XML 162 R63.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.0.6

Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited) (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2012
Quartertly Financial Data [Abstract] |
Quarterly financial data |
(Millions, except per share amounts) |  | 2012 |  | 2011
Quarters Ended |  |  | 12/31(a) |  |  | 9/30 |  |  | 6/30 |  |  | 3/31 |  |  | 12/31 |  |  | 9/30 |  |  | 6/30 |  |  | 3/31
Total revenues net of interest expense |  | $ | 8,141 |  | $ | 7,862 |  | $ | 7,965 |  | $ | 7,614 |  | $ | 7,742 |  | $ | 7,571 |  | $ | 7,618 |  | $ | 7,031
Pretax income from continuing operations |  |  | 929 |  |  | 1,870 |  |  | 1,879 |  |  | 1,773 |  |  | 1,748 |  |  | 1,711 |  |  | 1,765 |  |  | 1,732
Income from continuing operations |  |  | 637 |  |  | 1,250 |  |  | 1,339 |  |  | 1,256 |  |  | 1,192 |  |  | 1,235 |  |  | 1,295 |  |  | 1,177
Income from discontinued operations |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 36 |  |  | ―
Net income |  |  | 637 |  |  | 1,250 |  |  | 1,339 |  |  | 1,256 |  |  | 1,192 |  |  | 1,235 |  |  | 1,331 |  |  | 1,177
Earnings Per Common Share — Basic: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Income from continuing operations |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  | attributable to common shareholders(b) |  | $ | 0.57 |  | $ | 1.10 |  | $ | 1.16 |  | $ | 1.07 |  | $ | 1.02 |  | $ | 1.04 |  | $ | 1.08 |  | $ | 0.98
| Income from discontinued operations |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 0.03 |  |  | ―
|  | Net income attributable to common |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  | shareholders(b) |  | $ | 0.57 |  | $ | 1.10 |  | $ | 1.16 |  | $ | 1.07 |  | $ | 1.02 |  | $ | 1.04 |  | $ | 1.11 |  | $ | 0.98
Earnings Per Common Share — Diluted: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Income from continuing operations |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  | attributable to common shareholders(b) |  | $ | 0.56 |  | $ | 1.09 |  | $ | 1.15 |  | $ | 1.07 |  | $ | 1.01 |  | $ | 1.03 |  | $ | 1.07 |  | $ | 0.97
| Income from discontinued operations |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | ― |  |  | 0.03 |  |  | ―
|  | Net income attributable to common |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  | shareholders(b) |  | $ | 0.56 |  | $ | 1.09 |  | $ | 1.15 |  | $ | 1.07 |  | $ | 1.01 |  | $ | 1.03 |  | $ | 1.10 |  | $ | 0.97
Cash dividends declared per common share |  | $ | 0.20 |  | $ | 0.20 |  | $ | 0.20 |  | $ | 0.20 |  | $ | 0.18 |  | $ | 0.18 |  | $ | 0.18 |  | $ | 0.18
Common share price: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  | High |  | $ | 59.40 |  | $ | 59.73 |  | $ | 61.42 |  | $ | 59.26 |  | $ | 52.35 |  | $ | 53.80 |  | $ | 51.97 |  | $ | 46.93
|  | Low |  | $ | 53.02 |  | $ | 54.35 |  | $ | 53.18 |  | $ | 47.40 |  | $ | 41.30 |  | $ | 42.03 |  | $ | 45.10 |  | $ | 42.19
The results of operations for the quarter ended December 31, 2012 included a $400 million restructuring charge ($287 million after-tax), a $342 million Membership Rewards expense ($212 million after-tax) and $153 million ($95 million after-tax) of cardmember reimbursements. The $153 million includes amounts related to prior periods, with $49 million relating to the first three quarters of 2012 and $83 million relat ing to periods prior to January 1, 2012. The Company has assessed the materiality of these errors on all prior periods and concluded that the impact was not material to those prior periods or to any quarter or full year for 2012. Represents income from continuing operations or net income, as applicable, less earnings allocated to participating share awards of $7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2012, $14 million for each of the quarter s ended September 30, 2012, June 30, 2012, March 31, 2012 and D ecember 31, 2011, respectively, $15 million for each of the quarter s ended September 30, 2011 and June 30, 2011, respectively, and $14 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.

X
- Details
Name: | axp_QuartertlyFinancialDataAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | axp_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure of the quarterly financial data in the annual financial statements. The disclosure includes financial information for each fiscal quarter for the current and previous year, including revenues, gross profit, income (loss) before extraordinary items and cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle and earnings per share data. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 270 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (a)-(j) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=20225539&loc=d3e1280-108306 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfQuarterlyFinancialInformationTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration