Customers should have to opt in to free domains, not have them automatically added to their orders.
For many years, domain registrars have bundled free or heavily discounted domain names with registrations. These promotions began innocently enough: even two decades ago some registrars advertised .info registrations free for the first year.
Other offers function as cross-sells. Registries and registrars sometimes strike deals that give a discount on a same-name variant—“If you register example.com, we’ll discount example.TLD” in a particular top-level domain.
Here’s a current promotion on GoDaddy:
And here’s a recent offer from Unstoppable Domains that gives the option to add two matching domains free to your order:
Crucially, in these examples customers must choose to add the domains to their account. GoDaddy clearly discloses that renewal pricing will be much higher in the second year. Unstoppable does not enable auto-renewal by default, so customers must take deliberate action to renew those names.
These kinds of opt-in promotions are reasonable: customers are shown a cross-sell or a freebie and can decide whether to accept it.
The problem arises when registrars automatically opt customers in to registering additional domains without explicit consent.
The most egregious example in recent memory was Network Solutions, which at one point added a .xyz domain to customer accounts even when they weren’t actively registering a domain. In 2014 the company sent an email that many found misleading, notifying customers that a .xyz had been placed in their account. At least that assignment wasn’t set to auto-renew.
Today a promotion from Hover illustrates a more subtle but still troubling practice.
When you register a domain at Hover, a pop-up notifies you that the matching .site domain has been added to your cart:
Hover places the extra domain in your cart without asking for permission. It informs you of the addition and turns on auto-renew. Customers must take affirmative steps to remove the domain from the cart; otherwise the additional name remains and will renew automatically. That means a customer who overlooks the extra item could end up paying substantially more for the .site name on renewal than they pay for the .com.
This is especially surprising given Hover’s reputation for straightforward, no-nonsense domain registration services.
I support registrars partnering with registries to offer discounted or free registrations during the checkout flow. Those promotions are useful and can provide real value to customers. However, registrars should follow two simple rules to ensure transparent, customer-friendly behavior:
1. Do not automatically add domain names to a customer’s cart or account. Customers should explicitly opt in to accept additional domains.
2. Do not enable auto-renew for free domains unless the customer gives clear, affirmative consent to that setting.
Following these rules preserves customer choice and prevents inadvertent charges. Opt-in promotions that are clearly disclosed and require action from the customer are acceptable; automatic additions and default autorenewals are not.