As of this moment, it's still the case that your credit card's magnetic stripe contains unencrypted data and a card reader costs $20. Get something that can read magnetic fields from a sufficient distance, and voila.

I thought that every 2% usage fee by the credit card company would go toward pragmatic things, like new cards with updated systems...

Seems moot now.

Given the number of articles out there about concerns of bluetooth and wi-fi not being the best protected...

Heck, just be wary all the time. It's emotionally draining but this is the new normal. The old normal wasn't so great either, but I don't see things getting any better.