Every extension carries three separate prices: one to register, one to transfer in, and one to renew. They are set per extension and per number of years, and they are not the same number.
Why the renewal can be higher
The price of a domain is largely the price the registry charges, and registries price the first year and the following years differently:
- Introductory first-year pricing. Many registries sell the first year of a new extension cheaply to get the extension used, and charge the standard price from the second year. The low price was the promotion; the renewal is the real price.
- Registry increases. Registries raise their wholesale prices, sometimes annually. A domain registered three years ago renews at today's price, not the price you first paid.
- Premium names. A name the registry classes as premium carries a higher price for its whole life, registration and renewal alike.
None of this is a change we make at renewal time. If a renewal looks wrong, ask on a ticket and we will show you where the price comes from.
Checking your own renewal price
Open Domains in the client area and click the domain. The page shows the expiry date and the next due date. The renewal invoice is raised ahead of the due date, and it carries the exact amount. That invoice is the authoritative figure for your domain, rather than the price shown to someone searching for a new name.
Renewing for several years
Most extensions can be renewed for more than one year at a time, up to the maximum the registry allows. That fixes today's price for that period, which is worth doing on a name you intend to keep.
Auto-renew
Auto-renew is on by default. With it on, the renewal invoice is raised in time for the domain to be renewed before it expires. With it off, no invoice is raised and the domain expires, which is what you want for a name you are giving up, and an expensive mistake otherwise.
If a domain expires
An expired domain stops resolving, so the website and the mail on it stop. Most extensions then enter a redemption period during which the registry will restore the name, but only for a redemption fee that the registry sets and that is far higher than a renewal. After that the name is released and anyone can register it. Renewing on time is dramatically cheaper than redeeming.