When does my domain name expire, and what if I forget?
Every domain name is rented, not owned outright: it is registered for a fixed term, usually one to ten years, and has to be renewed before the term ends. The expiry date is public. Type your domain into our free domain check, or look at the registry record with any WHOIS or RDAP tool, and it shows who the domain is registered with, when it was registered and when it runs out. If you are within sixty days, renew it now.
Why it matters
When a domain expires, the website and every email address on it stop working, usually the same day. Customers see an error, mail bounces, and search engines start dropping the pages. Most registries then hold the name for a grace period of a few weeks, during which the owner can still renew it, often for an extra fee. After that the name is released and anyone can register it. Expired business domains are bought within hours by people who put adverts on them, or by competitors.
What usually causes it
- The renewal reminders go to an old email address, or to someone who left the business.
- The card on file has expired, so automatic renewal fails quietly.
- The domain was registered by a web designer, an agency or a friend, in their name and on their account, and nobody at the business has the login.
- Several domains with different renewal dates at different registrars, and no list of them.
How to check
Our free domain check reads the public registry record and reports the registrar, the expiry date and how many days are left, plus whether the domain is locked against being transferred. Then log in to the registrar it names and check three things: that the renewal reminders go to an inbox someone reads, that the payment card is current, and whose name is on the registration.
How to fix it
Renew early; a renewal adds time to the end of the current term, so nothing is lost by doing it now. Turn on automatic renewal and set a calendar reminder a month before the date anyway. Make sure the domain is registered in your business’s name with your details as the contact: if it is in someone else’s name, ask them to transfer it to an account you control. Keep a single list of every domain you hold, its registrar and its date. If you would rather not think about any of this, a hosting and care service will hold the domain in your name and handle the renewals for you.
Not sure how your own site does on this? Run the free check: it takes about twenty seconds and reports on this and thirty other things.