> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.politicalcomms.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Buying a Domain

> Buy a domain in the dashboard and let the platform set up every DNS record for your app, link tracking and email.

You can buy a domain without leaving the dashboard. Open **Domains** in the sidebar, click **Add domain**, and choose **Buy a domain**. Pick the domain, choose what it is for, and we register it and write every DNS record for you. There is nothing to copy into another provider.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Domain purchase is available in the dashboard only. It is not part of the public API.

## What you choose

* **The domain.** Search for a name with most common endings. We only offer endings that keep your people, address and contact details private. Some may show your organization's name. Prices vary by ending, and you see the price before you buy. When a name is taken, or its ending is not available here, the search offers similar names you can choose instead, each with its price. A few endings are not available: those that need a local address or extra registrant details, such as `.de`, `.uk`, `.ca` and `.eu`, and adult endings. Endings with two parts, such as `.co.uk`, are not available either.
* **What it is for.** Pick any mix of **App** (your branded login and dashboard host), **Link tracking** (the host your text links use) and **Email** (the domain you send campaigns from).

You see the full price before you pay.

## Who owns it

Your organization owns the domain. Before you confirm, the purchase shows **Registered to** with your organization's legal name and billing address. If your organization is missing its legal company name, billing address, contact name or a US phone number, add them in your organization settings first. Nothing is charged until they are complete.

There is nothing for you to verify. We manage the domain at the registrar and handle every registrar email, so you never have to click a link to keep it working.

## What it costs

| Item | Cost |
| - | - |
| Domain registration | The registrar's price for the ending you chose, for one year |
| Domain hosting fee | **\$6.00 per year**, flat |
| Setup fee | The normal setup fee for each app or link-tracking host you turn on |

The registration and hosting fee are charged from your wallet when you buy, and again each year at renewal. See [Billing](https://docs.politicalcomms.com/help/billing.md) for how the wallet works and the pricing reference below for current rates.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Domain registration is **non-refundable once the domain is registered**. If registration never happens, you are refunded in full automatically.

## What we write for you

Once the domain is registered we create all of its DNS records and keep them current:

* The records your app and link-tracking hosts need, as plain CNAMEs.
* The authentication records for email sending (DKIM, the bounce path, DMARC and the ownership records), if you chose email.
* The verification records that prove the domain is yours.

You never edit DNS for a domain you bought here. Setup finishes on its own and the **Domains** page shows progress for each use on the domain's row. Open the domain for the detail of each one.

## Renewals

The domain renews every year. We charge your wallet **30 days before the domain expires**, so keep enough balance or turn on auto-recharge. You get a notice before each renewal.

If a renewal cannot be paid, the account enters the normal grace period for unpaid charges. If it is still unpaid after the grace period, the domain is not renewed and stops working when its current term ends. Anything using it (your app host, link tracking and email) stops with it, so renew or switch hosts before then.

## Changes and leaving

We manage the domain for as long as you keep it with us, including its DNS, its registrar contacts and its renewal, so there are no registrar controls in the dashboard. To change anything, or to take the domain to another provider, contact support at the address on the [Technical Support](https://docs.politicalcomms.com/help/technical-support.md) page and we will do it for you.

## Already own a domain

You can still use a domain you registered elsewhere. See [Sending Domains and DNS](https://docs.politicalcomms.com/help/email/sending-domains-and-dns.md) for email, and the notes below for app and link-tracking domains.

### App and link-tracking domains you manage yourself

A customer-managed app or link-tracking domain shows **two DNS records at the same time**. Add both at your DNS provider:

* Both must be plain **CNAME** records.
* **Proxying must be off.** If your DNS provider offers an orange-cloud or proxy setting, turn it off so the record is DNS only. A proxied record cannot be verified.

The page marks each record as found once it resolves. Records usually appear within a few minutes, though some providers take longer.


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