Supplemental Guarantor Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Schedule of the Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	$ 200	$ (75)	$ 409	$ (105)
Adjustments to reconcile to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization (including amortization netted against equity earnings in affiliates and revenues)	265	286	793	843
(Gains) charges related to other operating expenses and other income (expense)			43	39
Loss on debt extinguishment	3	108	58	108
Stock-based compensation expense			214	31
Other non-cash and non-operating items, net			30	50
(Decrease) increase in cash, excluding the effects of acquisitions and dispositions, resulting from changes in operating assets and liabilities			113	(279)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities			1,660	687
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Additions to property and equipment			(168)	(213)
Payments to secure customer service contracts, including outlays for conversion, and capitalized systems development costs			(183)	(244)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired			(6)	(89)
Other investing activities, net			19	(8)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			(338)	(554)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Short-term borrowings, net			234	219
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt			2,377	2,206
Payment of call premiums and debt issuance cost			(52)	(104)
Principal payments on long-term debt			(3,544)	(2,185)
Payment of taxes related to net settlement of equity awards			(59)	0
Distributions and dividends paid to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interest			(240)	(232)
Distributions paid to equity holders			0	0
Other financing activities, net			26	(13)
Intercompany			0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			(1,258)	(109)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			(18)	(14)
Change in cash and cash equivalents			46	10
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			429	358
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	475	368	475	368
Reportable Legal Entities | FDC Parent Company
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	132	(126)	228	(264)
Adjustments to reconcile to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization (including amortization netted against equity earnings in affiliates and revenues)			4	10
(Gains) charges related to other operating expenses and other income (expense)			14	(14)
Loss on debt extinguishment	3	108	58	108
Stock-based compensation expense			214	31
Other non-cash and non-operating items, net			(660)	(832)
(Decrease) increase in cash, excluding the effects of acquisitions and dispositions, resulting from changes in operating assets and liabilities			(351)	(405)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities			(493)	(1,366)
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Additions to property and equipment			0	(8)
Payments to secure customer service contracts, including outlays for conversion, and capitalized systems development costs			0	0
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired			(6)	(70)
Other investing activities, net			143	110
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			137	32
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Short-term borrowings, net			0	250
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt			2,377	2,206
Payment of call premiums and debt issuance cost			(52)	(104)
Principal payments on long-term debt			(3,480)	(2,115)
Payment of taxes related to net settlement of equity awards			(59)
Distributions and dividends paid to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interest			0	0
Distributions paid to equity holders			0	0
Other financing activities, net			18	(13)
Intercompany			1,455	1,129
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			259	1,353
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Change in cash and cash equivalents			(97)	19
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			105	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	8	19	8	19
Reportable Legal Entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	157	544	572	874
Adjustments to reconcile to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization (including amortization netted against equity earnings in affiliates and revenues)			484	519
(Gains) charges related to other operating expenses and other income (expense)			32	11
Loss on debt extinguishment	0	0	0	0
Stock-based compensation expense			0	0
Other non-cash and non-operating items, net			(174)	(238)
(Decrease) increase in cash, excluding the effects of acquisitions and dispositions, resulting from changes in operating assets and liabilities			316	87
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities			1,230	1,253
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Additions to property and equipment			(47)	(93)
Payments to secure customer service contracts, including outlays for conversion, and capitalized systems development costs			(139)	(201)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired			0	(19)
Other investing activities, net			215	199
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			29	(114)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Short-term borrowings, net			0	0
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt			0	0
Payment of call premiums and debt issuance cost			0	0
Principal payments on long-term debt			(59)	(61)
Payment of taxes related to net settlement of equity awards			0
Distributions and dividends paid to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interest			0	0
Distributions paid to equity holders			0	0
Other financing activities, net			8	0
Intercompany			(1,215)	(1,080)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			(1,266)	(1,141)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			9	1
Change in cash and cash equivalents			2	(1)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			16	23
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	18	22	18	22
Reportable Legal Entities | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	150	188	473	396
Adjustments to reconcile to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization (including amortization netted against equity earnings in affiliates and revenues)			305	314
(Gains) charges related to other operating expenses and other income (expense)			(3)	42
Loss on debt extinguishment	0	0	0	0
Stock-based compensation expense			0	0
Other non-cash and non-operating items, net			0	9
(Decrease) increase in cash, excluding the effects of acquisitions and dispositions, resulting from changes in operating assets and liabilities			148	39
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities			923	800
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Additions to property and equipment			(121)	(112)
Payments to secure customer service contracts, including outlays for conversion, and capitalized systems development costs			(44)	(43)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired			0	0
Other investing activities, net			19	0
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			(146)	(155)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Short-term borrowings, net			234	(31)
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt			0	0
Payment of call premiums and debt issuance cost			0	0
Principal payments on long-term debt			(5)	(9)
Payment of taxes related to net settlement of equity awards			0
Distributions and dividends paid to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interest			(36)	(49)
Distributions paid to equity holders			(419)	(375)
Other financing activities, net			(143)	(125)
Intercompany			(240)	(49)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			(609)	(638)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			(27)	(15)
Change in cash and cash equivalents			141	(8)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			308	335
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	449	327	449	327
Consolidation Adjustments
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	(239)	(681)	(864)	(1,111)
Adjustments to reconcile to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization (including amortization netted against equity earnings in affiliates and revenues)			0	0
(Gains) charges related to other operating expenses and other income (expense)			0	0
Loss on debt extinguishment	0	0	0	0
Stock-based compensation expense			0	0
Other non-cash and non-operating items, net			864	1,111
(Decrease) increase in cash, excluding the effects of acquisitions and dispositions, resulting from changes in operating assets and liabilities			0	0
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities			0	0
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Additions to property and equipment			0	0
Payments to secure customer service contracts, including outlays for conversion, and capitalized systems development costs			0	0
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired			0	0
Other investing activities, net			(358)	(317)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			(358)	(317)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Short-term borrowings, net			0	0
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt			0	0
Payment of call premiums and debt issuance cost			0	0
Principal payments on long-term debt			0	0
Payment of taxes related to net settlement of equity awards			0
Distributions and dividends paid to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interest			(204)	(183)
Distributions paid to equity holders			419	375
Other financing activities, net			143	125
Intercompany			0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			358	317
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Change in cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0