Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Sep. 30, 2020
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, digital partners, businesses and other organizations worldwide, enabling them to use electronic forms of payment instead of cash and checks. 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 (“VIEs”) for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Investments in VIEs for which the Company is not considered the primary beneficiary are not consolidated and are accounted for as equity method or measurement alternative method investments and recorded in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet. At September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were no significant VIEs which required consolidation and the investments were not considered material to the consolidated financial statements. The Company consolidates acquisitions as of the date in which the Company has obtained a controlling financial interest. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2020 presentation. The Company follows accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2019. The consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 and as of September 30, 2020 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2020 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 (“SEC”) requirements for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Reference should be made to the Mastercard Incorporated Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 for additional disclosures, including a summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies. Use of estimates - The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Future events and their effects cannot be predicted with certainty, including the potential impacts and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other factors; accordingly, accounting estimates require the exercise of judgment. These financial statements were prepared using information reasonably available as of September 30, 2020 and through the date of this Report. The accounting estimates used in the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements may change as new events occur, as more experience is acquired, as additional information is obtained and as the Company’s operating environment changes. Actual results may differ from these estimates. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, net losses from non-controlling interests were not material and, as a result, amounts are included in the consolidated statement of operations within other income (expense). Accounting pronouncements not yet adopted Simplifying the accounting for income taxes - In December 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued accounting guidance to simplify the accounting for income taxes. This guidance includes the removal of certain exceptions to the general income tax accounting principles and provides clarity and simplification to other areas of income tax accounting by amending the existing guidance. The guidance is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2021 and does not expect the impacts to be material. Reference Rate Reform - In March 2020, the FASB issued accounting guidance to provide temporary optional expedients and exceptions to the current contract modifications and hedge accounting guidance in light of the expected market transition from LIBOR to alternative rates. The new guidance provides optional expedients and exceptions to transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The transactions primarily include (1) contract modifications, (2) hedging relationships, and (3) sale or transfer of debt securities classified as held-to-maturity. The amendments were effective immediately upon issuance of the update. Companies may elect to adopt the amendments prospectively to transactions existing as of or entered from the date of adoption through December 31, 2022. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impacted contracts, and the potential effects this will have on its consolidated financial statements.