Auto-renew is the safety net that keeps your domain from expiring. When it silently fails, the domain can lapse without you noticing - and a lapsed domain takes your website and email down with it. This is the single most common way people lose a domain they meant to keep.
Why auto-renew fails
Almost always it's the payment or the notice, not the domain itself:
- Expired or replaced card - the card on file expired, was reissued with a new number, or was cancelled, so the renewal charge is declined.
- Declined payment - insufficient funds, a bank fraud block on an unfamiliar charge, or a hard spending limit.
- Changed billing email - renewal reminders and payment-failure notices go to an address you no longer read.
- Notices going to an unread inbox - the reminders land in spam, or in a shared mailbox nobody watches.
- Auto-renew switched off - toggled off at some point and forgotten.
What to check now, before anything lapses
- Open Domains, click the domain, and confirm auto-renew is on and check the expiry date.
- Check the payment method in Billing is current - not expired, not the old card.
- Confirm your account email is one you actually read. Renewal notices go there.
- Make sure our emails aren't landing in spam. Add our billing address to your contacts.
Warning signs it already failed
- A "payment failed" or "renewal unsuccessful" email (check spam).
- An unpaid renewal invoice sitting in Billing.
- Your site or email suddenly stops resolving near a renewal date.
- A browser warning that the domain has expired.
If the domain has already lapsed
An expired domain is usually recoverable, but the clock matters:
- Grace period - for a short window after expiry you can renew at the normal price. Pay the outstanding renewal invoice in Billing and the domain comes straight back.
- Redemption period - after the grace period the domain enters redemption. It can still be recovered, but the registry charges a redemption fee on top of the renewal. Open a ticket with our team and we'll start the restore.
- Fully deleted - left in redemption too long, the domain is released and anyone can register it. At that point it's no longer a renewal, it's a race.
Once it's back, fix the cause: update the card, confirm the email, and leave auto-renew on. See Renewing your domain and What happens if I forget to renew my domain.