What happens when a domain expires

Domains don't get permanently lost the moment they expire — there's a multi-stage timeline before someone else can register them. Knowing the stages lets you recover a domain even if you missed the renewal date.

Stage 1: Expired (days 0–30 after expiry).
The domain stops resolving — sites and email tied to it stop working immediately. But the registration is recoverable for the standard renewal fee during this window. For Turtini-managed domains with auto-renew on, this stage essentially never happens — we renew 30 days before expiry. For domains you've turned auto-renew off on, you'll get email reminders at 30, 14, and 1 day before expiry.

Stage 2: Redemption Grace Period (days 30–60).
The domain is "in redemption" — still recoverable, but the registry charges a redemption fee on top of the renewal (~$80–150 depending on the TLD). At Turtini we pass this through at cost + the standard 15% markup. Email continues to be broken during this stage; the site continues to be down.

Stage 3: Pending Delete (days 60–75).
The domain can no longer be recovered by the previous registrant — anyone can try to register it, but the registry hasn't released it yet. This is when "drop-catching" services start trying to grab high-value expired domains the instant they release.

Stage 4: Available again (day ~75+).
The domain is back on the open market. If a drop-catcher didn't grab it, you can buy it like any other available name.

How to avoid all of this:
• Keep auto-renew on (default for Turtini-bought domains).
• Make sure the email on file with us is one you actually check — expiry warnings go there.
• If you have a domain you can't afford to lose, register for the maximum term (10 years) instead of yearly.

What we do at Turtini:
For domains bought through us with auto-renew on, the nightly renewal sweep runs 30 days before expiry — long before any "expired" state can begin. If renewal fails (e.g., a registry hiccup), we surface the error in /account/domains and you get an email. The expiry warning we send isn't a marketing nudge — if you see it, it means renewal actually failed and the domain is at real risk.