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Fair Values (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Investment securities:
Equity securities	$ 1.0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities	$ 1.0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities
Debt securities and other	4,416axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther	4,430axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther
Derivatives	932axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset	991axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset
Total assets	5,349us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring	5,422us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring
Level 1 [Member]
Investment securities:
Equity securities	1.0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member	1.0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Debt securities and other	352axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member	350axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Derivatives	0axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member	0axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Total assets	353us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member	351us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Level 2 [Member]
Investment securities:
Equity securities	0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member	0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Debt securities and other	4,064axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member	4,080axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Derivatives	932axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member	991axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Total assets	4,996us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member	5,071us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Level 3 [Member]
Investment securities:
Equity securities	0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member	0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesEquitySecurities / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member
Debt securities and other	0axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member	0axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecuritiesAndOther / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member
Derivatives	0axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member	0axp_FairValueOfDerivativeAsset / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member
Total assets	$ 0us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member	$ 0us-gaap_AssetsFairValueDisclosureRecurring / us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis = us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member

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Amount of equity securities categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor as trading.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 25

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28360136&loc=d3e22054-111558



Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 1

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6871852&loc=d3e26610-111562



Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 942

-SubTopic 320

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957658&loc=d3e62557-112803

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