I want to have a model (e.g., a "credit_card" object) that behaves like an ActiveRecord model in every way EXCEPT saving to the database.
The use case is like this:
1. User gets a signup screen with a credit card form 2. User fills out and submits form 3. Controller receives data and performs validations
4a. Controller presents validation errors to user 4b. Model passes validation, controller uses something like ActiveMerchant to convey the credit card information to a payment gateway, but does NOT store the information locally.
In other words, use Rails MVC to control the front end of the use case (with an emphasis on model validation), while utilizing something like Authorize.net's services for storing payment information.
Can this be done?