Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Mar. 31, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The Company American Express Credit Corporation (Credco) is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (TRS), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company (American Express). Credco is engaged in the business of financing certain non-interest-earning Card Member receivables arising from the use of the American Express charge cards issued in the United States and in certain countries outside the United States. Credco also finances certain interest-earning revolving loans generated by Card Member spending on American Express credit cards issued in non-U.S. markets. Credco executes material transactions with its affiliates. The agreements between Credco and its affiliates provide that the parties intend that the transactions thereunder be conducted on an arm’s-length basis; however, there can be no assurance that the terms of these arrangements are the same as would be negotiated between independent, unrelated parties. Credco is required to maintain its fixed charge coverage ratio at a minimum of 1.25, which is achieved by charging appropriate discount rates on the purchase of receivables Credco makes from, and the interest rates on the loans Credco provides to, TRS and other American Express subsidiaries. Each monthly period, the discount and interest rates are determined to generate income for Credco that is sufficient to maintain its minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, whilst maintaining the intention for these transactions to occur on an arm’s-length basis. Should it be required, American Express would provide Credco with financial support with respect to maintenance of its minimum fixed charge coverage ratio. The revenue earned by Credco from purchasing Card Member receivables and Card Member loans at a discount is reported as Discount revenue earned from purchased Card Member receivables and Card Member loans on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Credco’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. 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. These accounting estimates reflect the best judgment of management, but actual results could differ. Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Standards In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued new accounting guidance related to the effects of reference rate reform on financial reporting. The guidance, effective for reporting periods through December 31, 2022, provides accounting relief for contract modifications that replace an interest rate impacted by reference rate reform (e.g., LIBOR) with a new alternative reference rate. The guidance is applicable to receivables, loans, debt, derivatives and hedge accounting elections and other contractual arrangements. Credco adopted the guidance as of March 31, 2020, with no material impact on Credco’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. There were no significant changes to its accounting policies, business processes or internal controls as a result of adopting the new guidance. Effective January 1, 2020, Credco adopted the new credit reserving methodology, applicable to certain financial instruments, known as the Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) methodology under a modified retrospective transition. The CECL methodology requires measurement of expected credit losses for the estimated life of the financial instrument, not only based on historical experience and current conditions, but also by including reasonable and supportable forecasts incorporating forward-looking information. Upon implementation, Card Member receivable reserves decreased by $147 million and Card Member loan reserves increased by $7 million, along with the associated current and deferred tax impact of $21 million, and cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings, net of tax, of $119 million. There were no material changes to Credco’s business processes or internal controls as a result of adopting the new guidance. Refer to Note 3 for additional information on how management estimates reserves for credit losses in accordance with CECL methodology. Other Information Effective February 1, 2020, TRS removed U.S. Consumer and Small Business Card Member receivables from the Charge Trust and substantially replaced them with U.S. Corporate Card Member receivables. To effect this change, on January 7, 2020, Credco sold $5.2 billion of U.S. Corporate Card Member receivables to TRS. On February 1, 2020, TRS transferred $5.2 billion of U.S. Corporate Card Member receivables to the Charge Trust and removed U.S. Consumer and Small Business Card Member receivables from the Charge Trust. Since Credco maintains participation interests in the Charge Trust, these transactions resulted in Credco (i) no longer having a $7.2 billion interest in U.S. Consumer and Small Business Card Member receivables and (ii) having an interest in the U.S. Corporate Card Member receivables in the Charge Trust. Settlement of these transactions was undertaken through borrowings from American Express Company and thus Long-term debt to affiliates has also decreased by $7.2 billion. On April 20, 2020, TRS added approximately $1.7 billion of U.S. Corporate Card Member receivables to the Charge Trust in order to increase the assets of the Trust. Since the amount of U.S. Corporate card receivables to be added to the Charge Trust was not determined in the month of March 2020, TRS and Credco agreed that those receivables would be funded by Credco through a secured loan to TRS. This resulted in the March activity of $4.6 billion being reported as Loans to affiliates and other.