Question: Why am I paying a year of web hosting in advance?
Answer: You may of missed the detail for the pricing that you saw on your web host’s website. Your web host most likely had a lot of different pricing tiers.
For example:
$7 per month (when you pay for 12 months)
$9 per month (when you pay for 6 months)
$12 per month (when you pay for 3 months)
When you selected the lowest or cheapest price per month. One of the requirements was to pay in advance for X specific months. This maybe a reason why you were charged for half a year or a whole year’s worth of web hosting. You should look over your original invoice and see what the term (how many months) and what price you paid.
Any dispute or misunderstanding you have. You should take up with your web host as soon as possible (ASAP). You web host will probably have some form of money back guarantee during the first 14 days to 30 days. The money back guarantee may not be something your web host offers but many do. You should immediately use it if the web hosting you purchase was not what you were expecting.
Renewal time
When it comes to renewal time you may want to figure out what the new price will be. Some web hosts may of had an initial discount of anything from 30% to 50% when you signed up. After the first few months or first year the prices may no longer reflect any discount and will be the whole price. This can lead to frustration if you wake up with a web hosting bill that is 2-3x what you expected. Now multiple it by however many months you were expected to pay in advance.
Pay in advance with trusted hosts
Not all web hosts you find online can be trusted. Some may be an overnight operation or outright scam. You should make sure the web host that you are agreeing to purchase services from has a history and is a legitimate company that is registered. You should also make sure reviews of the company are positive and they are technically competent before purchasing. Do not pay in advance for a year of web host with a web host that just launched or has been in business for less then a year!