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Accounts Receivable and Loans (Details 5) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2015 | Mar. 31, 2014
Financing Receivable Impaired [Line Items] |  |
Average balance of impaired loans | $ 786 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment | $ 906 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment
Interest income recognized | 17 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod | 20 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod
U S Card Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] |  |
Financing Receivable Impaired [Line Items] |  |
Average balance of impaired loans | 692 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember | 793 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember
Interest income recognized | 13 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember | 16 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember
U S Card Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] |  |
Financing Receivable Impaired [Line Items] |  |
Average balance of impaired loans | 38 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberReceivablesMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember | 50 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberReceivablesMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember
Interest income recognized | 0 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberReceivablesMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember | 0 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberReceivablesMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_USCardServicesMember
International Card Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] |  |
Financing Receivable Impaired [Line Items] |  |
Average balance of impaired loans | 56 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_InternationalCardServicesMember | 63 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableAverageRecordedInvestment / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_InternationalCardServicesMember
Interest income recognized | $ 4 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_InternationalCardServicesMember | $ 4 us-gaap_ImpairedFinancingReceivableInterestIncomeAccrualMethod / us-gaap_FinancingReceivableRecordedInvestmentByClassOfFinancingReceivableAxis = axp_CardmemberLoansMember / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = axp_InternationalCardServicesMember

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- Definition Average amount of investment of impaired financing receivables with related allowance for credit losses and without a related allowance for credit losses. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -Subparagraph (c)(1) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35738203&loc=d3e5212-111524 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 17 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35738203&loc=d3e5258-111524 + Details
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- Definition Amount of interest income recognized that the financing receivables (with related allowance for credit losses and without a related allowance for credit losses) were impaired. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -Subparagraph (c)(2) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35738203&loc=d3e5212-111524 + Details
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