My friend recently lost her domain name as she forgot to renew it. Now there is no way she can get back the domain name. So how do you find out domain expiration date?
There are 3 simple ways:
By checking the public WHOIS database
Visit whois service here and enter your domain name. You can also use your domain registrar whois service to find out information.
By logging into your domain service providers account
Login to your domain registrar account and list expiring domain. Make sure you set all domains to auto renewal. Finally, make sure your credit card / payment information is upto date to avoid delays.
By using automated shell scripts for Linux /UNIX / Mac OS X
You can grab modified shell script that run as a cron job from your own Mac OS X / Unix computer. This script checks to see if a domain has expired. It can be run in interactive and batch mode, and provides facilities to alarm (email) if a domain is about to expire in advance.
Free Windows Software
If anyone has any information about free domain remainder utility for Windows XP / Vista, please add them in the comments.
Most domain register provides a series of reminder emails to you as the domain name approaches its expiry date. Make sure you whitelist those email address. If domain names are quite important register them for 5-10 years and lock all domain names.