What is domain/service subscription?
Domain or service subscription is a delivery model that Svenska Domäner is using to deliver its services to the customers.
Two main attributes of each subscription are subscription period and payment type. In combination with some other payment options common to the customer account, they drive the behavior of the system during the lifecycle of a domain/service subscription.
Automated renewal
The most important aspect of this delivery model is that once activated service/domain subscription have automatic renewal and remains “managed” until it is canceled explicitly by the customer, or implicitly due to inability to be paid or transfer out.
Such a strategy have been adopted to simplify the delivery of service by removing a burden from the customer about explicitly approving every service/domain renewal.
However, if the customer wants more control and explicit consent about the renewal of services, there is workflow that allow this, but such behavior of the system is considered an exception at the moment and system doesn’t support it in an easy-to-use manner.
Subscription period
Since renewal of subscription is automated, this aspect of subscription dictates what is the renewal period of the subscription.When renewal invoice for given subscription is generated by the system, then it uses this information to calculate period. Once that invoice is paid, the system moves subscription due date for given period ahead.
Changing subscription period
Changing of subscription period is not automated and must be done through support (either by phone or mail request).If there is an outstanding invoice with old subscription period, that one will be canceled and a new one will be created instead with the correct period.Note that changing period will pull current system price related to that subscription. If the domain is already using sub-year period, then subscription period cannot be changed to another sub-year period but only to those currently being active in the system (a year or more). The system is always pulling current service price while changing the period so domain automatically becomes Cheap if there is a change in subscription period.
Product support
Note that domains and certain service products don’t support all subscription periods. Svenska Domäner has recently stopped selling domains with sub-year subscription periods, however, existing domain subscriptions with sub-year periods are still supported. Also, note that domain subscription orders with domain transfer always imply yearly subscription period.Private faktura customers are also not allowed to order on monthly basis. In this scenario only credit/debit card payment option is available.
How often should I renew?
Since domains are sold on same yearly price regardless of the subscription period, then the price is not a factor that will affect your decision for them.For services, however, that is not the case and flexibility of no binding comes with a certain cost. If service is connected with long running business then it makes sense to have it on a longer period because of certainty of usage, but if you plan to use it only for short term even such as fair or tournament then shorter period makes more sense.