When a .eth name isn't renewed, it passes through a grace period. If no one renews it there either, it's released for anyone to register, but for a while it costs extra. That time window is called Price Cooldown (formerly known as temporary premium), and the extra charge is an additional fee.

The additional fee sits on top of the normal price as a one-time charge. It starts at $100 million and falls to $0 over 21 days. It drops fast at first, then slows as it nears zero, so the longer you wait, the closer the price gets to the usual yearly rate.

The high starting price isn't meant to be paid. It's there to stop bots grabbing names the moment they're free. Once the additional fee reaches zero, the name is open at the normal rate.

A .eth name is registered with an expiry date and can be renewed at any time. If it expires, a 28-day grace period follows, where anyone can renew it at the standard price for its previous owner. Only when grace runs out does the name enter Price Cooldown, the final stage before it's simply available again. Full detail: Expiry & grace period · .eth name lifecycle.

Without it, valuable names that just expired would be snapped up instantly by bots. Price Cooldown works as a declining-price auction: interested parties decide how much they're willing to pay over the base price, with the additional fee falling each moment. This gives a fairer shot at acquiring a name than a pure first-to-register race.

21 days from the end of the grace period, during which the additional fee decays to zero. After 21 days, the name is available at the normal registration fee, at which point it behaves like any other registrable name.

The additional fee decays exponentially: fast at first, then slowing as it nears zero. The exact curve is displayed in the apps and defined by the registrar contract.

Search for the name in the ENS App: for a name in Price Cooldown, the registration page shows the current total price (base fee + current additional fee) in real time, and the countdown until the fee hits zero. Come back later if it's still higher than you want to pay. It keeps falling over the 21 days. ENS Explorer shows expiry and grace-period state on the Name page, and you can register a name in Price Cooldown there too.