How to use a domain on instalments

This page applies to customers who bought domains via instalments only.

Choosing website and email hosting

A domain name allows you to use a given address for your website, for example “brandpa.com” is a domain name.

In addition to your domain name, you will need website hosting to serve your website to users. Website hosting is not included with the purchase of your domain, but is widely available for a low cost. The exact hosting you require will depend on the technology used to build your website, so Brandpa are unable to advise you on this. You should speak to the people who built your website to determine an appropriate hosting service. If you’re using a website building service like Squarespace or WIX, they will be able to provide this information.

You will usually also want to use email with your domain. Like your website, email must also be hosted. You can usually just use the same company that hosts your website, or you may prefer a dedicated service such as Google’s G Suite.

Using your domain

Once you know who is hosting your website and email, you need to connect them to your new domain name. To do this, you need to tell Brandpa some technical information (either your “Nameservers” or “Custom DNS”) .

Brandpa will ask you for these settings automatically, like so:

These are technical pieces of information. If you are unsure what these settings mean, ask whoever is responsible for your website for help. Setting these incorrectly will cause your domain name to not work properly. 

Whoever you are using for your hosting should be able to provide these details for you. If you are using the same company for your website and email hosting, it will usually be easiest to specify nameservers. Otherwise you will need to specify custom DNS, and combine the “MX” records you need for email with other records (usually “A” records)  you need for website hosting.

Note that due to the nature of domain names, changes to DNS records can take up to 48 hours to take effect over the whole Internet, and they don’t take effect everywhere at once. So it’s possible for some people to see your new hosting, and for others not to, during the initial 48 hour period.

What if you don’t want to use my domain yet?

If you just want to buy the domain, but not use it yet, you can submit empty DNS details (i.e. leave the table empty, check the box provided and click the “Confirm DNS settings” button). When you’re ready to use the domain you can let us know the DNS you want to use.

Domain renewal fees

Brandpa covers the cost of any domain renewal fees during the period where you are paying instalments. We do not cover the cost of any website or email hosting services that you choose to use.

When the domain is transferred to you

When your final payment is received full ownership of the domain will be transferred to you. At this point, you can update your DNS yourself. You won’t need to change anything unless you want to.