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Fair Value Measurements and Investments | 6 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract] |
Fair Value Measurements and Investments | Note 3—Fair Value Measurements and Investments Fair Value Measurements Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
| Fair Value Measurements Using Inputs Considered as
| Level 1 |  | Level 2 |  | Level 3
| March 31, 2014 |  | September 30, 2013 |  | March 31, 2014 |  | September 30, 2013 |  | March 31, 2014 |  | September 30, 2013
| (in millions)
Assets |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Cash equivalents and restricted cash: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Money market funds | $ | 1,763 |  |  | $ | 1,071 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Commercial paper |  |  |  |  | $ | 43 |  |  | $ | 51 |  |  |  |  |
Investment securities, trading: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Equity securities | 82 |  |  | 75 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Investment securities, available-for-sale: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
U.S. government-sponsored debt securities |  |  |  |  | 2,480 |  |  | 2,704 |  |  |  |  |
U.S. Treasury securities | 1,552 |  |  | 1,673 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Equity securities | 131 |  |  | 101 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Corporate debt securities |  |  |  |  | 488 |  |  | 269 |  |  |  |  |
Auction rate securities |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 7 |  |  | $ | 7 |
Prepaid and other current assets: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Foreign exchange derivative instruments |  |  |  |  | 16 |  |  | 23 |  |  |  |  |
Total | $ | 3,528 |  |  | $ | 2,920 |  |  | $ | 3,027 |  |  | $ | 3,047 |  |  | $ | 7 |  |  | $ | 7 |
Liabilities |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Accrued liabilities: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Visa Europe put option |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | $ | 145 |  |  | $ | 145 |
Foreign exchange derivative instruments |  |  |  |  | $ | 20 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  |  |  |
Total | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 20 |  |  | $ | 15 |  |  | $ | 145 |  |  | $ | 145 |
There were no significant transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 assets during the six months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013. Level 1 assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Money market funds, publicly-traded equity securities and U.S. Treasury securities are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy, as fair value is based on quoted prices in active markets. The increase in the Company's level 1 assets primarily reflects the receipt of takedown payments related to the interchange multidistrict litigation, which were deposited into the Company's litigation escrow account. See Note 2—Retrospective Responsibility Plan and Note 12—Legal Matters. Level 2 assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The fair value of U.S. government-sponsored debt securities and corporate debt securities, as provided by third-party pricing vendors, is based on quoted prices in active markets for similar, not identical, assets. The pricing data obtained from outside sources is reviewed internally for reasonableness, compared against benchmark quotes from independent pricing sources, then confirmed or revised accordingly. Commercial paper and foreign exchange derivative instruments are valued using inputs that are observable in the market or can be derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data. There were no substantive changes to the valuation techniques and related inputs used to measure fair value during the six months ended March 31, 2014. Level 3 assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Auction rate securities are classified as Level 3 due to a lack of trading in active markets and a lack of observable inputs in measuring fair value. There were no substantive changes to the valuation techniques and related inputs used to measure fair value during the six months ended March 31, 2014. Visa Europe put option agreement. The Company has granted Visa Europe a perpetual put option, or the put option, which, if exercised, will require Visa Inc. to purchase all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Visa Europe from its members. The put option provides a formula for determining the purchase price of the Visa Europe shares, which, subject to certain adjustments, applies Visa Inc.’s forward price-to-earnings multiple (as defined in the put option agreement), or the P/E ratio, at the time the option is exercised, to Visa Europe’s adjusted net income for the forward 12-month period (as defined in the put option agreement), or the adjusted sustainable income. The calculation of Visa Europe’s adjusted sustainable income under the terms of the put option agreement includes potentially material adjustments for cost synergies and other negotiated items. Upon exercise, the key inputs to this formula, including Visa Europe’s adjusted sustainable income, will be the result of negotiation between the Company and Visa Europe. The put option provides an arbitration mechanism in the event that the two parties are unable to agree on the ultimate purchase price. The fair value of the put option represents the value of Visa Europe’s option, which under certain conditions could obligate the Company to purchase its member equity interest for an amount above fair value. While the put option is in fact non-transferable, its fair value represents the Company’s estimate of the amount the Company would be required to pay a third-party market participant to transfer the potential obligation in an orderly transaction at the measurement date. The valuation of the put option therefore requires substantial judgment. The most subjective estimates applied in valuing the put option are the assumed probability that Visa Europe will elect to exercise its option and the estimated differential between the P/E ratio and the P/E ratio applicable to Visa Europe on a standalone basis at the time of exercise, or the P/E differential. The liability is classified within Level 3, as the assumed probability that Visa Europe will elect to exercise its option, the estimated P/E differential, and other inputs used to value the put option are unobservable. At March 31, 2014 and September 30, 2013, the Company determined the fair value of the put option to be $145 million. While $145 million represents the fair value of the put option at March 31, 2014, it does not represent the actual purchase price that the Company may be required to pay if the option is exercised, which could be several billion dollars or more. During the six months ended March 31, 2014, there were no changes to the valuation methodology used to estimate the fair value of the put option. At March 31, 2014, the key unobservable inputs included a 40% probability of exercise by Visa Europe at some point in the future and an estimated P/E differential of 1.9x. At March 31, 2014, the Company's spot P/E was 20.8x, and there was a differential of 1.7x between this ratio and the estimated spot ratio applicable to Visa Europe. These ratios are for reference only and are not necessarily indicative of the ratio or differential that could be applicable if the put option were exercised at any point in the future. The use of an assumed probability of exercise that is 5% higher than the Company's estimate would have resulted in an increase of approximately $18 million in the value of the put option. An increase of 1.0x in the assumed P/E differential would have resulted in an increase of approximately $84 million in the value of the put option. The put option is exercisable at any time at the sole discretion of Visa Europe. As such, the put option liability is included in accrued liabilities on the Company's consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014. Classification in current liabilities is not an indication of management’s expectation of exercise and simply reflects the fact that the obligation resulting from the exercise of the instrument could become payable within 12 months. Any non-cash changes in fair value are recorded in non-operating income (expense) on the consolidated statements of operations. Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis. Non-marketable equity investments and investments accounted for under the equity method. These investments are classified as Level 3 due to the absence of quoted market prices, the inherent lack of liquidity, and the fact that inputs used to measure fair value are unobservable and require management's judgment. When certain events or circumstances indicate that impairment may exist, the Company revalues the investments using various assumptions, including the financial metrics and ratios of comparable public companies. There were no events or circumstances that indicated these investments became impaired during the six months ended March 31, 2014. During the six months ended March 31, 2013, the Company recognized a $15 million other-than-temporary impairment loss. At March 31, 2014 and September 30, 2013, these investments totaled $32 million and $30 million, respectively. These assets are classified in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets. Non-financial assets and liabilities. Long-lived assets such as goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets, finite-lived intangible assets, and property, equipment and technology are considered non-financial assets. The Company does not have any non-financial liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis. Finite-lived intangible assets primarily consist of customer relationships, tradenames and reseller relationships, all of which were obtained through acquisitions. If the Company were required to perform a quantitative assessment for impairment testing of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, the fair values would generally be estimated using an income approach. As the assumptions employed to measure these assets on a non-recurring basis are based on management's judgment using internal and external data, these fair value determinations are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The Company completed its annual impairment review of its indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill as of February 1, 2014, and concluded that there was no impairment. No recent events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment existed at March 31, 2014. Other Financial Instruments Not Measured at Fair Value The following financial instruments are not measured at fair value on the Company's consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2014, but require disclosure of their fair values: time deposits recorded in prepaid expenses and other current assets, settlement receivable and payable, and customer collateral. The estimated fair value of such instruments at March 31, 2014, approximates their carrying value due to their generally short maturities. If measured at fair value in the financial statements, these financial instruments would be classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Investments Available-for-sale investment securities The Company had $121 million in gross unrealized gains at March 31, 2014. There were $93 million gross unrealized gains and $1 million gross unrealized losses at September 30, 2013. The gross unrealized gains at March 31, 2014 and September 30, 2013 primarily relate to the Company's available-for-sale equity securities. A majority of the Company's available-for-sale investment securities with stated maturities are due within one to three years.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 21 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28364263&loc=d3e13537-108611 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28364263&loc=d3e13433-108611 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 28 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14064-108612 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 820 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25499696&loc=d3e19207-110258 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14172-108612 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 16 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28364263&loc=d3e13504-108611 + Details
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