This policy explains how domain renewal, expiration, and deletion work for domains registered through BetterNamer, and the fees that apply at each stage. It forms part of the Domain Registration Agreement.
Renewal Reminders
We email renewal reminders to the registrant email on file at approximately 60, 30, 14, 7, 3, and 1 day(s) before expiration, and a final notice shortly after a domain expires. This exceeds ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy, which requires reminders roughly one month and one week before expiry. Keeping your contact email accurate is essential — reminders go to the address on your registrant contact.
Renewing a Domain
You can renew any domain at any time from your domain dashboard. Renewal is charged at the then-current renewal price for the TLD, which is displayed:
- in your domain dashboard next to the renew control, and
- at checkout before you confirm any renewal payment.
Renewal prices vary by TLD and may change over time. Premium domains may carry non-standard renewal prices, always shown before you pay.
Renewal pricing follows the registrar that fulfills your domain, so if we add or change a registrar partner — as section 2 of the Domain Registration Agreement permits — a TLD's renewal price may move up or down. That never changes the rule above: you see the price before you pay, every time. If we transfer a domain you already own to a different registrar, most gTLD registries add a year to the term at no cost to you, which pushes your next renewal further out.
Auto-Renewal (Optional, Off by Default)
- Auto-renew is off by default. You can turn it on or off per domain, at any time, from your domain dashboard.
- When auto-renew is on, we automatically charge your saved payment card approximately 25 days before expiration for a one-year renewal at the then-current renewal price for the TLD, and then renew the domain. You receive an email confirmation after each automatic renewal.
- If the automatic charge fails (no saved card, card declined, or additional verification required), we email you immediately so you can renew manually before the domain expires. We do not retry the charge for that cycle.
- When auto-renew is off, the domain will expire if you do not renew it — your renewal reminder emails will say so explicitly.
What Happens When a Domain Expires
The exact timeline varies by registry (TLD), but for most generic TLDs it follows this pattern:
| Stage | Typical timing | What it means | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expiration | Day 0 | The domain stops resolving or is parked; services on it (website, email) may stop working. | — |
| Renewal grace period | Varies by TLD — around 40 days for .com; some TLDs have shorter windows or none | You can still recover the domain at the normal renewal price. | Standard renewal fee — no restore fee, no surcharge |
| Redemption period | Varies by TLD (typically up to ~30–60 days after the grace period) | The domain can only be recovered by a redemption restore. | Restore fee (varies by TLD) plus the standard renewal fee |
| Pending delete → release | ~5 days after redemption ends | The domain is released and becomes publicly available for anyone to register. | — |
Post-expiration renewal fee: we pass along the full renewal grace period the registry allows for your TLD. For as long as that window lasts, recovering an expired domain costs the same as a standard renewal — no restore fee and no post-expiry surcharge. The window varies by TLD; your renewal reminder and expiry emails tell you where your domain stands.
Redemption/restore fee: once a domain enters the redemption period, registries charge a restore fee that varies by TLD, in addition to the standard renewal fee. We show you the exact total price before you pay — contact support@betternamer.com to start a restore and receive your quote. Restore availability and timing depend on the registry.
If you do nothing after expiration, the domain will ultimately be deleted and released to the public, and someone else may register it. We are not responsible for losses resulting from a failure to renew.
Expired Domains and UDRP Disputes
If a domain that is the subject of a UDRP dispute is deleted or expires during the dispute, the complainant has the option to renew or restore the name under the same commercial terms as the registrant, per ICANN policy.
Related Documents
- Domain Registration Agreement
- ICANN: Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities
- ICANN: Expired Registration Recovery Policy
Questions: support@betternamer.com
Last updated July 29, 2026.