If You Don’t Carry Cash In Illinois, You Could Be Arrested

There's a weird reason you could actually be arrested in Illinois this holiday season.

A lot of us don't carry cash on us. I think I have maybe 3 bucks in my wallet at the moment. Why would we? It's both easier and more frequent to tap an iPad with our cards (and try to ignore that prompt about tipping or donating to charity) to pay. It can be a pain in the butt to find the cash, handle the change you get from a $20, and quickly shove it in your wallet, trying to get out of everyone else's way.

Even Vibrant Arena at The Mark has cashless concessions now. And this time of the year, MasterCard and Visa are the hardest working elves of all.

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Illinois's Take On What's In Your Wallet

Illinois law has thoughts on legal tender, and more specifically, what you should have with you as you're doing your Christmas shopping.

If you choose not to carry cash on you, technically you can get arrested in Illinois. Illinois law states that you have to have "at least one dollar physically present" or you could be arrested for vagrancy.

It sounds like an ancient law back when miscreants and buffoons loitered outside of public houses in 1800-whatever, but I can't find when the law went into effect. But the law is still active, according to a Chicago law firm.

But what if I have 4 quarters? Has this law actually ended up in anyone being arrested? As you're out holiday shopping, make sure you have at least 1 dollar on you. Wouldn't want a dollar to blow your squeaky clean record.