Some of the banks and some 3rd party companies are now offering a system to digitally generate "one-time" use card numbers that are automatically destroyed after a successful transaction.
I've seen virtual CC numbers for one time use here in the USA but not sure if they're still available. It's still a hassle to setup, configure, use, etc, which is its fall down. Simplicity is PP's strength, IMO, which is why it's got staying power.
They're definitely still available, there are even companies offering card generation API as a service (google Marqeta). I agree with you on simplicity, but one clear advantage to the temporary card approach is that it's automatically revoked without you having to take further action, whereas paypal still offers merchants the ability to automatically bill you on a recurring basis.