Why Do I Have to Cancel? Why Am I Still Being Invoiced?

If you are still receiving invoices from us for a service you thought was canceled, then for some reason, we have not received your cancelation request. Or, if we do receive your cancelation request, you did not complete the verification process.

The following are common questions and misconceptions on how to cancel. 

Why do I have to cancel?

To help protect your account from accidental or unauthorized deletion, we have specific procedures for canceling services with HostGator.

How to stop invoices & cancel the hosting plan

If you no longer wish to continue the subscription of your hosting plan, you can disable its Auto-Renew feature via the Customer Portal's Renewal Center before your HostGator account automatically renews your hosting plan, which is 15 days before the hosting plan's renewal date (5 days for hosting plans in a 1-month term).

Please check out the How Do I Cancel My Account? article for more information about how to cancel a hosting plan and other subscriptions in your account.

Visit the Invoicing and Automatic Billing article to know when invoices will be automatically generated in your account for your hosting plan and when the billing system will automatically charge your payment method if you have one on file.

How to cancel your domain name registration

Domain names are assumed by HostGator to be automatically renewed each year unless notified otherwise. As per our Terms of Service, the following applies to a domain name purchased with HostGator:

• We automatically invoice domains for renewal unless you turn off the Auto-Renewal feature within the Customer Portal.
• If you have a card on file, turn off the Auto-Renewal of the domain in the Customer Portal, as we will automatically attempt to charge the domain renewal. 
• We also do not automatically cancel your domain name when you cancel your web hosting plan.

Why does HostGator do this?

Once a domain expires, it can be hard or even impossible to get back. So, our policies and procedures related to domains are geared towards protecting your domain name. This is why we will automatically invoice and try to renew your domain name unless you specifically tell us not to.

If you cancel your web hosting, we do not assume you want to cancel the domain because many customers either want to hold onto the domain until later or are hosting the website somewhere else but still want to keep the domain registration with HostGator.

Finding a good domain name can be difficult, and we would hate to assume a customer did not want their domain renewed when they did.

How to stop invoices & cancel the domain

If you do not wish to renew your domain name, you must disable its Auto-Renew feature via the Customer Portal's Renewal Center before your HostGator account automatically renews your domain, which is 15 days before the domain's renewal date.

For more information about the Renewal Center within your Customer Portal, please visit the Customer Portal - How to Use the Renewal Center article.

Visit the Invoicing and Automatic Billing article to know when invoices will be automatically generated in your account for your domain and when the billing system will automatically charge your payment method if you have one on file.

Domain renewals canceled due to non-payment

Unlike hosting, domain names will fail to renew if you do not pay your invoice within 29 days of the expiration date. However, we try to renew your domain name using the card on file (if there is one) unless you turn off the Auto-Renewal in the Customer Portal. Renewal of the domain is contingent on whether the payment was successful. Review the article How Do I Renew My Domain Name? if you're still interested in keeping your domain.