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Loans and Accounts Receivable (Details 3) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017 | Dec. 31, 2016
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.018 | 0.015
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate Principal Interest, and Fees [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.021 | 0.018
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | 30 Days Past Due as a % of Total [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.013 | 0.011
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.013 | 0.014
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate Principal Interest, and Fees [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.014 | 0.016
U S Consumer Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | 30 Days Past Due as a % of Total [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.011 | 0.012
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.021 | 0.02
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate Principal Interest, and Fees [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.025 | 0.025
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | 30 Days Past Due as a % of Total [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.014 | 0.016
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.02 | 0.02
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate Principal Interest, and Fees [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.021 | 0.022
International Consumer and Network Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | 30 Days Past Due as a % of Total [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.013 | 0.013
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.016 | 0.014
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate Principal Interest, and Fees [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.019 | 0.017
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Loans [Member] | 30 Days Past Due as a % of Total [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.012 | 0.011
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate - Principal Only [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.016 | 0.015
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | Net Write-Off Rate Principal Interest, and Fees [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.018 | 0.017
Global Small Business Services [Member] | Card Member Receivables [Member] | 30 Days Past Due as a % of Total [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.016 | 0.016
Global Corporate Payments [Member] | Net Loss Ratio as a % of Charge Volume [Member] |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.001 | 0.0009
Global Corporate Payments [Member] | 90 days past billing as a percentage of receivables [Member} |  |
Credit Quality Indicator for Loans and Receivables |  |
Credit Quality Indicators | 0.009 | 0.009

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- Definition Includes any additional disclosures related to the credit quality of financing receivables. This may include a description of a credit quality indicator or a description of how the internal risk ratings used by a company relate to the likelihood of loss. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 29 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84173941&loc=SL6953659-111524 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84173941&loc=SL6953664-111524 + Details
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