Document and Company Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Feb. 18, 2013	Jun. 29, 2012
Document and Company Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	RENT A CENTER INC DE
Entity Central Index Key	0000933036
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 1,930,277,142
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		58,210,812
Trading Symbol	RCII