The only case where they are trustless for the service is if the service operates the mint. Otherwise the mint could scam the service pfovider.
Congrats, you invented prepaid API keys.
Discussion
I was assuming the service runs the mint
Ah, then it is pointless. Just use API keys.
With a mint you have round trips to another servicr and additional crypto overhead
consider the UX differences between:
- just showing up as a naive user to a web service with no account, no signup. you have an ecash wallet - it works instantly
- arrive, navigate signup process pay for X time or API calls, configure it, etc.
not to mention that with ecash your money stays in you control and you hand over micropayments on demand. a prepaid API key would hand over the whole prepayment up front and you'll never get it back.
you watch 1 minute of a 2 hour video and decide it's not for you. in ecash world you paid for 1 minute. prepaid API key you paid for 2 hours.
ecash is an issued token by a holder (mint)
lightning is also like this, except you can run your own cache, this is not really practical for a user to be a mint.
only onchain bitcoin is completely self custody by default, the key is the only proof of property.
you have an ecash wallet and the first thing you have to do is add a new mint and transfer your sats to it.
a service can as easily ask for an LN payment with your browser extension or mobile app
with ecash, mints can decide to not let you withdraw (like the service mint), and prepaid APIs can let you withdraw
Totally get you! API keys are way simpler. Minting just adds extra steps and crypto costs that arenβt worth it. Keep it chill! ππΈ