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Basis of Presentation | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation The Company We are a globally integrated payments company that provides our customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Our principal products and services are credit and charge card products, along with travel and lifestyle related services, offered to consumers and businesses around the world. Our various products and services are sold globally to diverse customer groups, including consumers, small businesses, mid-sized companies and large corporations. These products and services are sold through various channels, including mobile and online applications, affiliate marketing, customer referral programs, third-party service providers and business partners, direct mail, telephone, in-house sales teams, and direct response advertising. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the 2021 Form 10-K). If not materially different, certain note disclosures included therein have been omitted from these Consolidated Financial Statements. The interim Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report have not been audited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, which consist of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the interim Consolidated Financial Statements, have been made. Results of operations reported for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. These accounting estimates reflect the best judgment of management, but actual results could differ. Effective for the first quarter of 2022, we made the following reporting presentation changes to our Consolidated Statements of Income: Within Non-interest revenues: •Processed revenue represents revenues earned from processed volumes, previously reported in Discount revenue, Other fees and commissions and Other revenue. •Service fees and other revenue combines the remaining balances from Other fees and commissions and Other revenue. Within Total expenses: •Disaggregated Marketing and business development expense into Business Development expense and Marketing expense. Prior period amounts have been recast to conform with current period presentation; there was no impact to Total non-interest revenues or Total expenses. The significant Consolidated Statements of Income accounting policies below provides updates to the significant accounting policy disclosures as presented in the 2021 Form 10-K to reflect the reporting presentation changes. Discount Revenue Discount revenue represents the amount we earn and retain from the merchant payable for facilitating transactions on payment products issued by American Express. The amount of fees charged for accepting our cards as payment, or merchant discount, varies with, among other factors, the industry in which the merchant conducts business, the merchant’s overall American Express-related transaction volume, the method of payment, the settlement terms with the merchant, the method of submission of transactions and, in certain instances, the geographic scope of the card acceptance agreement between the merchant and us (e.g., local or global) and the transaction amount. Discount revenue is generally recorded at the time the Card Member transaction occurs. Card acceptance agreements, which include the agreed-upon terms for charging the merchant discount fee, vary in duration. Our contracts with small- and medium-sized merchants generally have no fixed contractual duration, while those with large merchants are generally for fixed periods, which typically range from three to seven years in duration. Our fixed-period agreements may include auto-renewal features, which may allow the existing terms to continue beyond the stated expiration date until a new agreement is reached. We satisfy our obligations under these agreements over the contract term, often on a daily basis, including through the processing of Card Member transactions and the availability of our payment network. In cases where the merchant acquirer is a third party (which is the case, for example, under our OptBlue program, or with certain of our network partners), we receive a network rate fee in our settlement with the merchant acquirer, which is individually negotiated between us and that merchant acquirer and is recorded as discount revenue at the time the Card Member transaction occurs. Service Fees and Other Revenue Service fees and other revenue includes service fees earned from merchants and other customers and travel commissions and fees, which are generally recognized in the period when the service is performed, and delinquency and foreign currency-related fees, which are primarily recognized in the period when they are charged to the Card Member. In addition, Service fees and other revenue includes income (losses) from our investments in which we have significant influence and therefore account for under the equity method. Processed Revenue Processed revenue primarily represents amounts earned for facilitating transactions on cards issued by network partners. In our role as the operator of the American Express network, we settle with merchants on behalf of our network card issuing partners. The amount of fees charged for accepting American Express-branded cards are generally deducted from the payment to the merchant and recorded as Processed revenue at the time the Card Member transaction occurs. Our network card issuing partners receive an issuer rate that is individually negotiated between that issuer and us and is recorded as contra-revenue within Processed revenue to the extent that there is revenue from the same customer, after which any additional issuer rate is recorded as expense in Business development. Processed revenue also includes other fees related to network partnership agreements and fees earned on alternative payment solutions, all of which are generally recognized when the service is performed. Business Development Business development expense includes payments to our cobrand partners, corporate client incentive payments earned on achievement of pre-set targets and certain payments to network partners. These costs are generally expensed as incurred. Marketing Marketing includes costs incurred in the development and initial placement of advertising, which are expensed in the period in which the advertising first takes place. All other marketing expenses are generally expensed as incurred. Recently Issued Accounting Standards In March 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued new accounting guidance on troubled debt restructuring (TDR) and write-offs, effective January 1, 2023, with early adoption permitted, The amendments eliminate the TDR accounting guidance for Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) adopters, create a single loan modification accounting model and clarify disclosure requirements for loan modifications and write-offs. We are currently evaluating the impact of the updated guidance on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

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