My domain is about to expire

When I purchased my first hosting package, they gave me a free domain. I switched to another hosting company and I asked my old hosting company(the one who owns my domain) to change DNS servers. Now, my domain is about to expire in about 2 months. What should I do next?

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Did the old hosting company follow through and change servers, or not?

Yup, my old hosting company changed the domain's servers. It's now pointed to my current host.

My problem is that the domain is about to expire. Should I ask them to transfer the ownership to me? Or should I just let it drop?

Definately ask them to transfer the ownership to you.

The domain is very important (and probably more important than you webhosting package, if you have a backup of your files).

Let me rectify that, don't ASK them to transfer the domain, TELL them to.

Zach

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Sig: Before I post on Domain Social, I read the rules!

I don't back up my files coz I don't know how to. :-(

Anyway, do I have to pay for transfer of ownership? Or should I just ask them to push the domain. (Thanks for the domain push tutorial)

Agent orange, it is a good thing that you are asking these questions, because it is helping others too. People like myself, I am still learning how to deal with things and this site has answered many things I had in mind. My partner is happy I got in here, because all the doubts that we may have, somehow are being answered, and we feel a lot more comfortable (even though I know he wants to show that he knew exactly what to do)

You can generally back up your files in your hosting control panel. Otherwise, if you site is non-database driven, just ftp to your site and download all the files and folders to your harddrive


Anyway, back to your first question:


If they registered the domain for you, then it should be your domain.


If you want to change registrars during the transfer (eg namecheap to godaddy):

Domain transfers are generally free. Some registrars will ask you to pay the equivilent of one year's registration (because otherwise you could just keep transfering your domain and never pay for it hehe). Other registrars will give you one year free as a company promotion. Most companies do the latter.

where do you want to trabsfer your domain? Check the new registrars website.


If you want to stay in the same registrar:

This is a 'push'. These are free. If your domain is about to expire, you will eventually have to pay renewal fees, but these are seperate from the push, which has no fees attached.


hehe

Zach

__________________
Sig: Before I post on Domain Social, I read the rules!

False.
Most of registrars take about the new registration fee for transfer.

yep, that's what I said. Let me clarify what I meant:

There is no money needed for the actual transfer though (for instance, i think that there is no penalty or service charge for icann). Any fees are equivilant to the new registration cost (1-year).

Registrars advertise it as a kind of promotion (transfer your domain and get 1 year free). But this is not really accurate. What they mean is, transfer the domain for FREE and pay the registration fee for a year, as you would for a normal domain.

Zach

__________________
Sig: Before I post on Domain Social, I read the rules!

I never let a host keep control over one of my domains, I always have them transfer it to me right away so I don't have to worry about my host letting them drop by mistake.