A domain renewal is not an automatic card charge. It is invoiced as a new charge at the then current registrar price, with advance notice before the renewal date. Pay the invoice and the domain renews for another term. If the invoice is not paid, the domain lapses under registrar rules after we send notice.
Invoiced, not auto charged
Hosting and other subscriptions renew automatically on your saved payment method. Domains deliberately do not. Each renewal is its own new charge, invoiced at whatever the registrar charges at that time. The renewal price is also a different number from your year one price, because year one is sold as a one time charge and the registrar sets the going rate for each renewal. The rule is in section 16 of the Terms of Use.
The notice you get
You get advance notice by email before the renewal date, so a renewal never lands as a surprise. The reminders name the renewal date itself, and the invoice states the exact amount due. Keep the email address on your account current: it is where your invoices, renewal notices, and legal notices are sent.
If a renewal is not paid
- After we send notice, an unpaid domain lapses under registrar rules.
- A lapsed domain can be recovered only where the registry allows it at all, subject to registrar rules and registrar charges.
- If the name is released and someone else registers it, it is gone. Released or Lapsed Domains covers exactly what happens next.
The safe habit is simple: when a domain renewal invoice arrives, pay it promptly, and keep your contact email current in the client portal. If a renewal invoice looks wrong, or you no longer want the domain, contact us before the renewal date rather than letting it lapse by accident.
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