Bluehost Renewal and Cancellation: What Will You Actually Pay?

Bluehost's headline introductory price is only one part of the cost. Renewal pricing, the term selected, domains and add-ons can change what you actually pay over time.

The 30-day guarantee has limits

Bluehost's current refund policy provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for certain hosting services and excludes categories including domain registration fees, monthly-term hosting, setup fees and various additional services.

The money-back period is therefore not a blanket refund for every charge.

Renewals are a separate issue

Bluehost's current refund policy says renewals are not refundable and are not eligible for a prorated refund after the applicable initial period, with a stated fifteen-day prebill window for renewal refunds.

Bluehost also says products auto-renew by default.

Renewal pricing can be higher than sign-up pricing

Bluehost's current pricing and help pages show separate renewal pricing by plan and term rather than treating the introductory price as the long-term price.

For EU customers, Bluehost states that VAT is not included in advertised prices and is charged separately where applicable.

Domains can create a separate renewal cost

Bluehost states that domains can renew automatically at the then-current rate.

Domain registration and renewal fees are generally non-refundable under the refund policy.

If a free domain was included with hosting, cancelling within the first year can involve a non-refundable domain fee to retain it.

Before you cancel

Check the hosting renewal date and renewal price.

List every add-on, domain and service attached to the account.

Back up website and email data.

Decide whether the domain should be transferred or retained separately.

Disable auto-renewal only after understanding the effect on hosting and domain services.