If a domain isn't renewed before its expiration date, it is considered expired and it may eventually be deleted or auctioned off. This article explains ALC Hosting's post-expiration timeline. For a general illustration of the domain life cycle.

Timeline of events after a domain expires at ALC Hosting Networks

On the day it expires, your domain passes into what is known as the Auto-Renew Grace Period, which lasts roughly 40 days at ALC Hosting. For the first 36 or 37 days of this period, the domain can still be renewed for its normal renewal price with no extra fees. Please note that other registrars may have an Auto-Renew Grace Period as short as zero-days or as long as 45 days.

For the first 10 days of the Auto-Renew Grace Period, your domain should continue to function as normal. We understand that problems can occur with the payment, so we allow 10 days to remedy any failed payments, etc.

On the 10th day, ALC Hosting's nameservers will be automatically assigned and your domain will display a notice to any visitors that it has expired.

For days 30-31 through 36-37, the domain is put up for auction through Dynadot. You may still renew the domain during this time at the standard renewal fee. However, if you fail to take any action and the domain is purchased at auction, it will be transferred to the winner at the end of this auction period. 

For the next three days after the auction period, if the domain was not purchased at auction, you may still renew at the standard renewal fee.

On day 40 or 41, the Auto-Renew Grace Period ends and the domain is deleted from ALC Hosting. From this date through days 69-70, the domain is considered to reside in the Redemption Grace Period. During this period, the domain is returned to its registry (see: "What is a registry?") and can be redeemed for the normal renewal fee plus a redemption fee which varies by the registry. Please contact ALC Hosting Support if you wish to redeem your domain. 

From days 70-71 through 74-75, it will be marked "Pending Delete" and can no longer be redeemed. Once your domain is marked Pending Delete, there’s no turning back—the domain may be lost forever.

On or around the 75th or 76th day, one of the following may occur:

• The domain may be released to the public and anyone can register it on a first-come-first-served basis—including drop catch bots, so be warned. 
• The registry may "re-tier" the domain as a "premium" significantly increasing the cost of re-registering the domain.
• The registry may reserve the domain so that it can't be registered by anyone, indefinitely.

Domain life cycle

source: Life Cycle of a Typical gTLD Domain Name