i requested a pointer to my existing hosting for domainname.ext and now http://domainname.ext works, i assumed that http://www.domainname.ext would also work, but it does not appear to. do i have to pay another $15 to set that up as a separate pointer?
It should actually work for both. I'd recommend that you open a helpdesk ticket, so that support can check your DNS settings as as the server to make sure everything is working well.