Premium Domain

A premium domain is a name that's worth a lot more than the cost of registering it. Short, memorable, a real word or a pair of them, on an extension people trust. The kind of name that would cost a business real money to buy because somebody else already saw the value in it.

The word gets used two ways, and they're worth keeping apart. On the aftermarket, a premium domain is one an investor or business owns and is selling at a price set by the market. You pay once, and the renewal afterward is the ordinary rate for the extension.

A registry premium is different. The registry itself has flagged the name and set a high price for registration, and often a high renewal every year to go with it. Those names show up at registrars as "premium" with a price tag, and the renewal price is the number to check before you buy.

Either way, the label is only as good as the name. Plenty of forgettable domains get listed as premium. The market decides.