Investment Securities (Details Textuals) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2010
Investment Securities (Details) [Abstract]
Other-than-temporary impairments recognized during the period			$ 0		$ 0
Corporate debt obligations issued under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program	900,000,000		900,000,000		1,300,000,000
Gain on sale of securities	0	1,000,000	0	2,000,000
Losses on sale of securities	$ 0	$ 6,000,000	$ 0	$ 6,000,000

- Definition

Represents amounts of corporate debt obligations, on a cost basis, issued under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program that are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

+ Details

Name:	axp_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesCorporateDebtObligationsTemporaryLiquidityGuaranteeProgram
Namespace Prefix:	axp
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Investment Securities Details.

+ Details

Name:	axp_InvestmentSecuritiesDetailsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	axp
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This item represents the gross profit realized on the sale of debt or equity securities categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading securities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 115
-Paragraph 21
-Subparagraph a

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesGrossRealizedGains
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This item represents the gross loss realized on the sale of debt or equity securities categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading securities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 115
-Paragraph 21
-Subparagraph a

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesGrossRealizedLosses
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This element represents the amount of loss recognized for other than temporary impairments of investments in debt and equity securities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 115
-Paragraph 16

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesRealizedGainLossOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentsAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration