Premium Domain Purchase Guide

When searching for your new domain through Hover, you might come across names listed for sale at a much higher price than a typical registration. These are premium domains, and they work a little differently from a standard registration.

Note: Premium domains are a different category from tiered price domains, which are priced by the registry rather than by an individual seller.

What is a premium domain?

A premium domain is a domain name that someone else has already registered, but is willing to sell. Hover lists premium domains for sale at prices up to $10,000, and highlights them with a gold star in your search results — often because they're short, memorable, or built from generic words that suit a specific industry or business well.

How premium domain pricing works

You pay the premium price shown in the search results only once, at the time of purchase. After that, the domain renews every year at the standard registration price for its extension, not the premium price. Hover displays this future renewal price alongside the premium purchase price in the search results, so you know what to expect going forward.

What happens after you buy a premium domain

Because premium domains are already registered and owned by someone else, buying one triggers a different process than a standard registration. Hover works with the domain's current hosting provider to complete the transfer and make sure it's accessible through your account once the process finishes. Since a third party is involved, this can take one to two weeks to complete.

Note: In rare cases, the current owner may be unable to complete the steps needed to release the domain. If that happens, Hover will refund your premium domain purchase in full and notify you by email.

Next steps

• Search for and purchase a premium domain: follow the same steps as any registration — see Registering a New Domain (Hover).
• Comparing prices across extensions? Learn how registry-set pricing works in Tiered Price Domains.
• Want a domain that isn't listed as premium for sale? See Buying a Domain Already Registered With Hover for other ways to try to acquire it.

Questions? Contact Hover Support.