Auto-renewal
A registrar setting that charges your stored payment method to extend the registration before expiry. Saves more domains than any other practice — but requires a current card on file.
When it fires
Most registrars attempt the auto-renewal 30 days before expiry, with retries if the card declines. Email notices accompany each attempt.
Disable carefully
Turning off auto-renew on a domain you intended to keep is the most common cause of accidental expirations. The grace + redemption + pending-delete window after expiry totals ~75 days — past that, the domain is gone.