Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 1 May 2021

How can I check if a domain is available?

You can check if a domain is available via the register domain page. The page also tells you the price of the domain, and if the domain is not available you get a list with available variations on the domain name you entered.

Image: Checking the availability of wewantwidgets.web

How much does a domain name cost?

The price of a domain depends on the domain extension (that is, the top-level domain, or TLD). There are hundreds of different TLDs nowadays, and the prices vary quite a bit. Also, you always get a discount if you register a domain for more than one year.

Our fee for .uk domains, including .co.uk and .org.uk, are as below. The amount shown in brackets is the price including VAT.

• 1 year: £15.00 (£18.00)
• 2 years: £25.00 (£30.00)
• 5 years: £59.00 (£70.80)
• 10 years: £118.00 (£141.60)

For most other domains, including .com and .org, the prices are as follows:

• 1 year: £20.00 (£24.00)
• 2 years: £35.00 (£42.00)
• 5 years: £79.00 (£94.80)
• 10 years: £152.00 (£182.40)

How can I transfer a domain to Catalyst2?

If you already have an account with us then you can transfer a domain name you own to us via your billing account:

• Select Domains
• Click of tap Transfer in a Domain

Alternatively, if you don’t already have an account with us then you can instead transfer a domain via the Transfer a domain to us page.

How can I transfer a domain away from Catalyst2?

You can transfer a domain to another registrar via your billing account:

• Select Domains
• Click or tap on the wrench icon to the right of the domain name
• Select Registrar Lock from the Manage menu
• Click or tap on the Disable Registrar Lock button

Will my domain be renewed automatically?

Our billing system tries to capture invoices automatically using the card details we got on file. If there are no card details, or if your payment method is Paypal, then you need to manually pay the invoice.

Should I get more than one domain?

In recent years many new TLDs have come on the market. For instance, there is a new .uk extension and there are new domain suffixes such as .scot and .online (among many others).

If you are worried that a competitor may buy a domain similar to your domain then you can consider buying multiple domains. For instance, if you own the domain example.co.uk then you may also want to get example.uk. It prevents that someone else can set up a website with a domain name similar to yours. You can also set up a redirect from one domain to another, so that visitors can enter either domain.

How can I update the contact details for my domain?

You can check and update the contact details for your domain as follows:

• Select Domains
• Click on the wrench icon to the right of your domain name.
• Select Contact Information from the Manage menu.

It is important to keep the contact details up to date. In particular, please make sure that the email address associated with your domain registration is still current.

Help! My domain has expired!

If you forgot to renew your domain then you often still have time to do so. Domains that aren’t renewed in time always enter a grace period. During this time you can still renew the domain. For .uk domains the grace period is 30 days. After the 30 days your domain registration is suspended. At that point the DNS for your domain no longer resolves, so your website and email stop working. You do still have 60 days to re-register the domain before it becomes available to others.

For most other domains, including .com domains, the domain becomes available shortly after the 30-day grace period.

I have received an email about renewing my domain but there is no invoice?

We send email reminders when your domain comes up for renewal. The first email is sent roughly three months before the expiry date. At that point you don’t need to take any action. The emails are sent purely to make you aware that the domain needs to be renewed before the expiry date.

When the first email is sent there is no invoice for the renewal yet – the invoice is typically generated three weeks before the renewal date. If you want you can renew the domain early via your billing account:

• Select Domains
• Click on the wrench icon to the right of your domain name.
• Select Renew from the Actions menu.

How can change my domain’s name servers?

You can change the name servers for your domain via your billing account:

• Select Domains
• Click on the wrench icon to the right of your domain name.
• Select Nameservers from the Manage menu.

For more information about domains and name servers, see our article about domain names, name servers and DNS.

How do I manage the DNS for my domain?

As mentioned above, you can manage the name servers for your domain via your billing account. It is not possible to manage other DNS records via your billing account. To manage common DNS records you need a hosting package. For instance, on our Linux server you can manage the DNS for your domain via cPanel’s Zone Editor.

If your website and/or email is hosted elsewhere then you can point the name servers to the company hosting your website and/or email. The hosting company should be able to confirm what the name servers should be.

Do you offer domain redirection?

You can not set up a domain redirect via your billing account. However, you can set up a redirect via your hosting package. If we are hosting your website then you can manage redirects via cPanel.

Why is there a red padlock with a cross next to my domain?

The list with domains in your billing account shows whether or not a domain has an SSL certificate. It shows a green padlock it the domain has an SSL certificate and a red padlock if no SSL certificate was detected. A red padlock doesn’t indicate there is an issue with your domain registration – it purely means that your website can’t be accessed via HTTPS.

If you don’t use your domain for a website then you can obviously ignore the padlock. However, if you do have a website then you may want get an SSL certificate. If you are hosting your website with us, we offer a full range of SSL certificates, including free Let’s Encrypt certificates. Please contact us if you are interested in getting an SSL certificate for your domain.