When your domain name expires it enters a three-stage Redemption Grace Period (RGP). During RGP you are able to renew the domain before it is deleted and re-enters the market.
Auto-Renew Grace Period
For about 29 days* after the expiration date, your domain name can be renewed at standard rates. In order to renew your domain during this period, call or open a ticket with our billing department. Once the renewal payment is processed, your domain name will be reactivated. You may experience a period of 1-48 hours for DNS propagation.
Redemption Grace Period
29 days* after the expiration date, your domain will enter the Redemption Grace Period, which typically lasts 30 days*. When a domain enters the Redemption Grace Period it is being managed by ICANN/Enom and it is removed from the zone file, so the website and email will stop working. GreenGeeks no longer has control of a domain in the Redemption Grace Period. In order to renew the domain during this period, the fees are $80 plus the cost of the domain renewal.
When a domain name expires, the website may display an advertising page set by ICANN/Enom. GreenGeeks does not control and cannot change that page. The domain’s expiration date may also be extended. That does not mean the domain is active. The name servers may also change to dns1.name-services.com, dns2.name-services.com, etc.
RGP Stage 3
After about 30 days* in the Redemption Grace Period, the domain name will be deleted. Once deleted the domain name may be available for registration at standard rates. However, while it is in the Redemption Grace Period your domain name may be listed for auction, and if it is sold, you will not be able to re-register it. Also, many domain buying companies employ automated systems that make it difficult for the original owner to regain an expired domain.
For those reasons, if you want to be sure to retain an expired domain, we strongly recommend paying the Redemption Period fees. We understand that the redemption fees are high, but the companies that buy expired domains will likely ask for much more to sell the name back to you than you would have paid in redemption fees. Again, GreenGeeks does not benefit from or share in the redemption fees. Our recommendation is made strictly in the interest of helping you keep your domain name.
*Note that the time frames for some domain extensions are different than those stated in this article. You can contact our support team for details on your domain extension.
General domain expiration timeline from ICANN:
