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Common questions about CertCentral subscriptions

What is DigiCert’s 12-month subscription model?

DigiCert’s 12-month subscription model is the new, standard payment structure for customers purchasing DigiCert products.

Your 12-month subscription is based on the assets you need to protect with your digital certificates, such as a web server domain name (TLS/SSL), an employee email account (S/MIME), or an organization that publishes software (code signing).

See a breakdown of subscription configurations by certificate type

How does the subscription model work?

Your 12-month subscription activates upon a new purchase or a certificate renewal.

Once activated, your subscription acts as a pool of licenses for the website domains, email addresses, email domains, code, or documents that you wish to protect. Additional licenses you purchase are added to the pool, aligning with the account-level subscription’s 12-month term at a prorated cost.

When your subscription is up for renewal at the end of 12 months, all active licenses in the pool are renewed together at their full annual price.

What’s changing under the subscription model?

Table 1. Subscription model changes

Certificate type

Old purchasing model

New purchasing model under subscription

TLS/SSL, Secure Email (S/MIME), Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs)

Purchase certificates to secure website domain names (FQDNs), email addresses, and email domains.

  • Purchase licenses for website domain names (FQDNs), email addresses, or email domains you wish to secure.

  • Issue any number of certificates against those assets.

  • Change domains or email addresses at no extra cost should your business and website needs change.

Code Signing

Purchase certificates to sign software code.

  • Purchase licenses for organizations whose code you wish to sign.

Document Signing

Purchase certificates to sign documents.

  • Purchase licenses for organizations, individuals, or groups whose documents you wish to secure.

  • All needed Document Signing certificates are included with an organization, individual, or group subscription.


Can I remove an email address or domain from my subscription pool and replace it with another one?

Yes. You can remove an email address or domain from its corresponding license in your subscription. That license is then available for reuse. You can now request a new certificate against the available domain or email address license at no additional cost.

How do I remove a website domain or email address from a subscription license?

  1. In your CertCentral account, in the left main menu, go to My Digital Trust Products > My subscription.

  2. On the My subscription page, find the domain name or email address you want to remove from the list of product licenses under your subscription.

  3. In the Actions dropdown, select Remove domain name/email address from subscription.

When a domain name or email address license is removed from your subscription:

  • All active certificates securing the removed domain name or email address license are revoked within 48 - 72 hours.

  • All associated pending certificate orders are canceled.

  • All related services are deactivated immediately.

Can I transfer a certificate to another domain or email address within my subscription?

No. You can’t directly transfer a certificate from one domain or email address to another in your subscription. You can remove a domain name or email address from any domain or email address license covered under your subscription. You can now use the available license to request a certificate with a new domain name or email address at no additional cost. See above.

What happens to my active certificates that were purchased before my CertCentral account converted to the subscription model?

Your active certificates purchased prior to your account’s subscription conversion remain active until their expiration date.

If you choose to renew a certificate purchased prior to account-level subscription activation, it will convert to the subscription model.

The website domain name, email address, or email domain secured by your type of certificate gets added as a license in your subscription asset pool, aligning with the 12-month account-level subscription term at a prorated rate.

When your account-level subscription is up for renewal at the end of 12 months, all active licenses in the pool are renewed together at their full annual price.

How do I cancel my subscription?

To cancel your subscription or remove a product from your subscription, see:

Are my active Multi-year Plans affected by the subscription model?

No. DigiCert currently has no plans to convert existing active Multi-year Plan orders to the subscription model unless the Multi-year Plan order is up for renewal. As with other active orders in your account, your Multi-year Plan order will align with the account-level subscription’s 12-month term upon renewal, at a prorated cost.