However, in order to make this work, you have to have your own smartcard reader to load it with money, which may or may not be expensive for your average user (or maybe not?).
With a display, at least, there's no reason you couldn't add Bitcoins the same way you spend them. Even multi-sig backups could probably be made to work without a reader as well.
The other thing is the sneaky merchant problem. Most smart cards are designed to be used with a tap of your wallet, so a screen would basically defeat the point, and a button on the card would be too easy to accidentally activate (or too easy for a thief to use).
Personally I lean towards the contact smartcards rather than RF. They are more reliable, and less subject to tampering. It's less convenient, but not really any less convenient than credit cards currently.