How do I keep track of website renewal dates?
The short answer
Write down every service’s renewal date, price and the card that pays it, and set a reminder a week or two before each one. After each renewal, check the next date has moved on a year or a month. SlopDox does this for you: it shows what renews in the next 30, 60 and 90 days and, on paid plans, emails you 7 days before each renewal.
Website bills renew on different cycles: domains usually yearly, hosting and email often monthly, some add-ons on their own dates. Providers send reminders, but they go to whichever email address the account was opened with, which may belong to a former employee or your web designer.
What to watch for
- Renewal prices, which are often higher than the first-year price you signed up at.
- Free trials that turn into paid plans unless you cancel.
- Cards that expire before the renewal date.
- Reminders going to an old email address. Update the account email to one you check.
Words used here
- Auto-renew
- The provider charges your card automatically when the period ends. Great for things you need, like your domain — but it’s also how forgotten trials and add-ons keep costing you.
- Billing cycle
- How often you’re charged: monthly, yearly, every few months, or just once.
- Trial converts
- A free trial that turns into a paid plan on a set date unless you cancel it first.
- Card expires first
- The card that pays this bill expires before the bill is due. When the company tries to charge it, the payment will fail — and the service can be suspended.
Still have a question?
Ask the SlopDox assistant: it answers from this catalog, any time. Or let SlopDox keep track of your websites for you, free for up to 3 websites.