I left Canada in 2008, and I don't remember chip & pin being prevalent as it is now, so it's not quite as "long ago" as you are implying.

But... you might have issues carrying just a credit card. Many places only accept debit due to there being smaller merchant fees and there are still many cash-only places (in Toronto at least).

And seriously? When I end up with cash / change in my pockets I end up using it. Your comments about "OMG! What do I do with physical money?! It's sooooo useless" are a bit hyperbolic.

You dump the coins in a change jar on top of your dresser. Then once a year or so, when you have accumulated $100 in coins, you bring the jar to a coinstar machine at your local supermarket and get the coins converted to an Amazon gift certificate.

The chips may not, but the contact surfaces corrode. Then, when you're facing a slightly aged payment terminal with also corroded contacts, your card gets rejected no matter what you do.

So from my view, NFC in phone has two things going for it: it can be toggled on and off, effectively preventing drive-by cardjacking; and it is better protected from elements.

The fact that I have other personal reservations about contactless payments is different matter altogether.

Oh that's so not true. I keep my cards in my pocket and I already had to replace a few due to the fact that they wouldn't be recognized at terminals anymore. And I am a huge supported of chip+pin.