Increasing discount club price for existing subscribers — GoDaddy not
Existing subscribers will continue to pay $120 per year.
[Update: starting in March 2023, existing Domain Discount Club clients are being renewed at the now current price.]
There was an uproar the prior week when GoDaddy clients who subscribe to the Discount Domain Club received renewal notices with a hefty price hike. Clients were shocked to get notices that the annual membership cost was doubling from $120 to $240.
Discount Domain Club (DDC) is a paid discount program that gives clients heavily-discounted rates on domains. Clients with DDC pay $8.29 for .com domain registrations and renewals, which is substantially less than GoDaddy’s list price. The program also discounts other top level domains.
GoDaddy released this statement to Reglike following our inquiry regarding the price change:
When we launched Discount Domain Club 12 years ago, we wanted to create a program that assisted our clients with larger portfolio a way to maintain their portfolios at a reasonable price. While the prices of domain names have increased over the years, Discount Domain Club has not kept up. So for fresh clients, we have increased the price to bring the program back in line with original intentions. While fresh clients will have the updated price, existing clients will receive the same price they always have.
It turns out that, despite erroneous renewal notices, existing subscribers have been locked in at the $120 price.
Paying a fee to get discounted prices is controversial. Ahead of it was purchased by GoDaddy, Uniregistry faced a backlash following raising its prices unless clients joined a discount club. Some registrars offer prices that are close to the discounted prices offered with these programs without the need to join a program, and others will extend discounted prices to sizable clients who ask.
A number of registrars right now charge less than $9 per year for .com registrations and renewals. PorkBun, for example, charges $8.56.
.Com prices will increase during 2021 when Verisign increases the wholesale price of .com domain names. Keep a close eye on how much registrars increase their fees in response to Verisign’s increase.
