Free Domains

Free domains are a great addition to your product offerings. They're good for business too, incentivizing your customers to sign up for longer terms. For example, you might want to offer a free domain when a hosting plan is purchased annually.

You can offer free domains by configuring them for the corresponding product or service at Configuration () > System Settings > Products/Services.

What is a Free Domain?

In WHMCS, free domains are domains that:

• Are bundled with a paid product or service with specific payment terms.
• Do not incur additional costs when bundled with that product or service.

Offer Free Domains

You are able to offer free domains with your packages when purchased with certain payment terms. For example, you might want to offer a free domain when a package is purchased annually.

To do this:

1. Go to Configuration () > System Settings > Products/Services or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Products/Services.
2. Click the edit icon next to the desired product or service.
3. Go to the Free Domain tab.
4. Check Free Domain to offer a free domain with this package.
5. Select the payment terms (or billing cycles) that you want to offer the free domain with. Press Ctrl when clicking the options to select more than one.
6. Select the TLDs the free domain offer applies to. This allows you to exclude high-priced TLDs. Press Ctrl when clicking the options to select more than one.
7. Click Save Changes.

Your package will now not charge the user for the domain when ordered with the billing cycle specified. The checkout page will reflect this.

Settings

Next Due Date
The product's Next Due Date value and payment gateway must match the domain name's. If the next due date changes, the domain renews as free for the client automatically.

We recommend the following settings when you offer free domains:

• Disable Sync Next Due Date in the Domains tab at Configuration () > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings.
• Ensure that Domain Settings is blank in the Advanced Settings for Invoice Generation at Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > Automation Settings.
• Disable Separate Invoices in the client's profile.

Cancellations

If a client cancels the hosting package, the domain name will automatically revert to your regular pricing.

Renewals

Free domains are registered for 1 year at a time. Free domains with a biennial or triennial product will renew automatically after the first or second year as appropriate. Settings in the Domains tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings control this.

In WHMCS 8.2 and later, WHMCS prevents customers from paying to renew domains that are eligible for free renewal with a paid product or service. Additionally, WHMCS now prevents renewal of free domains in the Client Area if they are not bundled with a product or service.

For more information about domain renewals, see Domain Renewals, Domain Renewal Notices, and Domains Configuration.

Renewal Reminders

In WHMCS 8.2, we added a new Free Domain Reminders setting to Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings. It lets you generate and send renewal reminders for domains that are bundled with an associated product or service. The frequency with which WHMCS will send these domain renewal reminders depends on the Renewal Notice settings above Free Domain Reminders.

• For existing installations upgrading to WHMCS 8.2, this is disabled by default.
• For new installations of WHMCS 8.2 and later, this is enabled by default.

If you don't enable this, WHMCS will only send renewal reminders for domains that aren't bundled with an associated product or service.