How to Renew a Domain Name at Hostinger: Active, Expired, and Auto-Renewals

A domain name is one of the essential website components, as it acts as your site’s address. However, the domain will not belong to you forever – you must renew the registration regularly.

As this process is not the same as buying a new domain, we will explain how to renew a domain name at Hostinger using hPanel, our own custom-built control panel.

First, let’s discuss why you should renew your domain name and go over its life cycle so that you won’t lose your domain unexpectedly.

Why Renew a Domain Name

A domain name is only active for a limited period. Depending on the registration and registrar, it can last from one to 10 years. After that, the domain name will expire together with all associated services, such as a website and an email, despite having an active hosting account.

This will put your site at risk of losing existing and potential customers as well as damaging your business reputation.

Furthermore, if you don’t renew your domain name several weeks after the expiration date, other people will be able to do so.

Understanding the Domain Life Cycle

All domain names go through certain stages, from registration and expiration to being available again. These stages are known as the domain life cycle.

Understanding the cycle is important to know when you can renew your domain without paying more.

In general, there are five stages in the domain life cycle:

• Available. In this stage, a domain name has not been registered yet. You can check whether your desired domain is available using a domain checker.
• Active. After you purchase and configure the domain, it enters the active period. Depending on the registration and a top-level domain (TLD), this period can range from one to 10 years.
• Grace period. Once a domain name expires, it enters the grace period, which lasts between 0 to 45 days. Your website won’t be accessible, but you can still renew the domain name with the usual process without additional fees.
• Redemption period. After the grace period ends, domain names will enter the redemption period, which lasts between 0 to 30 days. Now, you should contact the registrar to renew your domain and pay an additional fee.
• Pending delete. This is the final stage – domain renewals are not available anymore. Eventually, other users will be able to purchase these domains.

How to Renew Domain Name at Hostinger

At Hostinger, there are three ways to renew your domain. We recommend opting for the easiest one – activating the auto-renewal feature.

How to Renew an Active Domain Name

It’s better to renew the domain name while it is still active to ensure no downtime on your site.

Depending on the TLD, the domain renewal will be available a few months before the expiration date. To renew an active domain, log in to your Hostinger account and follow these steps:

1. On your hPanel, navigate to the Billing → Services page and find the domain you want to renew.
2. Click Renew now.

3. A pop-up window will appear. Choose the renewal period and payment method, then click Complete payment.
4. If you don’t have any payment method saved in your account, click Choose payment method button that will take you to the checkout page. Fill in your payment information details and complete the payment.

How to Renew an Expired Domain Name

The process of renewing an expired domain depends on its stage – whether it is the grace or redemption period. To check the domain status, navigate to the Domains page on your hPanel. You’ll see the domain status in the Status column.

If your domain is still in the grace period, you can hover over the status to see when it will enter the redemption period. Also, you’ll find a Renew now button on the domain row. Click the button, and it will take you to the renewal process similar to an active domain.

If your domain is already in the redemption period, you need to contact our Customer Success team to renew it. In addition, you will have to pay an additional fee to reclaim the domain.

How to Auto Renew Domain Name

We suggest activating the domain auto-renewal feature to avoid downtime or paying an additional fee.

First, you must add a valid payment method to your Hostinger account. Navigate to the Billing page on your hPanel, and click the Add payment method button. Choose a payment method and fill in the necessary information.

Once done, go to the Domains page. Find your domain and toggle the Auto-renewal option. Once set, it will automatically bill you when the domain expires.

Conclusion

You will have to renew your domain to keep your website live. While most subscriptions are annual-based, some domains can be registered for up to 10 years.

At Hostinger, you can renew your domain easily on hPanel. We recommend doing so while it’s still active to avoid downtime, losing customers, and paying an additional fee.

To make sure your domain won’t expire unexpectedly, don’t forget to enable the auto-renew feature on your hPanel.

How to Renew a Domain Name FAQ

In this section, we will answer some common questions about renewing a domain name.