Amount of Annual Costs for Health Care programs alleged by Federal Government.

No definition available.

Name:	mo_AmountOfAllegedAnnualCostsHealthCarePrograms
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of Disgorgement of Profits Requested By Federal Government.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_AmountOfDisgorgementOfProfitsRequestedInFederalGovernmentLawsuit
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Document Repository Agreement date

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_DocumentRepositoryAgreementDate
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	us-types:dateStringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Federal Government Original Complaint Date

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_FederalGovernmentOriginalComplaintDate
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fund For National Smoking Cessation Program Proposed by Federal Government.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_FundForNationalSmokingCessationProgram
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fund For Public Education And Counter Marketing Campaign Proposed by Federal Government.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_FundForPublicEducationAndCounterMarketingCampaign
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Government Proposed Final Judgement Date

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_GovernmentProposedFinalJudgementDate
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	us-types:dateStringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Loss contingency, amount of district court deposit.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_LossContingencyAmountOfDistrictCourtDeposit
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Loss Contingency Installment Period

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	mo_LossContingencyInstallmentPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	mo_
Data Type:	xbrli:positiveIntegerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of judgment or settlement awarded to (against) the entity in respect of litigation.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingenciesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount charged against operating income increasing loss contingency liability, after adjustments to reduce previously estimated charges.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualProvision
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The value (monetary amount) of the award the plaintiff seeks in the legal matter.

+ References

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 450

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14326-108349

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 450

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 4

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14435-108349

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 450

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 9

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25496072&loc=d3e14557-108349

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingencyDamagesSoughtValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

States when the existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty occurred.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingencyPeriodOfOccurrence
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=mo_FederalGovernmentsLawsuitMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis=mo_HealthCareCostRecoveryLitigationMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Contingencies Contingencies (Federal Government Lawsuit) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2014
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Litigation Settlement, Amount	$ 90,000,000us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount	$ 664,000,000us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount
Loss Contingency Accrual, Provision	44,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualProvision	22,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualProvision	5,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualProvision
Health Care Cost Recovery Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss Contingency Accrual, Provision		0	0
Federal Governments Lawsuit [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss Contingency Accrual, Provision	31,000,000
Federal Governments Lawsuit [Member] \| Health Care Cost Recovery Litigation [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Federal Government Original Complaint Date	1999
Amount of alleged annual costs health care programs	20,000,000,000
Amount of disgorgement of profits requested in Federal Government lawsuit	280,000,000,000
Government Proposed Final Judgement Date	June 2005
Proposed final judgment	14,000,000,000
Fund for 5-year national smoking cessation program	10,000,000,000
Fund For 10-Year Public Education And Counter Marketing Campaign	4,000,000,000
Loss contingency, period of occurrence	August 2006
Loss Contingency Accrual, Provision				31,000,000
Document Repository Agreement date	December 2011
Loss Contingency, Amount Of District Court Deposit	$ 3,100,000
Loss Contingency Installment Period	5