Future BlackBerrys to support wireless card payments; Death of the debit card?

Research in Motion's managing director in the UK confirmed that many future BlackBerry devices will contain near-field communications (NFC) technology, commonly used in wireless debit and credit cards to make quicker in-shop transactions.

While Google's Nexus S already has NFC installed, BlackBerry manufacturer announced last week that NFC will be deployed in future devices, taking on the same edge that Apple will take in future iPads and iPhones, dubbed the 'iWallet'.

Wireless credit card readers are not as prevalent here in England than in the US, with only the Barclaycard offering wireless payments from their debit and credit cards. However, there is no reason why in a years time more could be on the market.

Personally I still prefer chip and PIN, though this is one technology that most of the US does not yet have - for some odd reason.

But, presumably if you get your phone lost or stolen, which is still a common problem in many developed regions of the world, it might cause even more aggravation by having to call your card company too.

However, if NFC technology is brought to the BlackBerry, combined with in-house product BlackBerry Protect which might still be included as part of the future operating system, it could allow card recovery to be far easier and quicker.

Would you ditch your debit or credit card for your phone to make payments?