This is getting to remind me of XKCD on standards. The wonderful thing about having too many standards is that somebody comes along to create a new standard int

This is getting to remind me of XKCD on standards. The wonderful thing about having too many standards is that somebody comes along to create a new standard intended to unify and replace all the other ones. Then you have N+1 standards to choose from. That said, I do think adding an extra level of indirection to any customer/merchant transaction event is a Good Thing. Allow the customer to pay in any manner he chooses that otherwise satisfies the merchant. While doing so in a way where the customer can be confident his payment identity/authorization is not hijacked and repurposed, or reapplied, or TRACKED, without his permission or knowledge. We still seem to be in this era where POS payments are catching up with what software engineers knew at least decades ago would be a smarter solution.