Your domain name is your spot on the internet. It’s where customers find you and your brand lives online. But what happens when your rental is about to expire?

Domain renewal is like renewing a lease on your property. If you fail to renew, you can lose the property. Also, if you do not renew on time, you might incur some extra charges during renewal. 

If you have a .tz, .net, .com, or any other domain in Tanzania due for renewal, this guide will walk you through how to renew it, spot the renewal reminders, and finish your payment so you can keep your online address safe and sound.

Domain Renewal In Tanzania Explained

When you register a domain name, you own it for one year or the period you have paid for. After this period expires, you need to renew to keep the domain.

If you don’t renew it on time, your website and email services may stop working, and someone else could register your domain.

Different registrars manage the various domain extensions. For example, if you have a .tz domain, your registrar must be Tanzanian-accredited for them to manage it.

On the other hand, you can use a global or local domain registrar to manage generic domain extensions such as .net or .com.

When to Renew a Domain

Domain renewals are due depending on the domain packages provided by the domain registrars and the one you choose. 

For example, the most common one-year domain package requires yearly renewal. 

When registering a domain, you provide your domain registrar with contact details and email. This email is a contact channel for communications such as domain renewal dates. 

It is essential to check for reminders for domain registrations. For example, NameCheap sends domain renewal reminder emails as follows:

• 30 days to renewal to serve as the first reminder
• 15 days to expiry as a second reminder
• A third reminder, 7 days to expiry
• Final reminder a day before the domain expires

If you miss the renewal deadline, your domain enters a grace period, depending on your domain registrar, during which you can still renew it.

Sometimes, your registrar charges an additional fee when you renew within the grace period. After that, the registrar can delete the domain or offer it for new registration. 

The best time to renew your domain is once you get your first reminder to avoid the rush and stress of domain expiration. 

If you forget to renew the domain and it expires, ensure you renew within the grace period. 

How to Renew a Domain in Tanzania

If you have a .tz, or a .com, or any other domain in Tanzania, here’s how to renew a domain:

Go to Your Domain Registrar Account

For a .tz domain, go to your local domain registrar account. For example, if you registered your .tz domain with Truehost, go to the registrar’s account. 

If you have a global registrar, log in to your domain registrar’s account with your login details. 

Locate the Renewal Option

Your domain registrar’s account will allow you to find the My Domains section. Once you see it, navigate to domain management, trace the domain you want to renew, then click on renew. 

Select the Renewal Period

Choose the renewal period according to your budget and needs, then check the price the registrar offers. If you want to skip the annual renewals, you can choose a period longer than one year. 

Payment

Your domain registrar offers different payment options for domain renewals in Tanzania. For example, depending on your domain registrar, you can pay through M-Pesa, Tigo, PayPal, Mastercard, or Bank transfer.

Verify Renewal

Your domain automatically renews after payments. The domain registrar usually sends a confirmation email with your next renewal date for you to note. 

Renew a Domain in Tanzania With Truehost

Truehost  Tanzania offers an easy domain renewal procedure with full customer support: 

How domain renewals with Truehost work:

1. Verifying your account for the domain and any existing invoice for renewal
2. If there’s an unpaid renewal invoice, a clearance of pending invoices is required to proceed 
3. If no invoice exists, Truehost customer support creates a renewal order for the chosen period and sends the invoice.
4. Then, you pay the invoice using the available payment methods shown in the invoice.
5. After payment, the domain is renewed, and you receive confirmation by email.

Costs of Domain Renewal

Every domain registrar features different domain renewal prices depending on the domain extension. For example, the Truehost Tanzania domain renewal costs for different domain extensions include:

Domain Extension	Renewal costs
.co.tz	$13 (TSH 33,173)
.blog	$25.8 (TSH 66,907)
.co.com	$25.15 (TSH 65,221)
.com	$13.42 (TSH 34,802)
.net	$12.71 (TSH 32,960)

How To Avoid Expensive Domain Renewal Prices

There is an industry tactic where domain registrars attract domain owners with cheap registration prices and then charge hiked renewal fees.

While it can be hard to avoid every tactic in the domain registration industry, here are a few tips you can apply to prevent expensive domain renewal prices: 

1. Shop around at different registrars.

Your current domain registrar is not your only option. If you think your registrar is too expensive, check what other registrars charge before your domain expires to see if you can get a better deal. 

2. Domain transfers

Instead of renewing your domain with your current expensive registrar, you can transfer it to a new, cheaper one.

Domain transfers are easy and key to dodging high domain renewal prices. Also, transferring a domain to a new registrar automatically adds one year to your registration term. 

So, if you transfer your domain, you’re effectively renewing your domain for an additional year. Still, you’re paying the new company’s transfer price, which is often closer to wholesale.

3. Consider renewing for a longer term.

If you have a good domain registrar with fair prices, you can renew for a longer term. This can cut annual costs and protect you from yearly domain renewal fee hikes. 

4. Get Coupon codes and promotions.

Coupon codes are a lifesaver during domain renewals. A quick online search for “[Your Registrar Name] coupon codes” or “domain renewal coupons” can sometimes yield discounts. 

While coupon codes are not guaranteed to work, they can save you money during domain renewal.

Conclusion

The key to keeping your domain is timely renewals. To renew a domain, go to your registrar’s account, then to your domain, then navigate to domain management and click renew. 

Remember to check your email for reminders from your registrar and renew as soon as you get the first one to avoid stress or extra fees.

If you have been experiencing high renewal prices, you can shop around other domain registrars and transfer your domain to the registrar with better prices.