After a domain expires, the time period before the domain is released to the public varies depending on the registrar that manages the domain name.
If your domain was registered by Winhost, the registrar is Tucows/OpenSRS. Like most registrars, Tucows/OpenSRS may retain some expired names and place landing pages with advertising on the domains and/or list them in auctions. There are no strict rules or guidelines regarding which domains are retained and which are directly queued for deletion, nor for how long Tucows/OpenSRS will keep a domain active before it is deleted and available to the public.
For these reasons we do not recommend waiting for a domain to be deleted and available to the public before attempting to re-register it, since the domain may not be deleted for a long period of time, and is subject to possible sale to a third party.
Expired domains may still be retrievable, but depending on how much time has passed since expiration, additional Redemption Period fees may need to be paid. These fees are not imposed by Winhost, but by the registrar. Please contact us if you wish to retrieve an expired domain and we can advise you of any available options.
Note: Tucows/OpenSRS cannot address your requests or questions directly. Please contact Winhost for any information regarding domain names that we registered on your behalf.
Expiration Phases
Day 0: Domain expires
When the domain expires, the domain will stop resolving to Winhost.
Day 3: Domain parked pages
Tucows/OpenSRS may update the DNS and point the domain to a parked page with ads. Tucows/OpenSrS may start accepting backorders for the domain from an interested party.
Day 0-40: Grace Period
During the Grace Period, the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant, and the Whois information continues to display the registrant's information or Whois Privacy, if applicable.
Reinstating the domain during the Grace Period
During the Grace Period, the registrant can reinstate the domain name simply by renewing it. If the registrant renews the domain name during this period, the original nameservers are restored.. The cost is the standard renewal rate that is normally charged by Winhost to renew a domain name.
During this period, the domain name may be listed by Tucows/OpenSRS for auction, but the domain will be removed from the auction listings, if the original registrant renews the domain name. If a third party wants to buy this domain name, they will need to contact the registrant.
Day 40-70: Redemption Period
After the 40 day Grace Period, the domain enters the Redemption Period where it may be queued for deletion and eventually dropped, auctioned off, or Tucows/OpenSRS may decide to add the domain to its portfolio. If the domain is added to Tucows/OpenSRS portfolio, the domain name then enters a 30-day Redemption Period.
If the domain name is not in the live auction, the domain name is still considered to be owned by the registrant. The Whois information displays a Contact Privacy address. If a third party wants to purchase the domain name, they need to contact the registrant; however, the domain name cannot change ownership during this period. The original registrant has to redeem the domain name first, and then they can sell it if they choose.
Important: Once the domain name is queued to enter the live auction, it cannot be redeemed by the original registrant.
Reinstating the domain during the Redemption Period
If the domain name was not sent to the live auction (which usually runs from the day 41 to day 45), the registrant can redeem their domain name during the 30-day Redemption Period; however, the cost is higher than a simple renewal.
Day 70+
Dropped domains: After the Redemption Period, if the domain name has not been auctioned off and acquired by another party, it is dropped and made available for re-registration by the general public.
Tucows/OpenSRS portfolio: If the Tucows/OpenSRS Portfolio business unit, decides to renew the domain name during the Redemption Period, it is added to the Portfolio and the expired domain displays a customized page that contains contextual ads. Depending on the domain name's value, Tucows.OpenSRS may decide to retain the domain name or to sell it. Whether the domain name is made available for sale is at the discretion of the Portfolio Manager.
Note: Tucows/OpenSRS reserves the right not to sell the domain name at any price.