[lxgr]

> payouts always take two or three days to clear, to comply with all of the settlement and legal processes

No, that's usually just how long ACH transfers can take. In most cases, it's more like next-day these days, in my experience (e.g. from paying out from PayPal to my checking account or between checking accounts), but that depends on the specific ACH type and timeline, I believe.

> The “instant payout” is actually a temporary loan

It's usually not. Actual settlement of both card and ACH payments usually happen on the next business day, but since that goes for both legs of most transactions, the settlement periods "cancel each other out".