DOMAIN REDEMPTION PERIOD, EXPLAINED
Domain Redemption Period: What Is the Process for Domain Redemptions?
Your domain expired and the website or email went dark. Here is what the domain redemption period is, how long it lasts, what it costs, and how to get your domain back before someone else does.
Galleria 713-703-3030 | Kingwood 281-852-8253
THE SHORT ANSWER
What is a domain redemption period?
The redemption period is a last chance window for the owner of an expired domain. When a domain goes unrenewed long enough, it leaves the registrar and is held at the registry level for 30 days. During that time, only the original owner can get it back, and only by paying a redemption fee on top of the renewal.
Redemption exists because of what happened before it. In the early days of domains, an expired name went straight to domain speculation services. They understood what it costs a business to rebrand, and the harm of losing an address because the owner was out of town or dealing with a personal situation. So they charged thousands of dollars to give the domain back to its rightful owner. ICANN, the governing body for domains, created a second expiration status to blunt that practice. That status became known as redemption.
If your domain is still within 15 days of expiring, stop reading and renew it. The standard rates on our domain name registration page still apply.
THE TIMELINE
What happens to a domain after it expires?
COST
How much does it cost to redeem a domain?
Because the registry is now involved, redemption adds a layer of cost. The standard redemption cost is $199 for most extensions, including .com, .net, .org and .biz.
There are exceptions. Canadian domains, the .ca extension, have no increased fee and cost $29 whether the domain is in renewal or redemption. Some overseas registries, such as .io, charge upwards of $400 US.
That fee sounds steep until you compare it with the alternative. Losing a domain means losing every link pointing at it, every ranking it earned, every business card and truck wrap with the address on it, and every email account that runs on it. Beth Guide tells her classes to treat a domain like a piece of property. You would not let the deed to your building lapse over a missed renewal notice.
THE CASE FOR VERTICAL WEB ON DOMAIN RECOVERY
A domain team that has seen every version of this
HOW TO REDEEM
How do you get an expired domain back?
1. Find out where the domain stands. Look up the domain’s status. If it says redemption period or pending restore, the clock is running.
2. Confirm you are the owner. The registry will only restore the domain for the registrant on record. If the contact information is old, or the domain was registered by a former employee or web designer, you will need documents that prove your right to it. Our guide on how to update domain contact info lists what to send for each situation.
3. Contact us for a quote. Clients who are not yet Vertical Web customers need to call our office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central or email info@verticalweb.com. We verify ownership and contact information and quote the redemption. If you have a .com, .net or .org, tell support you want to redeem the domain, and we will set up your account and start the process.
4. Restore the services. Once the domain is back, the DNS, website and email need to be pointed correctly. If your hosting lapsed at the same time, our web hosting plans include free domain registration with annual hosting.
PREVENTION
How do you keep a domain from expiring?
Almost every redemption we handle has the same root cause: the renewal notices went to an email nobody reads anymore. The person who registered the domain left the company, the designer closed shop, or the email address was on the domain that expired.
Three habits prevent nearly all of it. Put the domain in the business name with an email you control. Turn on auto renew with a card that will not expire before the domain does. Keep the domain with the same team that runs your hosting, so someone notices when a renewal fails. You can check your settings any time from the domain management page.
For a deeper look at why an established domain is worth protecting, read the value of a domain: to redeem, to sell, to the brand. And for every hosting and domain service we offer, visit web hosting and domains.
QUESTIONS
Domain redemption questions we hear
The redemption period lasts 30 days. With our registrar, it begins at the end of day 40 after the domain expires, when the domain moves from Tucows to the registry. After those 30 days, the domain can be deleted and released to the public.
The standard redemption cost is $199 for most extensions, including .com, .net, .org and .biz. Canadian .ca domains have no added fee and are $29 whether in renewal or redemption. Some overseas registries, such as .io, charge upwards of $400 US.
No. Not all domains are eligible, and high value domains in particular may not be recoverable. Redemption is a safety net, not a promise, which is why renewing on time matters.
A standard renewal happens before expiration or within 15 days after it, at the normal rate. Redemption begins after day 40, when the registry is involved and the cost rises to the redemption fee.
Once the domain leaves the registrar, the registry has to restore it, and it charges for that work. The fee also exists because the alternative used to be worse: speculators who caught expired business domains and charged owners thousands to get them back.
Call our office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central or email info@verticalweb.com. We verify ownership and contact information, give you a quote and start the redemption. Clients new to Vertical Web will need to set up an account first.
The grace period comes first, right after the expiry date, while the domain is still held by the registrar and can usually be renewed at or near the normal rate. The redemption period comes after it, at the registry level, when only the original owner can restore the domain and a redemption fee applies. After redemption, the domain goes to pending delete and is released to the public.
Pending delete is the final stage of the domain lifecycle after the redemption period ends. The domain can no longer be restored by the owner, and it will be deleted and released for public registration, where automated services often register valuable names within minutes.
Turn on auto renewal, keep a current card on file, and make sure renewal reminder notifications go to an email inbox someone checks. A quick WHOIS lookup shows your expiration date and the contact on record, so check it once a year.
Domain expired? Call us today.
Every day counts in the redemption window. Call 281-852-8253, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, and our domain team will tell you where your domain stands.
Galleria 713-703-3030 | Kingwood 281-852-8253 | info@verticalweb.com