Document and Entity Information Document	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Oct. 26, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Registrant Name	PRICELINE COM INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001075531
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		49,865,461
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes