Audible Plus membership costs $7.95 per month.

• Daily deals – Check the Daily Deals section each day for discounted audiobooks, some as low as $2-3.

• Your first book with Alexa – If you enable the Audible app in your Alexa device for the first time, you can get the Fellowship of the Ring audiobook for free.

• Audible Originals – Members get access to Audible Original audiobooks and audio shows for free each month.

• Audiobook samples – You can listen to audio samples of any book for free before deciding to purchase it. Samples are usually 5-15 minutes long.

• Whispersync for Voice – For Kindle books you own that have the "Whispersync for Voice" feature enabled, you can purchase the Audible audiobook version at a big discount, usually around $3-5.

Is LOTR Free on Audible?

Now for the big question – can you get the Lord of the Rings audiobook free with any of these Audible offers?

Unfortunately, the Lord of the Rings audiobook is not available for free on Audible. As a premium bestselling series, it is not included in the Audible Plus catalog.

The only way to get LOTR free on Audible would be to use your free trial credits or discounts mentioned above to purchase the audiobooks individually.

Here are the regular prices for each audiobook:

• The Fellowship of the Ring: $38.51
• The Two Towers: $43.93
• The Return of the King: $56.02

So if you grab the 3-month free trial for Prime members, you should have enough credits to redeem the entire LOTR trilogy for free!

Even if you don‘t get it for free, Audible members can save a lot on these audiobook purchases:

• 30% off for members
• Extra savings by purchasing with Audible credits instead of cash

No matter what, using Audible is one of the cheapest ways to get premium audiobooks like LOTR. The membership credits and sales bring the costs way down.

Other Ways to Get Free LOTR Audiobooks

While Audible may not offer LOTR for free streaming, there are a couple other ways you may be able to listen without spending:

Local library – Many local libraries let you borrow and download free audiobooks with just a library card. Libraries have limited copies but you may get lucky!

Librivox – This site offers free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers. The LOTR books aren‘t public domain, but you can request a volunteer to record it.

Plus Catalog library access – If you cancel Audible but maintain the Plus Catalog subscription, you can access the Plus library using OverDrive and Hoopla apps with a library card.

YouTube (partially) – Search YouTube for "LOTR audiobook" and you‘ll find some channels with parts of the trilogy uploaded, though not complete.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited – Kindle Unlimited subscribers get discounted Audible book companions. You can get the LOTR Kindle books for free and then grab the Audible companions for cheap!

Local book exchanges – Check for book exchanges in your area where locals exchange used books and audiobooks for free!

Tips for Getting More Free Audible Credits

If you want to maximize the free audiobooks you can get from Audible, here are some helpful tips:

• Take advantage of every free trial offer available, back to back if necessary, to score more credits. Just make sure to cancel each before you get charged.

• Look out for Audible gift memberships around the holidays or your birthday. Redeem the free credits.

• Refer friends to try Audible and get 1 free book credit for every friend who signs up and buys their first book.

• Check the Daily Deals section regularly for $5 or under deals and use a credit to get them essentially free.

• Complain to customer service about a title you don‘t like and ask for a refund. You‘ll get the credit back to redeem for another book.

• Buy cheap Kindle ebooks that have Whispersync for Voice enabled and add on the audiobooks for just a few bucks a piece.

• Get your free Alexa Fellowship of the Ring audiobook and try asking Alexa for other free book offers.

With the right mix of free trial exploiting, referrals, and deal hunting, you can significantly cut down on what you pay for audiobooks on Audible and maximize your free listening!

Is Audible Worth it for LOTR Fans?

Considering the cost of purchasing the LOTR trilogy in print or ebook format, Audible is very worthwhile for fans even if you can‘t get the books completely free.

Here‘s a quick breakdown:

• Print books – $25+ per book new, $10+ per book used
• Kindle ebooks – $11-15 per book
• Audible – ~$40 per book with credit, ~$50 bought outright

Given that Audible lets you re-listen anytime across devices, comes with 30% off for members, provides free trials and credits, and gives away free audiobooks each month, it‘s arguably the cheapest way for true LOTR fans to repeatedly enjoy the series.

The unlimited streaming of the Plus Catalog and originals also adds a ton of value on top of LOTR access. Overall, Audible is likely the top choice for any frequent audiobook listener.

Final Tips on Audible and LOTR

Hopefully this thorough guide covered all you need to know about getting The Lord of the Rings on Audible, as well as capitalizing on credits and free trials!

Here are a few final tips:

• Check sales or your library first in case LOTR audiobooks are discounted or available to borrow.

• Add the books to your wishlist so you‘re notified if they go on sale.

• Considering splitting the cost of an Audible membership with family to save money. You can share books!

• Look for Kindle and Audible bundles that may offer a discount when buying together.

• Don‘t forget about Audible Escape which includes romance, thriller and mystery books for just $12.95 a month.

LOTR may not make it into your hands (or ears) for free, but with the right Audible membership perks you can journey through Middle Earth again and again for much cheaper than you‘d think!