Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities - Narrative - Lines of Credit (Details)					0 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2014 Line of Credit USD ($)	Sep. 26, 2013 Line of Credit U.S. Wells Fargo Credit Facility USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Line of Credit Canada, Dollars Global Payments Canada Financial Corporation Credit Facility CAD	Oct. 09, 2013 Line of Credit Euro Member Countries, Euro Malta Credit Facility EUR (€)	Feb. 28, 2014 Line of Credit Revolving Credit Facility Expiring February 2019 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2014 LIBOR Line of Credit Revolving Credit Facility Expiring February 2019	Feb. 28, 2014 Federal Funds Effective Rate Line of Credit Revolving Credit Facility Expiring February 2019	Feb. 28, 2014 Line of Credit Revolving Credit Facility Expiring December 2015 USD ($)
Debt Instrument
Debt term					5 years
Basis spread						1.00%	0.50%
Remaining borrowing capacity	$ 860,800,000				$ 1,000,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity		50,000,000.0	80,000,000.0	2,500,000.0	1,000,000,000
Extinguishment of debt, amount								$ 290,000,000