Cash Still Rules in Thailand's Smaller Areas

You'll want to carry cash in Chiang Mai and smaller Thai towns because plenty of vendors, markets, and landlords simply don't accept cards; I'd say about sixty percent of my monthly expenses require physical baht, especially for rent, street food, and local transport, so while cards work fine at malls and tourist spots, your daily life runs smoother with a mix of both, and the ATM fees are low enough that regular withdrawals beat the stress of running short on cash in a place where not every shop has a functioning card reader.