Are you thinking of registering a .SPACE or .PW domain name? If you act before 21 August you could save hundreds over the lifetime of your registered domain.
Radix, the registry which runs both of those top-level domains have informed us that they plan to increase their annual registration fee, with effect from 21 August (at 16:00 UTC). Currently .SPACE costs €9.99* with Blacknight and .PW is €6.99*. From 21 August, the retail price for both domains will be €16.99*.
However, Radix have confirmed that existing .PW and .SPACE domain names registered prior to 21 August will be grandfathered, and will continue to renew at the old price until they are deleted.
This means that if you have already registered a .PW or .SPACE domain name, you will not be affected by the price change, and you will continue to be charged the current price for each annual renewal.
It also means that if you are considering registering one of these domain names, then it is well worth your while doing so before 21 August.
For example, a .PW domain name registered before 21 August will cost €6.99* per annum, or €69.90* over the course of 10 years.
A .PW domain name registered on 21 August, or later, will cost €16.99* per annum, or €169.90* over the same time period: €100* more!
Please note that it is not necessary to pre-register for multiple years in order to claim the grandfathering price advantage. Simply register a .SPACE (€9.99*) or .PW (€6.99*) domain name for a single year before 21 August, and that’s it! You’ll be ‘grandfathered’ in, and that’s the price you’ll pay to renew the domain name every year going forward.
From 21 August, the renewal price for .SPACE and .PW domain names will be conditional on when it was first registered. If the domain name was first registered before 21 August 2018, then domain registrars will charge you the old price to renew it. Otherwise you will be charged the new price.
The grandfather arrangement will persist as long as the domain name remains continually registered. Please note that it will not be possible to obtain grandfathered status for a domain name which was previously registered, but had expired and been deleted. If that name is then subsequently re-registered, it will be treated as a new registration, and the new price will apply.
Note that inter-registrar transfer of all grandfathered domains will be processed at the standard fee. The reduced pricing only applies to renewals.
This change does not impact domains that are categorized as premium domains. They will continue to be registered, renewed and transferred at their current pricing tiers.
Fancy locking in some long-term value? Go ahead? Register .PW or .SPACE domains today!
* All prices quoted are per annum, and exclusive of VAT.