Bluehost Web Hosting Help

Domain Name FAQ

How do I renew my domains?
What happens if I don't renew my domains?
My domain is in "Redemption." What does that mean?
There are errors in my whois info. What do I do?
What does "auto-renew" mean. How do I change it?
My auto-renew failed. What do I do?
My credit card is invalid. How do I update it?
I am getting renewal notices for my domains at different email addresses.

How do I renew my domains?

Login to your account.
Choose the Domains option from the menu. Select all the domains you would like to renew.
Select the Renewal Options tab.
Select Renew Now and click Submit. This will take you to confirm your choices and process your payment.

What happens if I don't renew my domains?

There are several steps after your domain expires to safeguard you from losing any domains you want to keep.

Approximately 60 days prior to the domain expiration date, we begin sending reminders to you by email to the email address you listed with us. You will be sent at least two reminders prior to the expiration date and one reminder within five days after expiration.

If we are unable to secure payment on or before the domain renewal date, your domain name will expire.

Upon expiration, your domain name will be deactivated and replaced with a parking page indicating the domain name has expired. Other services you have associated with the domain name may no longer function. If the domain is not renewed, it is considered abandoned. We may exercise the right to auction, sell, delete or dispose of the name at any time.

As early as 31 days after expiration, your domain name will enter a holding period and may be purchased by a third party. If a third party purchases the domain name during this time, the domain name will NOT be available for you to renew.

As early as 44 days after expiration, if your domain has not been purchased by a third party, the domain will enter a 30-day Redemption Grace Period.

If you wish to renew your domain name during the holding period or while it is in redemption, and it has not otherwise been purchased by a third party, you may be able to restore the domain name. We reserve the right to charge you a reactivation fee of $70.00 (in additional to the annual renewal fee) in the event you are able to renew your domain name during either the holding or redemption period.

Once the redemption period ends, most registries hold a domain name for a period of five days before deleting it and releasing it again for general registration. During this five day pending deletion process, a domain name is not recoverable.

My domain is in "Redemption." What does that mean?

(see renewal process above) The redemption period may last 30 days after the initial renewal grace period. You may still be able to redeem the domain during this time. The fee for reactivating a domain in the Redemption Period is $70.00 + the normal renewal fee. Your domain can be redeemed by choosing to renew it from within the Domains section of the Control Panel. At the end of the Redemption Period, the domain(s) will go into a 5-day delete cycle at the end of which they will become available for anyone to register.

There are errors in my whois info. What do I do?

Login to your account. Select Domains from the menu. Select the domain you wish to modify. Select the Contacts tab. Update each contact to the correct information.

What does "auto-renew" mean. How do I change it?

As a security precaution all new registrations are set to auto-renew unless otherwise specified by the customer. This prevents domain names from accidentally expiring and you from losing control of your web site. We begin attempting to auto-renew domains 15 days prior to expiration. The auto renews are billed to the credit card associated to your account.

If you want your domain name to auto-renew, but the auto renew is turned off:

login to your Bluehost Control Panel,
Select Domains from the menu.
Select the domain(s) you want to modify.
Select Renewal Options, Auto-Renew, then click Save Changes.

If you want the domain name to auto-renew, but the credit card information is no longer valid:

Login to your Bluehost Control Panel.
Select Account from the menu.
Then update your billing information from the Profile tab.

My auto-renew failed. What do I do?

Most likely your auto-renewal failed because the credit card information is no longer valid. To resolve this problem you will need to update your credit card information. You may need to manually renew your domain if it is less than 15-days before expiration. If your domain has already expired, you will need to manually renew your domain.

My credit card is invalid. How do I update it?

Login to your Bluehost Control Panel and select Account from the menu, then update your billing information from the Profile tab.

I am getting renewal notices for my domains at different email addresses.

This is most often caused by having multiple accounts with Bluehost and each account is set to use a different email addresses. To consolidate all of your renewal notices to arrive at one email be sure that your contact information is consistent for each account.

Login to your Bluehost Control Panel.
Select Account
Ensure the the Email Address listed under Contacts is the same on all of your accounts.

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