Short answer: Pay the renewal. The domain is on hold from the expiry date, and paying renews it for a further year from the date it expired. If it was registered through us, we can usually recover it at normal cost for 15 to 30 days after expiry; once it goes into redemption the registry fee rises sharply. Open a ticket the day you notice.
Applies to: Expired domains registered through Infosaic or elsewhere
An expired domain is not lost, but it is on a timer, and the cost of getting it back goes up the longer that timer runs. Everything below is about acting inside the cheap window rather than the expensive one.
On the expiry date the domain is put on hold pending payment. The website stops resolving and mail stops being delivered, which is usually how people find out.
Paying the renewal restores it. What varies is how much that costs, and that depends entirely on how long it has been.
How renewal after expiry works
Once you make the renewal payment, the domain is renewed for an additional year from the date it expired — not from the date you paid. So a domain that expired in March and is renewed in April still runs to the following March.
That is worth knowing before you delay: the gap does not extend the registration, it just shortens the year you are buying.
If the domain was registered through us, the renewal appears as an invoice in your hosting control panel at controlpanel.infosaic.com. Paying it there is the fastest route.
The window, and what it costs
Most registrars hold an expired domain for roughly 45 to 60 days before releasing it, and what they charge to reinstate it varies from one to another.
With Infosaic we have access to the domain for 15 to 30 days after expiry. During that period we can usually recover it at the normal renewal cost. Once it passes into redemption, the registry imposes a recovery fee and the price goes up considerably.
After redemption the domain is deleted and returned to general availability, at which point anybody can register it — and desirable names are picked up within minutes by automated services.
Do not wait to decide. If a domain has lapsed, open a ticket the same day even if you are still working out whether you want it. Reserving the cheap window costs nothing; missing it can cost several hundred.
If you plan to move the domain to Infosaic
An expired domain cannot be transferred, so the sequence has to be:
- Renew it for at least one year with the current registrar.
- Wait 45 days from the payment date, so the time you have just bought is not forfeited.
- Then transfer it to us. A year is added to the expiry date on completion.
That looks like a long delay, but it does not have to keep your site down. Point the domain at dns1.yournameservers.net and dns2.yournameservers.net as soon as it is renewed and it will serve from your hosting here while the registration stays put.
Stopping it happening again
- Check the WHOIS contact address. Renewal notices go there, and they are useless if they go to a mailbox nobody reads — often a former employee.
- Do not use an address at the domain itself as the only contact. When the domain expires, that mailbox stops working, so the warning cannot arrive.
- Register for several years if the name matters. It is cheaper than one recovery.
- Keep the domain and the hosting in one place. One renewal date and one invoice is much harder to miss than two.
If you are unsure when your domains are due, open a ticket and ask. We can list the expiry dates for everything registered with us.
Questions and answers
How do I renew an expired domain?
Pay the renewal. For domains registered through Infosaic, the invoice appears in your hosting control panel.
When does the renewed year start?
From the date the domain expired, not the date you paid.
How long do I have to renew after expiry?
Infosaic can usually recover a domain at normal cost for 15 to 30 days after expiry. Most registrars hold domains for 45 to 60 days before release.
What is redemption?
A registry period after the initial grace window, during which a domain can still be recovered but at a substantially higher fee.
What happens after redemption?
The domain is deleted and becomes available for anyone to register.
Can I transfer an expired domain instead of renewing it?
No. It has to be renewed first, and then you must wait 45 days before transferring.
My website is down. Can it work again before the transfer?
Yes. Once the domain is renewed, point it at the Infosaic name servers and it will serve from your hosting immediately.
Why did I not get a renewal reminder?
Notices go to the WHOIS contact address. If that address is at the expired domain itself, or belongs to someone who has left, the reminder cannot arrive.
Related articles
- Can I transfer an expired domain name?
- How do I update my domain WHOIS contact information?
- Is any registration time lost during a domain transfer?
- How do I transfer my domain to Infosaic?
- How do I manage my account and access my control panel?
- How do I contact tech support?
Still stuck?
Open a support ticket from your hosting control panel at controlpanel.infosaic.com — that is the fastest route, because it reaches the team who can already see your account. You can also email [email protected].