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A comment on Ask HN: Why aren't micropayments a thing?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: Why aren't micropayments a thing? by setr on Friday January 22, 2021 @09:25PM (#25878959)
The common solution to the flat-cost-per-transaction problem is to use not-money. Do microtransactions with company script, and buy the script in bulk units (eg 100 NYT coins for $5)

Which is generally how games do it

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Re:Ask HN: Why aren't micropayments a thing? by auxym on Friday January 22, 2021 @09:54PM (#25879125)
FYI, I think you mean "scrip".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrip

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Re:Ask HN: Why aren't micropayments a thing? by setr on Friday January 22, 2021 @11:27PM (#25879646)
You’re correct.
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Re:Ask HN: Why aren't micropayments a thing? by phoinix on Friday January 22, 2021 @09:32PM (#25878995)
Yeah of course, but that's and IOU, it is not a micropayment. Transaction means that the money/tokens are transferred right away. In the example i gave with the light technician happens the same thing. He completes his work and it is the promise of the state that he will be paid at some time in the future. That's called IOU not a payment transaction. It is the promise given only, albeit by a big company we trust, or a state we trust. Or we don't.
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Re:Ask HN: Why aren't micropayments a thing? by dragonwriter on Friday January 22, 2021 @09:45PM (#25879063)
> Yeah of course, but that's and IOU, it is not a micropayment

If I pay for something with a credit card, that's a payment transaction. It also involves (a whole chain of) IOUs.

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