I have auto-renew set up for my dev program account. I received an email that my account will auto-renew on a certain date, but when I log in to my account it says I should renew before that date or I will loose access? Will the auto-renew take affect before it expires?
Auto renew Dev program
That's what auto-renew is for, yes.
That warning is generic and doesn't know if auto-renew is enabled or not.
If you don't trust auto, then don't use it.