Or back them up normally with Titanium Backup. If you have Google Contacts Sync installed, you'll need to freeze or uninstall it first to make local contacts though.
Yeah, I don't understand why more people doesn't use it. As the author points out; the permissions for the native app is scary, and has been for a long while. Use the web interface and all problems are solved!
I am still using the web interface, but I will say that it is mildly annoying when I wish to post media. Native apps get an entry in the "Share" quick-action, web pages don't.