I think it's a great idea, but doesn't an abstract representation of cash also benefit the merchant, because it makes people more likely to make spur-of-the-mom

I think it's a great idea, but doesn't an abstract representation of cash also benefit the merchant, because it makes people more likely to make spur-of-the-moment purchases? Making this process much more concrete and emphasising the "taking your money away from you" aspect might make everybody less inclined to pay for things and thus might make a payment system based on this idea unpopular.