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Pre-workshop setup~8 minCW-2

Namecheap account setup — and what to skip at checkout

A clean Namecheap account, two-factor authentication, and a guided checkout walkthrough that bypasses the upsells.

Namecheap is the domain registrar we recommend. The signup is straightforward; the buying process is where Namecheap tries hardest to upsell you on things you don't need (SSL, hosting, premium DNS, email). This guide gets you set up cleanly and explains what each upsell does so you can decide consciously — not by default. Even if you don't intend to buy a domain before CW-2, having the account set up saves 5 minutes in the room.

Step-by-step

  1. 1.Sign up at namecheap.com

    Go to https://www.namecheap.com/myaccount/signup/. Pick a username (this stays internal — no need to be clever), a strong password, and your email.

    Verify your email via the link Namecheap sends.

  2. 2.Enable two-factor authentication

    Account → Security → Two-Factor Authentication. Set up via app (Authy, Google Authenticator, 1Password). Don't use SMS 2FA if you can avoid it — SIM-swap attacks are a real risk for domain accounts.

    Domain hijacking is a real risk

    If someone compromises your Namecheap account they can transfer your domain to themselves. For domains that matter to your business, 2FA is the difference between an annoyance and a disaster.

  3. 3.Add a backup payment method

    Account → Profile → Billing. Add your primary card now (it makes domain purchases faster) and consider adding a secondary card.

    Auto-renewal is the #1 reason businesses lose their domains. A failed renewal because of an expired card is the most common cause. Two cards = redundancy.

  4. 4.Optional: buy your domain now

    If you already know the domain you want for CW-2, buy it now. Otherwise wait until the workshop — Haojun will walk you through it.

    Skip ahead

    Buying a domain has its own dedicated walkthrough at /templates/purchase-domain-namecheap with the full upsell guide, TLD comparison, and what to verify after purchase.

What the Namecheap upsells actually mean

Namecheap's checkout adds a lot of extras by default. Most you can decline. Here's what each one is.

  • •WhoisGuard / Domain Privacy: free; turn ON. Hides your name/address from public Whois lookups. Cuts spam to zero.
  • •SSL Certificate: skip. Vercel issues free SSL certs automatically.
  • •Premium DNS: skip. Vercel's DNS is included and faster than Namecheap's premium tier.
  • •Web Hosting: skip. Vercel hosts.
  • •Private Email: skip unless you actually want @yourdomain email. Free email forwarding (set up later) is enough for most.
  • •VPN: skip. Different product, sold by promotional convenience.
  • •Auto-Renewal: turn ON. The single most important checkbox in the entire checkout.

Troubleshooting

I get 'card declined' on checkout.

Same fix as Claude Pro: call your bank, enable international online payments. Namecheap charges in USD.

I want to use my existing domain at GoDaddy / Cloudflare.

You can. Skip Namecheap entirely. The DNS-pointing principles transfer, but our /templates/point-namecheap-nameservers-to-vercel guide assumes Namecheap UI. You'll need to find the equivalent screens on your registrar.

Whois Guard is missing from my domain after purchase.

It can take 5-10 minutes to activate. Wait, then check Domain List → Manage → confirm Domain Privacy is on.

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