I use DreamHost for my registrations (with no hosting account).
They accept Amex and will auto-renew. They're $9.99/yr (or within a few cents of that) and that includes private registration if that's something you're looking for. I've had no problems with them, their interface isn't perfect, but it's a lot nicer than most registrars' systems that I've used.
Now for the bad. They don't offer DNS service without a hosting package. I actually use NameCheap's DNS. NameCheap (being kinda a stand-up company) offers free DNS service to you even if you aren't their customer. And, frankly, their DNS control panel is nice enough that I would switch to them, except for the fact that they don't auto-renew and they charge extra for private registrations.
If you don't need DNS, DreamHost seems to work nicely. Decent control panel to make changes in, private registration included in the fee, auto-renewal, $9.99 price, and accepts Amex. It isn't their primary business, but they are ICANN accredited - and they aren't that small (http://www.dotandco.net/ressources/icann_registrars/details/..., see New Dream Network - not that far off from Name.com or Gandi).
I do this, and I actually have DNS. I think it's because what I did is:
* Sign up for a hosting plan one of the times that it was super-cheap (I paid like $9 for a year of hosting and got a free domain for the year.)
* Cancel hosting after cheap period is over
So all of my DNS stuck around, and I can change it and everything like normal. I think I can even buy domains elsewhere and use Dreamhost as my DNS server for them.
The one complaint I have with them is that their forgot password scheme is "email your password in plaintext", which makes me feel a little bit like my domains aren't safe. So if I were to find my ideal registrar (~$10, not evil, decent interface, free DNS), I'd switch for that reason.
They accept Amex and will auto-renew. They're $9.99/yr (or within a few cents of that) and that includes private registration if that's something you're looking for. I've had no problems with them, their interface isn't perfect, but it's a lot nicer than most registrars' systems that I've used.
Now for the bad. They don't offer DNS service without a hosting package. I actually use NameCheap's DNS. NameCheap (being kinda a stand-up company) offers free DNS service to you even if you aren't their customer. And, frankly, their DNS control panel is nice enough that I would switch to them, except for the fact that they don't auto-renew and they charge extra for private registrations.
If you don't need DNS, DreamHost seems to work nicely. Decent control panel to make changes in, private registration included in the fee, auto-renewal, $9.99 price, and accepts Amex. It isn't their primary business, but they are ICANN accredited - and they aren't that small (http://www.dotandco.net/ressources/icann_registrars/details/..., see New Dream Network - not that far off from Name.com or Gandi).