These contactless cards can also be used on TFL (Transport for London) Underground entry points, directly debiting your bank account. There is no mechanical degradation associated with using a contactless card whereas in my experience swiping the mag-stripe is problematic.

However as many have pointed out, there are potentially a boat load of skimming issues.

In the UK, most new debit cards at least do have contactless payment. I'm not sure about credit cards, but it's probably the same.