Difference between general domains and ‘Auto-renew Only’ domains

 

Domains are divided into two categories.

Domains in general
Auto-renew Only domains are allowed.
The distinction is in the manner in which they are renewed and when they are renewed.

Domains for general use are renewed 31 days before their expiration date.
Domains marked as ‘Auto-Renew Only’ are automatically renewed when they reach their expiration date.
Although ‘General’ domains account for the vast majority of domains, this page describes how both are renewed. For more information on how auto-renew domains are paid and billed, see the following article.

How are domain registrations billed and charged?
What is the difference between the expiration and renewal date?
To begin, it’s crucial to grasp the difference between a domain’s expiration date and its renewal date:

Date of expiration
The domain name will officially expire on this day. It is one day before the end of a full calendar year from when you first purchased the domain for all domains.

This date can be found on the Registrations page or by looking for the ‘Expiration date’ line item in a WHOIS query.

Date of renewal
Depending on whether your domain is a general domain (such as.com) or a specialized ‘Auto-Renew Only’ domain, this date varies (see below).

General domains — Your payment card will be debited, your account will be billed, and your domain will be renewed 31 days before it expires.
‘Auto-Renew Only’ domains — The credit card will be charged and the account will be billed 31 days before the expiration date, but the renewal date will be the same as the expiration date.
What is the difference between ‘Charging the card’ and ‘Billing the account’?
Your credit card will be charged for the domain renewal on the ‘Charge date.’

The date your GreggHost panel posts the due charge is referred to as the ‘bill account.’ Billing the account just updates your GreggHost panel with the information; it does not attempt to charge the credit card.

How to check if a domain is set to auto-renew
New domain registrations and domain transfers to GreggHost are set to ‘auto-renew’ by default. You can change this setting by going to your panel and following the steps below.

Domains that are regularly used
On the Registrations page, you may set a normal domain to auto-renew. The option is set to ‘YES’ when you set it to auto-renew.

Domains with a ‘Auto-Renew Only’ option
On the Registrations page, you can turn on auto-renew.

The “Auto-renew by” or “Delete by” deadline is provided next to the expiration date on the Registrations page.

The domain’s auto-renew setting must be enabled prior to the “Auto-renew by” or “Delete by” date found in the panel to renew a ‘Auto-Renew Only’ domain correctly.

The following remark box shows when you hover over the tooltip:

If the domain is not auto-renewed as specified below by the expiration date, it enters a redemption period during which it can typically be retrieved for a charge.

How regular domains are charged and billed if they are set to auto-renew
For further information on how ordinary domains are invoiced and billed, please see the following article.

How are domain registrations billed and charged?
How ‘Auto-Renew Only’ domains are charged and billed
For more information on how auto-renew domains are paid and billed, please see the following article.

How are domain registrations billed and charged?