You can now pay GoDaddy domain name auctions with 2 different credit cards!

For years now I have been complaining that there is not enough time to pay by wire transfer for a domain name won at GoDaddy auctions.

Last time I wrote about this was last summer: “GoDaddy domain auctions and payments – Let’s set the record straight…”

You only get 3 days to pay for a domain name auction and that is not just enough time to send a wire transfer. Especially if you are from outside the United States. Of course I am talking about auctions that cost above $2,000. I suggest you read this post above so you can fully understand what the problem is.

So last week I won an auction for a domain name that costed me about $8,000. Paying with a single credit card was/is not an option for me for that amount. I had a couple of backup plans on how to make payment. But that involved asking someone for a favor AND messing up my taxes.

So I asked GoDaddy and Joe Styler on Twitter if I could pay for a single auction using 2 different credit cards. Joe Styler replied to me and told that it could be done but I couldn’t do it myself. My account rep could help me do it: “It is not something you can do on your own but your account rep can help you accomplish it.”

I was a bit surprised as I had been told numerous times over the past few years that this could NOT be done.

So I emailed my account rep with all the details. I gave him what credit cards to use (that were already on file in my GoDaddy account) and what amount to charge on each credit card so the full amount was charged. I was immediately told that this was NOT an option: “I would love to be able to help and accommodate this request, however, GoDaddy’s payment processing system does not allow for multiple cards to be used on a single transaction.”

He offered for a one-day extension so I could make payment by a wire transfer that would not really help me at all. (It was a Sunday extension and wire transfer take about 3 working days to reach the US.)

I replied back to my account rep that Joe Styler told me that this could be done. (Thanks Joe!)

A few hours later I received an email from my account rep saying that they were able to make the necessary preparations and he had attached the required agreement for me to sign and return.

The “Split Payment Purchase Agreement” stated that I agreed to pay for this signle domain name auction using different credit cards and that I would not initiate a chargeback on any of the cards.

I signed it, send it back and the payments were processed. I will soon have the domain name in my GoDaddy account.

So now I just have one question for GoDaddy. Why doesn’t GoDaddy give buyers 7 calendar days to pay for an auction instead of 3 days? That would solve all my problems as I can send a wire transfer for any amount I want if I have 7 days. A 7-day time frame would mean that buyers will always have 5 working days to send payment. It wouldn’t matter what day of the week the auction ended.

And I am asking again now as GoDaddy has moved the end of expired domain name auctions 4-5 days earlier. So there are no technical reasons not to give buyers 7 days for payment. BTW Namejet gives you 14 days to pay and you can also get an extension.