Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Organization MasterCard Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries, including MasterCard International Incorporated (“MasterCard International” and together with MasterCard Incorporated, “MasterCard” or the “Company”), is a technology company in the global payments industry that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses worldwide, enabling them to use electronic forms of payment instead of cash and checks. The Company facilitates the processing of payment transactions including authorization, clearing and settlement, and delivers related products and services. The Company makes payments easier and more efficient by creating a wide range of payment solutions and services through a family of well-known brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®. The Company also provides value-added offerings such as loyalty and reward programs, information services and consulting. The Company’s network is designed to ensure safety and security for the global payments system. A typical transaction on the Company's network involves four participants in addition to the Company: cardholder, merchant, issuer (the cardholder’s financial institution) and acquirer (the merchant’s financial institution). The Company's customers encompass a vast array of entities, including financial institutions and other entities that act as “issuers” and “acquirers”, as well as merchants, governments, telecommunication companies and other businesses. The Company does not issue cards, extend credit, determine or receive revenue from interest rates or other fees charged to cardholders by issuers, or establish the “merchant discount” rate charged in connection with the acceptance of cards and other payment devices that carry MasterCard's brands. Consolidation and basis of presentation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of MasterCard and its majority-owned and controlled entities, including any variable interest entities for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2014 presentation. The Company follows accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2013. The consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 and as of March 31, 2014 are unaudited, and in the opinion of management, include all normal recurring adjustments that are necessary to present fairly the results for interim periods. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requirements for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and, consequently, do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP. Reference should be made to the MasterCard Incorporated Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 for additional disclosures, including a summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies. Non-controlling interest amounts are included in the consolidated statement of operations within other income (expense). For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 income/loss from non-controlling interests was insignificant. In December 2012, the Company made a payment into a qualified cash settlement fund related to its U.S. merchant class litigation. The Company has presented these funds as restricted cash for litigation settlement since the use of the funds under the qualified cash settlement fund is restricted for payment under the settlement agreement. In January 2014, $164 million was returned to MasterCard from the qualified cash settlement fund related to the opt out merchants and has been reclassified to cash and cash equivalents. See Note 12 (Legal and Regulatory Proceedings) for further detail. Recent accounting pronouncements Foreign currency - In March 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued clarifying accounting guidance on the release of cumulative translation adjustment into net income when an entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or a group of assets that is a business within a foreign entity. The revised accounting guidance became effective January 1, 2014 and did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Income taxes - In July 2013, the FASB issued accounting guidance that requires entities to present an unrecognized tax benefit net with certain deferred tax assets when specific requirements are met. The Company adopted the revised accounting guidance effective January 1, 2014. This new accounting guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization

MasterCard Incorporated and its consolidated subsidiaries, including MasterCard International Incorporated (“MasterCard International” and together with MasterCard Incorporated, “MasterCard” or the “Company”), is a technology company in the global payments industry that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses worldwide, enabling them to use electronic forms of payment instead of cash and checks. The Company facilitates the processing of payment transactions including authorization, clearing and settlement, and delivers related products and services. The Company makes payments easier and more efficient by creating a wide range of payment solutions and services through a family of well-known brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®. The Company also provides value-added offerings such as loyalty and reward programs, information services and consulting. The Company’s network is designed to ensure safety and security for the global payments system. A typical transaction on the Company's network involves four participants in addition to the Company: cardholder, merchant, issuer (the cardholder’s financial institution) and acquirer (the merchant’s financial institution). The Company's customers encompass a vast array of entities, including financial institutions and other entities that act as “issuers” and “acquirers”, as well as merchants, governments, telecommunication companies and other businesses. The Company does not issue cards, extend credit, determine or receive revenue from interest rates or other fees charged to cardholders by issuers, or establish the “merchant discount” rate charged in connection with the acceptance of cards and other payment devices that carry MasterCard's brands.

Consolidation and basis of presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of MasterCard and its majority-owned and controlled entities, including any variable interest entities for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2014 presentation. The Company follows accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

The balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2013. The consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 and as of March 31, 2014 are unaudited, and in the opinion of management, include all normal recurring adjustments that are necessary to present fairly the results for interim periods. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requirements for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and, consequently, do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP. Reference should be made to the MasterCard Incorporated Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 for additional disclosures, including a summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies.

Non-controlling interest amounts are included in the consolidated statement of operations within other income (expense). For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 income/loss from non-controlling interests was insignificant.

In December 2012, the Company made a payment into a qualified cash settlement fund related to its U.S. merchant class litigation. The Company has presented these funds as restricted cash for litigation settlement since the use of the funds under the qualified cash settlement fund is restricted for payment under the settlement agreement. In January 2014, $164 million was returned to MasterCard from the qualified cash settlement fund related to the opt out merchants and has been reclassified to cash and cash equivalents. See Note 12 (Legal and Regulatory Proceedings) for further detail.

Recent accounting pronouncements

Foreign currency - In March 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued clarifying accounting guidance on the release of cumulative translation adjustment into net income when an entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or a group of assets that is a business within a foreign entity. The revised accounting guidance became effective January 1, 2014 and did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Income taxes - In July 2013, the FASB issued accounting guidance that requires entities to present an unrecognized tax benefit net with certain deferred tax assets when specific requirements are met. The Company adopted the revised accounting guidance effective January 1, 2014. This new accounting guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.