Was the option for manual payouts ever considered/requested? E.g. in the storagenode dashboard there would be a button that would get active whenever the minimum payout threshold is reached and would send the funds to whatever address is set up?
It would give much more flexibility in handling the funds received as a node operator and could save on gas fees.
Do i want to fund my StorJ account for offsite storage? Change the address, press payout button and I am done. Want to send the funds to my exchange account? Change again…
Now I always have to estimate, when is the next payout coming, where could I utilize the tokens, etc. Or buy some fractions of ETH before each transaction to cover the gas fees (which is expensive, if i just want to buy for 1-2 $)
The payout cadence and methods will remain the same for the foreseeable future because they are based on the requirements of the Finance Team and regulations regarding utility tokens.
Maybe someone on the team can elaborate, but essentially the answer is not at this time.