We're talking uninvented technologies then. No technology can reach everywhere in the world including deep inside buildings, in caverns (where there are tours you might want to pay for), parking structures including underground ones (where you might want to pay for the parking fee), etc. Even if satellite internet becomes super-affordable, that's still line-of-sight to the satellite. Going "over the air" when there is no air (just lots of rock, concrete, etc) doesn't help.

And the question is, will a tehnology that works wireless to everywhere in the world including underground and deep inside all buildings be developed while you and I are still alive? :)

No such thing. The perfect solution is always a subjective matter.

You forgot to mention space. What if I was on the moon and wanted to make a payment there. I'd be stuck.

I do understand where you are coming from though. You still don't have EMV cards in the US as default so I understand your scepticism.

Here in Europe, we're looking to the future, past EMV. I guess if I visit the US, I'd still need to use quaint ol cash.

Actually, that brings up a simple wish that I have for the future of credits: As universal acceptance of them worldwide as I have in the US.

In the US (admittedly with cards issued there), I am able to mostly live in a "cashless society". I just about never run into real restaurants (I don't use food trucks) that don't take credit cards in the US, but I run into plenty of them in many countries in Europe (including some in major cities such as Zurich). I go for many months not using cash for absolutely anything except my apartment building's laundry machines (without having to go out of my way to find a merchant that takes credit cards, the way I sometimes have to do in parts of Europe).

And then in Japan, once you get out of the big cities (for example in the Mount Fuji "Five Lakes" area), it's hard enough to find hotels that take credit cards (its only a small subset of them that does).

Not every technology *needs* to be disrupted. Visa/MC/bank debit payment systems work reasonably well for the vast majority of users. For everyone else, there's always cash.

And the EMV thing is a reaction to variations in laws about liability for unauthorized charges, not a feature for the end-users.

Well I'd argue the Target breach has shown that basic card security is desperately lacking in the U.S. Apparently a simple EMV chip and pin would've prevented any potential losses in the first place. Now that fraudsters know just how vulnerable U.S. merchants and cards are, I predict more frequent and damaging attacks like this through the weak and outdated merchant IT systems.

OP, what is fintech? Fitness based on tech? Facebook into eches?

Been working in SV for ages, never heard anything like that.

Must be a new slang.

Nope, this wouldn't have prevented any losses. Card data (even without the chip details) does still have value as some ATMs and credit card machines are not yet equipped with chip readers and fall back to magnetic stripes.

I think youngmoneyhack meant the entire EMV system, not just on the card. i.e. credit card machines as well.