Loans and Accounts Receivable (Details 3)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member]
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only	1.70%	1.50%
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal, Interest, and Fees	2.00%	1.70%
30 Days Past Due as a % of Total	1.20%	1.00%
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member]
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only	1.50%	1.80%
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal, Interest, and Fees	1.70%	2.00%
30 Days Past Due as a % of Total	1.30%	1.40%
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member]
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only	2.00%	1.90%
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal, Interest, and Fees	2.50%	2.40%
30 Days Past Due as a % of Total	1.70%	1.80%
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member]
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only	2.10%	2.20%
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal, Interest, and Fees	2.30%	2.40%
30 Days Past Due as a % of Total	1.50%	1.50%
Global Corporate Payments [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member]
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables
Net Loss Ratio as a % of Charge Volume	0.11%	0.08%
90 days past billing as a percentage of receivables	0.70%	0.70%
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member]
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only	1.60%	1.40%
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal, Interest, and Fees	1.80%	1.60%
30 Days Past Due as a % of Total	1.20%	1.00%
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member]
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only	1.80%	1.80%
Net Write-Off Rate - Principal, Interest, and Fees	2.00%	2.10%
30 Days Past Due as a % of Total	1.60%	1.60%