The $50k Mistake
In 2021 a crypto project forgot to renew its .com; a squatter grabbed it and asked 50 BTC ransom. One calendar reminder could have prevented a multi-million dollar rebrand.
Layered Defense Model
- Registrar auto-renew ON
- Credit card expiry 2+ years out
- Backup payment method on file
- Account balance > renewal cost
- Calendar alert 30 days before expiry
Prepay Long-Term
If you plan to hold longer than 5 years, register for the full 10 years during Black-Friday promos. Locks today’s price and removes 10 renewal failure points. ICANN caps at 10 years per extension.
Registry Lock for High-Value Names
Beyond registrar lock, registry lock (clientDeleteProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited, serverTransferProhibited) requires out-of-band fax + phone confirmation to change anything. Costs $50-$150/year but makes hijack impossible.
Multi-Registrar Spread
Don’t keep a seven-figure portfolio at one company. Split across two registrars so a billing glitch or acquisition doesn’t hold all your assets hostage. Use different brands (e.g., Cloudflare + Namecheap) for diversity.
Renewal Budget Forecast
Export CSV of expiry dates and renewal fees, pivot by year. If 2027 shows $18k due, set aside $1.5k/month starting now. Treat it like property tax—non-negotiable.
Grace vs Redemption vs Pending Delete
You have 30 days grace at normal cost, 30 days redemption at $150 + renewal, then 5 days pending-delete where nobody can grab it. Mark calendars at -30, -5, 0, +30 to visualize critical windows.
Corporate Governance
For companies, place domains in a holding LLC separate from operating entity. If the startup folds, the domain survives bankruptcy proceedings and can be sold to pay creditors without court tug-of-war.
Automated Monitoring Stack
DomainMonitor for expiry, UptimeRobot for DNS resolution, ExpiryBot for Telegram alerts, and Zapier to SMS two different phone numbers. Redundancy beats regret.
Disaster Recovery Playbook
If a domain slips into redemption: 1) Pay immediately, 2) Enable registry lock, 3) Transfer to new registrar after 60 days, 4) Document root cause and update SOP so it never repeats.