Domains: How to Recover Domains in Redemption Status

To recover domains in redemption status, please do the following:

• Select the menu option "Domain - My Domains".
• Click on the "Expired" tab.
• Click on "Redemption Domains"
• Check the box next to the domains you wish to recover and click "Renew Selected".
• Please verify the domain name, number of years and pricing are as expected. Then click "Checkout Now".
• Please double check number of years, domain name and total price one more time. There are NO REFUNDS on redemptions after you accept the order.
• Click "Submit Order" when you are ready to complete your order.

Your order number is a reference order only, not a verification that the order processed complete.  You will receive an email order confirmation once processed.  Please review this email to ensure that the order was processed successfully.

NOTE: Though this applies to most common TLDs, some TLDs do not have Redemption Period or a different recovery process. 

NOTE:  Some domains may go into "Extended Redemption Period" status. You can learn the difference between Redemption and Extended Redemption by referring to this article: "Differences Between RGP and Extended RGP"

NOTE:  The Redemption Periods are managed by the registry of the TLD. There is a fee to restore your domain from either Redemption status (usually $250) and it is not discountable.  This fee is in addition to the domain renewal fee.

Other Options

Wait for general availability again:

Instead of paying the Redemption fee (usually $250), you can wait for the domain to drop out of your account, then purchase the domain at regular price when it is back in general availability. This is risky, as there is no guarantee you will be able to get the domain back this way. Once the Registry deletes the domain, it becomes available for anyone to purchase as a new domain, on a first come, first served basis

A pivotal time to know about is the domain status of "Pending Delete", which is the 5-day time-frame after Redemption Period, and directly before the Registry deletes the domain and it goes back into general availability for anyone to purchase. During this "Pending Delete" time, the domain will have dropped out of your account and be inaccessible to you. You can find if a domain is in pending delete status by doing a WHOIS search at tucowsdomains.com/whois-search. You can also use a domain monitoring service, such as webmaster.ninja/domainwatch (After you sign up for a free account, you can enter the domain you want in the "Domain Watch" section, and it should send you alerts about status changes and domain expirations).

Backorder the domain before it is released into general availability:

In order to attempt to register the domain again without paying the Redemption fee (usually $250), one alternative method is to let the domain drop out of your account, and attempt to backorder the domain before it is released back into general availability. The price to get the domain back this way can, in some cases, be less than the Redemption fee, although a certain price can not be determined, and you are not assured of getting your domain back this way, as there may be other bidders for the domain. Places to backorder a domain include namejet.com, networksolutions.com, snapnames.com, auctions.godaddy.com, and dropcatch.com. You are able to put backorder bids in at multiple backorder websites at a time, because generally you will not pay anything for a backorder unless you successfully get the domain through that service (The backorder service with Network Solutions is for a one year term, so you will pay up front for that service whether you get the domain or not). Using multiple sites to backorder the domain may help increase your chances of getting the domain.