@ Mike Flugennock
It did occur to me that what I wrote does sound a little like I'm shilling for the banking industry. I'm not though* - I don't even have a contactless payment card, I just like the idea of them, as I've very much gotten out of the habit of keeping cash about my person (I'd quite happily carry a chequebook, if cheques were still a viable payment method, in preference to cash).
With regards to the havoc that could be wrought by the "Russian mafiosi," that's the reason that I prefer to use my credit, rather than my debit card (particularly online) - as pointed out above, stolen debit card details give them access to all my money, stolen credit card details give them access to someone else's money (I've had my credit card details stolen a couple of times, and never been out of pocket as a consequence, and have enjoyed the protection that using my credit card gave me when a hotel billed me for a room I hadn't used).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
