Should I turn on auto-renew for my domain and hosting?
The short answer
For anything your business relies on, yes, as long as the card on file is valid and you’ll notice the charge. Auto-renew prevents an accidental expiry. Turn it off only for services you plan to cancel, and put the cancellation date in your calendar so a forgotten trial doesn’t turn into a bill.
- Check the renewal price. First-year prices are often discounted, and renewals can cost a lot more.
- Keep the card current. Auto-renew fails if the card has expired. See what happens when your card expires.
- Keep the account email current, so failed-payment warnings reach you.
- Domains you no longer want: turn auto-renew off and let them lapse at the end of the term.
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.
- Renew by hand
- Auto-renew is off, so the service stops at the end of the period unless you pay. For a domain, that can take your whole site offline.
- 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.
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