Many domain registrars design their systems in such a way so that you either pay a higher price if you auto-renew (e.g. GoDaddy) or so that it is easy for auto-

Many domain registrars design their systems in such a way so that you either pay a higher price if you auto-renew (e.g. GoDaddy) or so that it is easy for auto-renew to switch off (e.g. CC expired) so they can charge you a "fee" to recover it once you realise it has been suspended. Frankly it is in registrar's best interests to let your domain expire. You'll still pay them the renew fee either way, but additional fees loaded on top of that too.