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How to enable automatic domain renewal at the most common registrars so your domain never expires by accident.

One of the most important things you can do for your domain is turn on auto-renew. It takes two minutes and prevents one of the most common (and avoidable) disasters in web management: accidentally losing your domain because you forgot to renew it.

Quick summary

Auto-renew charges your saved payment method and renews your domain automatically before it expires. Turn it on at your registrar — the exact steps vary, but the setting is somewhere in your registrar's domain management area. Some registrars, including Cloudflare and Squarespace, turn it on by default. Make sure your payment method is current either way.

What you'll need

Access to your registrar account (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
A current credit or debit card saved to your account

How to turn on auto-renew

The exact steps vary by registrar, but the general process is the same everywhere.

Log in to your Namecheap account at namecheap.com.

Go to your Account Dashboard and select Domain List in the left sidebar.

Find your domain and click Manage next to it.

Toggle Auto-Renew on for the domain (and for Domain Privacy, if you use it).

Set up the payment. Go to Profile > Billing > Payment Cards > Manage, open your card's Edit Defaults, then tick Use for auto-renewal and save. Namecheap says auto-renewal won't happen unless you do this, and that only cards or your account balance work — PayPal isn't supported for recurring domain payments.

After turning on auto-renew

Once auto-renew is enabled, make sure:

Your payment method is current. If your card expires or is cancelled, the auto-renewal charge will fail and your domain could lapse.
Your registrant contact email is one you check regularly. ICANN requires renewal notices to go to the registrant email address in the domain's official contact information, so an old address means you never see the warnings.
You have access to your account. Save your login details in a password manager.

Auto-renew isn't 100% guaranteed

Cloudflare puts it plainly in its own docs: there is no guarantee that a renewal will succeed, and renewals can fail for reasons including billing failures and registry downtime. Registrars usually retry and email you, but if you don't act the domain will still expire. Check your payment method every year.

Common questions

What if I want to let the domain expire on purpose?

Turn off auto-renew in your registrar settings so it won't renew, then let the domain reach its expiry date. ICANN's own guidance is that in many cases a domain expires on its own if you don't pay the renewal fee, so you usually don't need to cancel anything. Do it well ahead of the date, though: Cloudflare charges about 30 days before expiry and says to disable auto-renew at least 30 days out, and Squarespace asks for at least one day before its renewal date.

Will auto-renew work if I transfer to a new registrar?

Check the setting at the new registrar once the transfer completes — don't assume it carried over. Some registrars enrol every domain in auto-renew by default (Cloudflare and Squarespace both do), and others leave it to you. See How to transfer a domain.

How far in advance does auto-renew charge me?

It varies by registrar, so check yours. Namecheap and Cloudflare both make their first renewal attempt about 30 days before the expiry date; Squarespace charges the card on file 15 days before the renewal date. ICANN also requires registrars to email you renewal reminders roughly one month and one week before a domain expires.

I turned on auto-renew — do I still need to do anything?

Not much. Just keep your payment method current and check in on your domain once a year to make sure everything looks correct.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Turning on auto-renew