Hi mscheaf,
From the sounds of it you are using avast! 4.8?
About 21 days before the current license expires, you should see a red box appear informing you of this. (every time you boot IIRC)
The email system works for me, I usually receive mine only seconds after I press the registration button...but maybe because of the high traffic that has resulted from the avast 5 release, it may have taken some time for you. I think 5-10 mins is normally ok...
-Scott-