Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations - Recourse to EZCORP (Details)			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Jul. 02, 2014 USD ($)	May. 10, 2011 USD ($) banks	Jun. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) day $ / shares $ / share shares	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)	May. 31, 2013 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayment of credit facility				$ 0	$ 74,908,000
2.125% cash convertible senior notes due 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate			2.125%	2.125%
Convertible senior notes issued and settled	$ 30,000,000.0		$ 200,000,000.0
Option to purchase additional principal			30,000,000.0
Deferred financing costs			9,900,000
Repurchase price, percent of principal amount				100.00%
Interest expense				$ 3,300,000
Contractual interest expense				1,300,000
Debt discount amortization				$ 2,000,000
Effective interest rate				7.00%
Remaining unamortized issuance discount period				4 years
Recourse to EZCORP [Member] | 2.125% cash convertible senior notes due 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate				2.125%	2.125%	2.125%
Long-term debt				$ 187,727,000	$ 0	$ 185,693,000
Domestic Line of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of banks involved in line of credit facility | banks		5
Maturity period of new credit agreement		4 years
Borrowing capacity		$ 175,000,000					$ 200,000,000
Line of credit potential maximum		$ 225,000,000
Repayment of credit facility			119,400,000
Domestic Line of Credit [Member] | Recourse to EZCORP [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt				$ 0	146,500,000	0
Common Class A [Member] | 2.125% cash convertible senior notes due 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Conversion rate per $1000 principal amount				62.2471
Conversion price, per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares				$ 16.065
Trading day observation period				80 days
Threshold trading days (whether or not consecutive) | day				20
Threshold consecutive trading days				30 days
Threshold percentage of stock price trigger				130.00%
Early conversion condition, business day period				5 days
Measurement period				5 days
Early conversion condition, percent of product of the last reported sale price of stock and the conversion rate, less than 98%				98.00%
If-Converted Scenario [Member] | 2.125% cash convertible senior notes due 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense				$ 50,200,000
Unamortized discount				42,300,000
Unamortized debt issuance costs				7,900,000
Convertible notes hedges [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cost of hedge				46,500,000
Cost of hedge, net of total proceeds from Warrants sold				$ 21,300,000
Convertible notes hedges [Member] | Common Class A [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Notional amount, shares | shares				14,300,000
Strike price | $ / share				16.065
Net-share-settled Warrants [Member] | Common Class A [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum shares called by warrant | shares				14,300,000
Strike price for warrants (in dollars per share) | $ / shares				$ 20.83
Net proceeds from sale of warrants				$ 25,100,000
Warrants outstanding | shares				14,317,000
Long-term debt, less current maturities [Member] | Convertible notes embedded derivative [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value, derivative liability			$ 46,500,000
Long-term debt, less current maturities [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Convertible notes embedded derivative [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value, derivative liability				$ 45,163,000	0	36,994,000
Other assets, net [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Convertible notes hedges [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value, asset of derivative instruments				$ 45,163,000	$ 0	$ 36,994,000