RFID cards are pretty insecure, since there's no requirement that the user do anything before you can steal the data. I don't even know why they bothered with them. Once you have multiple cards with identical NFC systems in a physical wallet, you can't even use the excuse that it lets you tap your wallet without taking out the card. Most people have more than one credit card.
NFC in phones is neat. You don't have to use it for wallet-like stuff, you can use it for things that previously people would use IrDA (infrared) for: moving contacts, etc. It's only on when your screen is on, their antennas are pretty awful so they really only work rather close, and every thing I've seen that reads from the phone has an action the user of the phone has to take (i.e. google wallet: you have to enter a pin, android beam you have to 'tap to beam' from the source phone, etc.) NFC in phones isn't scary, but yes it can be disabled easily if you'd rather not have the rather minimal battery drain.
Electronic wallets will be nice, because it will hopefully let you get rid of all of those 'loyalty' cards: http://tomfishburne.com/2012/01/loyalty.html
Using credit cards, *if you have the money to do so and pay it off every month* is a no-brainer. Get a rewards card and an interest-bearing checking account, and you get some more interest collected in the checking account until the credit card bill is paid, and the rewards from the credit card, even at 2%, are rather nice. Plus usually credit cards have other perks (if someone steals my wallet, I'm not responsible for the charges. I am out all of the cash they just stole though), often there's complimentary travel insurance, etc.
Now, credit cards charge fees to the merchants, so using them at stores you really like, or smaller chains might not be a 'nice' thing to do. But at large chains which have likely 1: negotiated lower fees and 2: have such a high percentage of people paying with cards that they already have adjusted their pricing of goods to accommodate for the likelihood of someone paying with a card, I don't feel guilty at all.
So in conclusion:
RFID (NFC) physical credit cards (without any second factor): dumb
Credit cards vs. cash: credit cards all the way.
Actually carrying a balance on credit cards: exceedingly dumb
Different mentality for cash vs. credit card: well, just know that it exists and intentionally go against that behavior, if you like. I'm very lucky to have a job and to not live paycheck to paycheck, so I can afford to have the 'credit card mentality' of comparing benefits before comparing price.
