Show HN: Payme, a library and CLI to generate QR codes for SEPA payments

[jovdg]

https://github.com/jovandeginste/payme

I built this library and tool several years ago.

Some event where I was a co-organizer needed pre-payment for the orders, and to make this easy without going the path of an online payment service, I sent automatic mails with payment QR codes included.

The CLI also (by default) generates QR codes in the terminal, which I use often when an invoice needs to be paid: copy all necessary fields as CLI flags, generate the QR in the terminal, scan with the phone, double check everything and go! Maybe paying should not be this easy...

[kseistrup]

I have a PKGBUILD that will compile payme from the latest git commit and install it along with the shell completions, README and LICENSE, in case an ArchLinux user would like to maintain an AUR package for this software.

[lencastre]

Some questions: 1/ would this be able to generate a QR code for recurring payments? 2/ the generated QR when read would translate into a payment order accepted by any online banking platform?

[jovdg → lencastre]

> 1/ would this be able to generate a QR code for recurring payments?

Maybe the underlying technology is not really well explained: the code is generated "offline" and static. Nothing leaves your computer when you generated it. It can be used as often as you want, but will be for the same payment (amount, remittance, destination account). Many people can scan the same code to pay the same amount, or one person can scan the code on a recurring base (eg. you pay your internet invoice every month and it's a fixed price)

> 2/ the generated QR when read would translate into a payment order accepted by any online banking platform?

You need to scan the QR code with a "compatible" banking app. Not every bank app has support for this, and if they support it, they don't always support it equally. Many banks in Belgium (and at least all the bigger banks in this region of Europe) support it, but eg. the allowed characters in the remittance message varies...

I would be interested in knowing which banks do and don't support it, actually! One can have only so many accounts with different banks... In case it needs explaining, generating a code and scanning does not cost anything (except your time and electricity), unless you hit the "confirm" button on the payment dialog in your banking app...

[genericacct → jovdg]

this is one thing that needs an EU standard ASAP IMHO

[mousetree → genericacct]

It's in the works under the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EUDI)[1]. Here's an example [2] of a specification being discussed that is similar to OP's QR code.

[1] https://eudiwalletconsortium.org/ [2] https://digitallabor.berlin/draft-payment-presentation-profi...

[toomuchtodo → genericacct]

Get in touch with the European Council, propose the standard: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/contact/general-enquiries...

They mandated no cost instant SEPA payments: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024...