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Income Taxes (Details 2) (USD $)
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Dec. 31, 2014
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Dec. 31, 2013
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| Deferred tax assets: | ||
| Reserves not yet deducted for tax purposes | $ 3,926,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxDeferredExpenseReservesAndAccruals | $ 3,813,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxDeferredExpenseReservesAndAccruals |
| Employee compensation and benefits | 789,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxDeferredExpenseCompensationAndBenefits | 721,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxDeferredExpenseCompensationAndBenefits |
| Other | 266,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOther | 546,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOther |
| Gross deferred tax assets | 4,981,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsGross | 5,080,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsGross |
| Valuation allowance | (75,000,000)us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance | (121,000,000)us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance |
| Deferred tax assets after valuation allowance | 4,906,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsNet | 4,959,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsNet |
| Deferred tax liabilities: | ||
| Intangibles and fixed assets | 1,597,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesPropertyPlantAndEquipment | 1,465,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesPropertyPlantAndEquipment |
| Deferred revenue | 498,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesTaxDeferredIncome | 453,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesTaxDeferredIncome |
| Deferred interest | 350,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesDeferredExpenseCapitalizedInterest | 363,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesDeferredExpenseCapitalizedInterest |
| Asset Securitization | 162,000,000axp_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesAssetSecurities | 130,000,000axp_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesAssetSecurities |
| Investment in joint ventures | 223,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesInvestmentInNoncontrolledAffiliates | 10,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesInvestmentInNoncontrolledAffiliates |
| Foreign deferred tax liabilities | 62,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesOther | 95,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesOther |
| Gross deferred tax liabilities | 2,892,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities | 2,516,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilities |
| Net deferred tax assets | $ 2,014,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsLiabilitiesNet | $ 2,443,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsLiabilitiesNet |
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to asset-backed securities. No definition available.
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- Definition
Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences and carryforwards. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Details
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- Definition
Amount after allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences and carryforwards, net of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount after allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences and carryforwards. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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| X | ||||||||||
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- Definition
Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences not separately disclosed. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from compensation and benefits costs. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount before allocation of valuation allowances of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences from reserves and accruals. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will not be realized. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences net of deferred tax asset attributable to deductible temporary differences and carryforwards after valuation allowances. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Details
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences from capitalized interest. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences from investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries and investments in other affiliates which are not controlled nor consolidated. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences not separately disclosed. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences from property, plant, and equipment. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition
Amount of deferred tax liability attributable to taxable temporary differences from tax deferred revenue or other income not separately disclosed. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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