Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Apr. 16, 2012
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Registrant Name	CASH AMERICA INTERNATIONAL INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000807884
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		29,374,400
Document Fiscal Year	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1