How Does Bluehost Pricing Work?

Like many hosting companies, Bluehost offers some amazing rates and introductory pricing to attract new customers. I want to clear up some confusion about the way Bluehost pricing works and give you a tip that could save you some serious money.

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Before I start, I want to mention that I am a fan of Bluehost. It’s a great first host for a new WordPress blog. I’ve used them in the past, and I’ve always been impressed with the friendliness and responsiveness of their support staff. If for whatever reason you’ve determined that Bluehost isn’t right for you, here’s an article I wrote with all my blog hosting recommendations.

You’ll notice that on the main Bluehost landing page, they offer pricing of $3.49/month for their starter plan. That’s an amazing price, but here are a few things you should understand before you sign up:

1. To get $3.49/month Bluehost pricing, you need to pre-pay for 36 months. If you choose to pre-pay for a shorter time period, the rate increases slightly.

2. If you cancel your account during the 36 month period, you are refunded an amount equal to your remaining months. For example, if you cancel your Bluehost account after 12 months, you’ll get a refund from Bluehost for $83.76 (24 remaining months X $3.49). I think this is a fair way to handle things, and it makes it a no-risk option for the user.

3. Renewal pricing is different from introductory pricing. This is one reason why I always recommend locking up the introductory pricing for the longest term (36 months) if possible. For the starter plan with a 36-month term, the regular pricing is $5.99/month. That is the rate at which your account will renew at the end of the introductory 36 months. Again, that is a pre-payment rate so you will be charged for all 36 months. If you renew for 24 months, the regular pricing is $6.99/month, and it is $7.49/month for 12-month terms.

4. Here’s the big tip to help you save lots of money with Bluehost — Their holiday sales and special promos are always open to existing customers! What does this mean? It means that even before your introductory pricing period with Bluehost ends, existing customers can extend their hosting for an additional year during Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales. There are also other promotional sales throughout the year, but it’s a near guarantee that Bluehost will offer some type of special deal around Thanksgiving each year. Take advantage of these sales, and if your introductory pricing is set to expire within the upcoming year, be sure to extend your account for 12 months during these sales. Using this strategy, you could potentially keep your Bluehost introductory pricing forever.

I hope this clears up some confusion about Bluehost introductory pricing and renewal rates. Be sure to take advantage of my little holiday promo tip!