I'm getting closer to launching my CMS and so was looking into referral programs for customers who want their own domain and not just a subdomain.

GoDaddy had the audacity to ask me to PAY to get access to their referral program with API's for fluid integration that would ultimately bring THEM business.

Sorry, I don't like that kind of greed. I seriously may move all my domains elsewhere.

Can anyone recommend a good registrar with a referral program that isn't quite so greedy? I do not want to pay for the privilege of bringing someone else business.

Thank you for suggestions.

Dynadot?

http://www.dynadot.com/refer_friend.html

Are you looking to make money, or looking to make the process less of a PITA for your customers? Based on your mention of API, I'm thinking more the latter, but just want to make sure.

I have not yet used it, and I'm kinda dubious about any "requirements" they might have for API access, but Namecheap has an API and says they don't charge extra for it.

As an ICANN Accredited Registrar, you can rest assured that they will have at least the minimum required quantity of lying sacks of crap and greedy douchebags, but they might be over in the web hosting department instead.

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I'm looking to make things easier for my customers.

Nutshell - customers who want their own domain name instead of sub domain, I want the process of registering their domain and having it point to my DNS as authoritative to be seamless.

Tell people to go to GoDaddy and register and then enter my DNS there is something that a lot of people just are not going to understand.

That being said, after discussion with GoDaddy on twitter, I was hooked up with GoDaddy support and we seem to have worked out something that is amicable.

I would tend toward Namecheap. Read the small print though - some stuff is free only for a limited time.

I use Namecheap. When I registered my domains, they gave me the option of either forwarding my domains to an IP or of entering someone else's DNS servers as authoritative. I registered my domains in mid-June, and I haven't had any issues at all. Like tentimes said, though, make sure you read everything, they try to draw you in to a couple extra services -- great services, no doubt, but services you may not want/need.

I also use namecheap and domain.com (zoneedit.com)

Another huge dynadot fan here. A few things that sets them apart are:

1. Easy multi-domain / name server / contact management
2. Domain lock that requires an sms to my phone to unlock a domain
3. Excellent support and they pick up the phone
4. They have held on to rather controversial domains including wikileaks.org, if they can hold that domain I know they won't just switch mine off one day from some anonymous complaint.