Domain name renewal and redemption FAQ

What is the renewal price of a domain name?

Domain name renewal is a paid service. Renewal prices vary by TLD, such as .com or .cn. For current pricing, see the official Domain Name Pricing page.

Why does the renewal price of a domain name change?

The renewal price is the price at the time of renewal. It may differ from the initial purchase price because of first-purchase promotions or registry price adjustments.

To check the current renewal price, log in to the Domain Names console, navigate to the Domain Names page, and click Renew next to your domain name. For details about the renewal process, see Renew a domain name.

Why is the renewal price different from the purchase price?

Registration and renewal prices change over time due to registry policies and periodic promotions from Alibaba Cloud.

The renewal price is based on the online price at the time of renewal and may differ from the initial purchase price due to promotions or price adjustments.

To view the current renewal price, log in to the Domain Names console, go to the Domain Names page, and click Renew next to the domain name. For more information, see Renew a domain name.

Are there discounts for multi-year renewals?

The maximum renewal period is set by the registry. Typically, you can renew a domain name for up to 10 years at a time. If the remaining validity period is less than one year, you can renew for up to 9 years.

Alibaba Cloud offers multi-year renewal discounts for most products. Because domain name prices vary by TLD, check the Product Pricing page for specific details.

Renewal price for premium domain names

Identifying the premium renewal price

At checkout, the displayed renewal price indicates whether the domain renews at a standard or premium rate.

Domain name expiration notifications

• Alibaba Cloud sends reminders by email, text message, and internal message before and after your domain name expires to help you renew or redeem it on time:

  Scenario	Notification schedule	Notification method
  Before domain name expiration	1, 3, 7, 15, and 30 days before expiration; a domain name renewal notification is sent	Registrant: Email Account owner: Email, text message, and internal message
  Before the grace period ends	1, 3, and 7 days before the grace period ends; a notification is sent to inform you that the domain name is about to enter the redemption period
  Before the redemption period ends	1 and 3 days before the redemption period ends, and on the day it ends; a domain name deletion notification is sent

• For Alibaba Cloud partner accounts, including former HiChina partner accounts, Alibaba Cloud sends a reminder email for services expiring next month on the 1st and 15th of the current month to the email address associated with the account. If the account is linked through 1688.com, the email is sent to the registered 1688.com address. To receive other notifications such as text messages, you must apply to convert the account to a standard Alibaba Cloud member account.

Renew by using the notification email

The expiration notification is sent to the registrant's email address. In the email, click Renew Now next to the domain name and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the payment.

Renewal for domains registered through a partner

• Problem description:

  When you try to renew a domain name by using the third-party renewal feature, the system displays the message: The domain name was registered through a HiChina partner. Please contact the partner for renewal.

• Possible cause:

  Because the domain name was registered through a partner and is not in your Alibaba Cloud account, you cannot renew it directly.

• Solution:

  • Contact the partner for renewal:

    If your domain name was registered through a partner, contact them before the domain name expires to request a renewal.

  • Transfer the domain name to your own Alibaba Cloud account and then renew it:

    If you cannot contact the partner, you can move the domain name into your Alibaba Cloud account through an offline domain name transfer. After the transfer is complete, you can renew the domain name. For more information, see Offline domain name transfer and Renew a domain name.

Renewal with a forgotten account or password

• Problem description:

  You have forgotten the Alibaba Cloud account or password for a domain name that needs urgent renewal.

• Solution:

  • Method 1: Use the third-party renewal feature to renew the domain name. For details, see Third-party renewal.

  • Method 2: Retrieve your Alibaba Cloud account or password.

    To find the login name for your account, see Retrieve the login name of an account. To reset your password, click Forgot Password on the Alibaba Cloud logon page.

Can I renew an expired domain name?

Yes. For domain names in your Alibaba Cloud account, you can still renew them at the standard renewal price for up to 30 days after expiration (28 days for .hk domain names). For more information, see Renew a domain name.

If you successfully renew a domain name within 30 days of expiration (28 days for .hk), DNS resolution is typically restored. For domain names that use Alibaba Cloud DNS, resolution is typically restored within 24 hours. For domain names that use other DNS providers, the restoration time depends on their DNS refresh schedule, which is usually within 24 to 48 hours. For specific information, contact your DNS provider.

Expiration page shown after renewal

After you renew an expired domain name, you may need to update its DNS settings to restore website access. The registrar may have changed the DNS settings to point to an expiration page when the domain name expired.

If the DNS settings are correct, try clearing your browser's cache and accessing the website again.

Redemption price

Domain name redemption is a paid service. The redemption price varies by TLD, such as .com or .cn. For current pricing, see the official Domain Name Pricing page.

Does redemption include renewal?

For most domain names, a successful redemption includes a one-year renewal. For some domain names, you must pay a separate renewal fee after redemption to extend the validity period. Always check the expiration date in the console after you redeem a domain name to confirm.

Expiration page shown after redemption

After you redeem an expired domain name, you may need to update its DNS settings to restore website access. The registrar may have changed the DNS settings to point to an expiration page when the domain name expired.

If the DNS settings are correct, try clearing your browser's cache and accessing the website again.

Domain name not found after expiration

After the grace period and redemption period end, the domain name enters the pending deletion period. During this time, the registry can delete the domain name at any time. If you still want the domain name, you must re-register it after it is released.

Real-name verification after domain deletion

Yes. After a domain name is deleted by the registry, the associated real-name verification information is automatically removed and is no longer linked to the original registrant.

If the domain name is associated with an ICP filing, you should cancel the filing before the domain name is deleted to avoid potential risks from remaining records.

Error: "Unpaid order exists"

• Problem description:

  When you try to renew a domain name in the Domain Names console, the system displays the message: An unpaid order exists. You cannot perform the current operation until the order is processed.

• Possible cause:

  You have an unpaid order in your Alibaba Cloud account.

• Solution:

  1. Go to the My Orders page.

  2. Click Enterprise Service Product Orders > Unpaid Orders.

  3. Find the unpaid order and click Pay Now or Delete. After the order is processed, you can try to renew the domain name again.

     You can click Order Details to confirm the order information.