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.

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.

For more information, see Common Promotions.

Offer Free Domains

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

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

Settings

We recommend the following settings when you offer free domains:

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

Renewals

Free domains are registered for one year at a time. If a biennial or triennial product is ordered, the domain 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.