Global Payments (GPN) 10-Q 30 Oct 18 2018 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Oct. 28, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC
Entity Central Index Key	1,123,360
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		158,212,663

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMEN

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 857,670	$ 1,038,907	$ 2,485,811	$ 2,920,910
Operating expenses:
Cost of service	265,013	493,883	781,943	1,418,969
Selling, general and administrative	369,495	372,553	1,133,799	1,092,648
Total costs and expenses	634,508	866,436	1,915,742	2,511,617
Operating income	223,162	172,471	570,069	409,293
Other income (expense):
Interest and other income	3,134	2,347	17,397	5,787
Interest and other expense	(46,356)	(40,764)	(139,681)	(130,422)
Total nonoperating income (expense)	(43,222)	(38,417)	(122,284)	(124,635)
Income before income taxes	179,940	134,054	447,785	284,658
Benefit from (provision for) income taxes	6,089	(15,692)	(46,441)	(40,893)
Net income	186,029	118,362	401,344	243,765
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests, net of income tax	(9,659)	(7,622)	(24,506)	(17,302)
Net income attributable to Global Payments	$ 176,370	$ 110,740	$ 376,838	$ 226,463
Earnings per share attributable to Global Payments:
Basic earnings per share (USD per share)	$ 1.12	$ 0.72	$ 2.37	$ 1.48
Diluted earnings per share (USD per share)	$ 1.11	$ 0.71	$ 2.36	$ 1.47

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_2

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 186,029	$ 118,362	$ 401,344	$ 243,765
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(15,395)	42,417	(80,620)	133,921
Income tax benefit related to foreign currency translation adjustments	140	0	(224)	0
Unrealized gains on hedging activities	1,845	341	12,353	(2,214)
Reclassification of unrealized (gains) losses on hedging activities to interest expense	(1,663)	1,172	(2,830)	4,667
Income tax provision related to hedging activities	(110)	(670)	(2,420)	(919)
Other, net	(58)	18	(59)	(196)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(15,241)	43,278	(73,800)	135,259
Comprehensive income	170,788	161,640	327,544	379,024
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(21,333)	(9,950)	(36,264)	(32,352)
Comprehensive income attributable to Global Payments	$ 149,455	$ 151,690	$ 291,280	$ 346,672

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 990,604	$ 1,335,855
Accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $3,495 and $1,827, respectively	321,664	301,887
Settlement processing assets	2,894,226	2,459,292
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	207,496	206,545
Total current assets	4,413,990	4,303,579
Goodwill	6,130,921	5,703,992
Other intangible assets, net	2,278,968	2,181,707
Property and equipment, net	640,976	588,348
Deferred income taxes	9,237	13,146
Other noncurrent assets	365,144	207,297
Total assets	13,839,236	12,998,069
Current liabilities:
Settlement lines of credit	685,878	635,166
Current portion of long-term debt	92,689	100,308
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	1,065,435	1,039,607
Settlement processing obligations	2,423,069	2,040,509
Total current liabilities	4,267,071	3,815,590
Long-term debt	4,707,510	4,559,408
Deferred income taxes	516,357	436,879
Other noncurrent liabilities	172,730	220,961
Total liabilities	9,663,668	9,032,838
Commitments and contingencies
Equity:
Preferred stock, no par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized and none issued	0	0
Common stock, no par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 158,186,371 issued and outstanding at September 30, 2018 and 159,180,317 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2017	0	0
Paid-in capital	2,250,828	2,379,774
Retained earnings	1,994,003	1,597,897
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(270,545)	(183,144)
Total Global Payments shareholders’ equity	3,974,286	3,794,527
Noncontrolling interests	201,282	170,704
Total equity	4,175,568	3,965,231
Total liabilities and equity	$ 13,839,236	$ 12,998,069

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowances for doubtful accounts	$ 3,495	$ 1,827
Preferred stock, par value (USD per share)	$ 0	$ 0
Preferred stock authorized (shares)	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock issued (shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (USD per share)	$ 0	$ 0
Common stock authorized (shares)	200,000,000	200,000,000
Common stock issued (shares)	158,186,371	159,180,317
Common stock outstanding (shares)	158,186,371	159,180,317

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_3

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 401,344	$ 243,765
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment	105,734	80,868
Amortization of acquired intangibles	263,714	249,095
Share-based compensation expense	44,937	30,771
Provision for operating losses and bad debts	32,309	37,203
Amortization of capitalized contract costs	37,281	32,863
Deferred income taxes	(4,973)	(51,093)
Other, net	(17,185)	34,190
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of the effects of acquisitions:
Accounts receivable	(27,696)	(6,070)
Settlement processing assets and obligations, net	(58,693)	(232,713)
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(117,824)	(78,302)
Accounts payable and other liabilities	2,058	19,546
Net cash provided by operating activities	661,006	360,123
Cash flows from investing activities:
Business and other acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(769,082)	(563,009)
Capital expenditures	(156,060)	(136,612)
Proceeds from sales of property and equipment	131	37,520
Other, net	(2,514)	(48,056)
Net cash used in investing activities	(927,525)	(710,157)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Net borrowings of settlement lines of credit	49,381	77,397
Proceeds from long-term debt	1,606,214	1,713,324
Repayments of long-term debt	(1,468,505)	(1,386,721)
Payment of debt issuance costs	(12,544)	(9,520)
Repurchase of common stock	(180,897)	(32,811)
Proceeds from stock issued under share-based compensation plans	12,571	7,068
Common stock repurchased - share-based compensation plans	(44,824)	(21,171)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests	(5,686)	(9,301)
Dividends paid	(4,750)	(5,141)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities	(49,040)	333,124
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	(29,692)	40,181
(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	(345,251)	23,271
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period	1,335,855	1,162,779
Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period	$ 990,604	$ 1,186,050

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_4

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Total Global Payments Shareholders’ Equity	Number of Shares	Paid-in Capital	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Noncontrolling Interests
Balance at beginning of period (shares) at Dec. 31, 2016			152,186,000
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 2,779,342	$ 2,630,791		$ 1,816,278	$ 1,137,230	$ (322,717)	$ 148,551
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	243,765	226,463			226,463		17,302
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	135,259	120,209				120,209	15,050
Stock issued under share-based compensation plans (shares)			851,000
Stock issued under share-based compensation plans	7,068	7,068		7,068
Common stock repurchased - share based compensation plans (shares)			(256,000)
Common stock repurchased - share-based compensation plans	(24,078)	(24,078)		(24,078)
Share-based compensation expense	30,771	30,771		30,771
Distributions to noncontrolling interest	(9,301)						(9,301)
Issuance of common stock in connection with a business combination (shares)			6,358,000
Issuance of common stock in connection with a business combination	572,079	572,079		572,079
Dissolution of a subsidiary	0	7,998			7,998		(7,998)
Repurchase of common stock (shares)			(376,000)
Repurchase of common stock	(34,811)	(34,811)		(25,787)	(9,024)
Dividends paid	(5,141)	(5,141)			(5,141)
Balance at end of period (shares) at Sep. 30, 2017			158,763,000
Balance at end of period at Sep. 30, 2017	3,694,953	3,531,349		2,376,331	1,357,526	(202,508)	163,604
Balance at beginning of period (shares) at Dec. 31, 2017			159,180,000
Balance at beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2017	3,965,231	3,794,527		2,379,774	1,597,897	(183,144)	170,704
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	401,344	376,838			376,838		24,506
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(73,800)	(85,558)				(85,558)	11,758
Stock issued under share-based compensation plans (shares)			895,000
Stock issued under share-based compensation plans	12,571	12,571		12,571
Common stock repurchased - share based compensation plans (shares)			(277,000)
Common stock repurchased - share-based compensation plans	(32,508)	(32,508)		(32,508)
Share-based compensation expense	44,937	44,937		44,937
Distributions to noncontrolling interest	(5,686)						(5,686)
Repurchase of common stock (shares)			(1,612,000)
Repurchase of common stock	(180,897)	(180,897)		(153,946)	(26,951)
Dividends paid	(4,750)	(4,750)			(4,750)
Balance at end of period (shares) at Sep. 30, 2018			158,186,000
Balance at end of period at Sep. 30, 2018	4,175,568	3,974,286		$ 2,250,828	1,994,003	(270,545)	$ 201,282
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard	$ 49,126	$ 49,126			$ 50,969	$ (1,843)

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_5

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Dividends per share (USD per share)	$ 0.03	$ 0.03133

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMA

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Business, consolidation and presentation — We are a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions delivering innovative services to our customers globally. Our technologies, services and employee expertise enable us to provide a broad range of solutions that allow our customers to accept various payment types and operate their businesses more efficiently. We distribute our services across a variety of channels in 31 countries throughout North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and Brazil and operate in three reportable segments: North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. We were incorporated in Georgia as Global Payments Inc. in 2000 and spun-off from our former parent company in 2001 . Including our time as part of our former parent company, we have been in the payment technology services business since 1967 . Global Payments Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries are referred to collectively as "Global Payments," the "Company," "we," "our" or "us," unless the context requires otherwise. These unaudited consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our majority-owned subsidiaries, and all intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") for interim financial information pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2017 was derived from the audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP for annual financial statements. In the opinion of our management, all known adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the interim periods have been made. These adjustments consist of normal recurring accruals and estimates that affect the carrying amount of assets and liabilities. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 . Use of estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements New Revenue Accounting Standard We adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2014-09, as well as other clarifications and technical guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") related to this new revenue standard (collectively codified in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 606: Revenue from Contracts with Customers , "ASC 606" and ASC Subtopic 340-40: Other Assets and Deferred Costs - Contracts with Customers , "ASC 340-40"), on January 1, 2018. We elected the modified retrospective transition method, which resulted in a net increase to retained earnings of $51.0 million for the cumulative effect of applying the standard. The primary component of the cumulative-effect adjustment was the result of changes in the accounting for certain costs to obtain customer contracts and the related income tax effects, which resulted in increases to other noncurrent assets and deferred income tax liabilities of $64.6 million and $15.6 million , respectively. Previously, we amortized these assets to expense over the related contract term. Under ASC 340-40, we now amortize these assets over the expected period of benefit, which is generally longer than the initial contract term. Under the new standard, we also capitalized certain costs that were not previously capitalized, including certain commissions and related payroll taxes and certain costs incurred to fulfill a contract before the performance obligation has been satisfied, primarily compensation to employees engaged in customer implementation activities in our technology-enabled businesses. Under the modified retrospective transition method, we are required to provide additional disclosures during 2018 of the amount by which each financial statement line item is affected in the current reporting period, as compared to the guidance that was in effect before the change, and an explanation of the reasons for significant changes, if any. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , we presented revenue net of certain payments made to third parties, including payment networks. This change in presentation had the effect of reducing our revenues and operating expenses by the same amounts. As a result, revenues, cost of service and selling, general and administrative expenses were lower than the amounts without the effect of the new accounting standard by $291.3 million , $273.6 million and $17.7 million , respectively, during the three months ended September 30, 2018 ; and lower than the amounts without the effect of the new accounting standard by $825.5 million , $774.5 million and $51.0 million , respectively, during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 . The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a material effect on any other line items in our consolidated statement of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 or consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2018 , and had no effect on our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities or financing activities included in our consolidated statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 . Other Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Updates In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, "Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities ." The ASU expands and refines hedge accounting for both nonfinancial and financial risk components and aligns the recognition and presentation of the effects of the hedging instrument and the hedged item in the financial statements. In addition, the amendments in this update modify disclosure requirements for presentation of hedging activities. Those modifications include a tabular disclosure related to the effect on the income statement of fair value and cash flow hedges and eliminate the requirement to disclose the ineffective portion of the change in fair value of hedging instruments, if any. We adopted ASU 2017-12 on January 1, 2018 with no effect on our consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business ." The ASU clarifies the definition of a business, which affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill and consolidation. The new standard is intended to help companies and other organizations evaluate whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses, with the expectation that fewer will qualify as acquisitions (or disposals) of businesses. The ASU became effective for us on January 1, 2018. These amendments have been applied prospectively from the date of adoption. The effect of ASU 2017-01 is dependent upon the nature of future acquisitions or dispositions that we make. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory ." The amendments in this update state that an entity should recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory, such as intellectual property and property and equipment, when the transfer occurs. We adopted ASU 2016-16 on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method with no effect on our consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, "Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities ." The amendments in this update address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments. The amendments in this update supersede the guidance to classify equity securities with readily determinable fair values into different categories (that is, trading or available-for-sale) and require equity securities (including other ownership interests, such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures and limited liability companies) to be measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized through earnings. Equity investments that are accounted for under the equity method of accounting or result in consolidation of an investee are not included within the scope of this update. The amendments allow equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values to be remeasured at fair value either upon the occurrence of an observable price change or upon identification of an impairment. The amendments also require enhanced disclosures about those investments. We adopted ASU 2016-01 on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method with no material effect on our consolidated financial statements. Recently Issued Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted New Lease Accounting Standard In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, "Leases." This update requires lessees to recognize, on the balance sheet, assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases. In addition, several new disclosures will be required. Although early adoption is permitted, we expect to adopt ASU 2016-02, as well as other related clarifications and interpretive guidance issued by the FASB, when it becomes effective for us on January 1, 2019. We plan to elect the optional modified retrospective transition method to apply the provisions of the new standard at the adoption date, which will result in recognition and measurement of assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases in the period of adoption. Under this transition method, we would not recast the prior financial statements presented. We have not completed our evaluation of the effect of ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated financial statements; however, we expect to recognize right of use assets and liabilities for our operating leases in the balance sheet upon adoption. We plan to elect the transition package of three practical expedients, which among other things, allows for the carryforward of historical lease classifications, and we expect to make an accounting policy election to not apply the recognition requirements to leases with a term of less than twelve months. Our existing leases consist primarily of real estate leases for office space throughout the markets in which we conduct business. We are currently finalizing the analysis of our existing lease arrangements to evaluate the potential effects of this new accounting standard on our consolidated financial statements. We expect to implement new accounting processes and internal controls to meet the requirements for financial reporting and disclosures of our leases and are coordinating with various internal stakeholders to evaluate, design and implement these new processes and controls. We are also implementing a new technology solution to assist with the necessary calculations to support the accounting and disclosure requirements of the new accounting standard. We expect these evaluation and implementation activities will continue throughout the remainder of 2018 prior to the effective date of adoption on January 1, 2019. SEC Rules and Other Accounting Standards Updates Not Yet Adopted In August 2018, the SEC issued a final rule that amends certain of its disclosure requirements. The changes are generally intended to reduce or eliminate certain disclosures that have become redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated or superseded in light of other disclosures requirements or changes in the information environment. The rule also requires SEC registrants to present changes in stockholders' equity and the amount of dividends per share for each class of shares on a quarterly basis for the current and prior-year periods. The final rule is effective for SEC filings on Forms 10-Q and 10-K made on or after November 5, 2018. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, " Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is Service Contract (A Consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force). " This ASU provides additional guidance on the accounting for costs of implementation activities performed in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. The amendments in this update also provide additional disclosure requirements to disclose the nature of an entity’s hosting arrangements that are service contracts. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We are evaluating the effect of ASU 2018-15 on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, "Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. " This ASU provides an update to modify the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We are evaluating the effect of ASU 2018-13 on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, "Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income: Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income." This ASU provides an option to reclassify stranded tax effects within accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI") to retained earnings in each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the "2017 U.S. Tax Act") (or portion thereof) is recorded. This ASU requires disclosure of a description of the accounting policy for releasing income tax effects from AOCI; whether election is made to reclassify the stranded income tax effects from the 2017 U.S. Tax Act; and information about the income tax effects that are reclassified. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Although we do not believe adoption of ASU 2018-02 will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements, we are continuing to evaluate whether to elect the option. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ." The amendments in this update change how companies measure and recognize credit impairment for many financial assets. The new expected credit loss model will require companies to immediately recognize an estimate of credit losses expected to occur over the remaining life of the financial assets (including trade receivables) that are in the scope of the update. The update also made amendments to the current impairment model for held-to-maturity and available-for-sale debt securities and certain guarantees. The guidance will become effective for us on January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019. We are evaluating the effect of ASU 2016-13 on our consolidated financial statements.

ACQUISITIONS

ACQUISITIONS	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
ACQUISITIONS	ACQUISITIONS See "Note 14 —Subsequent Events" for a discussion of an additional business acquisition we completed in October 2018. AdvancedMD On September 4, 2018 , we acquired AdvancedMD, Inc. ("AdvancedMD"), a provider of cloud-based enterprise software solutions to small-to-medium sized ambulatory physician practices in the United States. We believe the acquisition will expand our software-driven payments strategy by enabling us to enter the healthcare vertical market, a large and fragmented market with strong payment fundamentals and attractive growth opportunities. We paid the seller cash consideration of approximately $700 million , which we funded with cash on hand and by drawing on our Revolving Credit Facility (described in Note 6 —Long-Term Debt and Lines of Credit). This transaction was accounted for as a business combination, which requires that we record the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at fair value as of the acquisition date. Due to the timing of the acquisition, the accounting for this acquisition was not complete as of September 30, 2018 . The fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed have been determined provisionally and are subject to adjustment as we obtain additional information. In particular, additional time is needed to determine the valuation of assets and liabilities and to evaluate the basis differences for assets and liabilities for financial reporting and tax purposes. As of September 30, 2018 , we provisionally estimated that substantially all of the total identifiable assets were comprised of goodwill and other intangible assets. We expect the intangible assets to be similar in nature to intangible assets we have acquired in other recent acquisitions, including customer-related intangible assets and acquired technology. Further, our methodology for estimating the acquisition-date fair values of identified intangible assets is consistent with the approach we have applied in other recent acquisitions of similar businesses. Goodwill arising from the acquisition, included in the North America segment, was attributable to expected growth opportunities, potential synergies from combining our existing businesses and an assembled workforce. Due to the timing of the transaction, we have not allocated the provisional estimated goodwill of $469 million to a reporting unit. We expect that substantially all of the goodwill will not be deductible for income tax purposes. ACTIVE Network We acquired the communities and sports divisions of Athlaction Topco, LLC ("ACTIVE Network") on September 1, 2017 , for total purchase consideration of $1.2 billion . ACTIVE Network delivers cloud-based enterprise software, including payment technology solutions, to event organizers in the communities and health and fitness markets. This acquisition aligns with our technology-enabled, software driven strategy and adds an enterprise software business operating in two additional vertical markets that we believe offer attractive growth fundamentals. The following table summarizes the cash and non-cash components of the consideration transferred on September 1, 2017 (in thousands): Cash consideration paid to ACTIVE Network stockholders $ 599,497 Fair value of Global Payments common stock issued to ACTIVE Network stockholders 572,079 $ 1,171,576 We funded the cash consideration primarily by drawing on our Revolving Credit Facility (described in "Note 6 — Long-Term Debt and Lines of Credit"). The acquisition-date fair value of 6,357,509 shares of our common stock issued to the sellers was determined based on the share price of our common stock as of the acquisition date and the effect of certain transfer restrictions. This transaction was accounted for as a business combination, which requires that we record the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at fair value as of the acquisition date. The estimated acquisition-date fair values of major classes of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including a reconciliation to the total purchase consideration, are as follows: December 31, 2017 Measurement-Period Adjustments September 30, 2018 (in thousands) Cash and cash equivalents $ 42,913 $ — $ 42,913 Property and equipment 21,985 (133 ) 21,852 Identified intangible assets 410,545 — 410,545 Other assets 87,240 (97 ) 87,143 Deferred income taxes (31,643 ) 4,003 (27,640 ) Other liabilities (144,132 ) (3,349 ) (147,481 ) Total identifiable net assets 386,908 424 387,332 Goodwill 784,668 (424 ) 784,244 Total purchase consideration $ 1,171,576 $ — $ 1,171,576 The measurement-period adjustments were the result of continued refinement of certain estimates, primarily those regarding the measurement of certain contingencies and deferred income taxes. Goodwill of $784.2 million arising from the acquisition, included in the North America segment, was attributable to expected growth opportunities, potential synergies from combining our existing businesses and an assembled workforce. We expect that approximately 80% of the goodwill will be deductible for income tax purposes. The following reflects the estimated fair values of the identified intangible assets and the respective weighted-average estimated amortization periods: Estimated Fair Values Weighted-Average Estimated Amortization Periods (in thousands) (years) Customer-related intangible assets $ 189,000 17 Acquired technology 153,300 9 Trademarks and trade names 59,400 15 Covenants-not-to-compete 8,845 3 Total estimated acquired intangible assets $ 410,545 13 The estimated fair value of customer-related intangible assets was determined using the income approach, which is based on projected cash flows discounted to their present value using discount rates that consider the timing and risk of the forecasted cash flows. The discount rate used is the average estimated value of a market participant’s cost of capital and debt, derived using customary market metrics. Acquired technology was valued using the replacement cost method, which required us to estimate the cost to construct an asset of equivalent utility at prices available at the time of the valuation analysis, with adjustments in value for physical deterioration and functional and economic obsolescence. Trademarks and trade names were valued using the relief-from-royalty approach. This method assumes that trademarks and trade names have value to the extent that their owner is relieved of the obligation to pay royalties for the benefits received from them. This method required us to estimate the future revenue for the related brands, the appropriate royalty rate and the weighted-average cost of capital. The discount rate used is the average estimated value of a market participant’s cost of capital and debt, derived using customary market metrics.

REVENUES

REVENUES	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
REVENUES	REVENUES We are a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions delivering innovative services to our customers globally. Our technologies, services and employee expertise enable us to provide a broad range of solutions that allow our customers to accept various payment types and operate their businesses more efficiently. We distribute our services across a variety of channels to customers. The following disclosures in this note are applicable for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 . The following tables present a disaggregation of our revenue from contracts with customers by distribution channel for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 North America Europe Asia-Pacific Total (in thousands) Direct: Relationship-led $ 254,593 $ 105,468 $ 33,612 $ 393,673 Technology-enabled 317,206 52,116 22,759 392,081 571,799 157,584 56,371 785,754 Wholesale 71,916 — — 71,916 $ 643,715 $ 157,584 $ 56,371 $ 857,670 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 North America Europe Asia-Pacific Total (in thousands) Direct: Relationship-led $ 725,874 $ 300,642 $ 101,225 $ 1,127,741 Technology-enabled 896,982 155,850 68,549 1,121,381 1,622,856 456,492 169,774 2,249,122 Wholesale 236,689 — — 236,689 $ 1,859,545 $ 456,492 $ 169,774 $ 2,485,811 ASC 606 requires that we determine for each customer arrangement whether revenue should be recognized at a point in time or over time. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , substantially all of our revenues were recognized over time. Nature of our Customer Arrangements Our payment services customers contract with us for payment services, which we provide in exchange for consideration for completed transactions. Our payment solutions are similar around the world in that we enable our customers to accept card, electronic and digital-based payments at the point of sale. Our comprehensive services include authorization services (including electronic draft capture), settlement and funding services, customer support and help-desk functions, chargeback resolution, payment security services, consolidated billing and statements and on-line reporting. In addition, we may sell or rent point-of-sale terminals or other equipment to customers. At contract inception, we assess the goods and services promised in our contracts with customers and identify a performance obligation for each promise to transfer to the customer a good or service that is distinct. For our payment services specifically, the nature of our promise to the customer is that we stand ready to process transactions the customer requests on a daily basis over the contract term. Since the timing and quantity of transactions to be processed by us is not determinable, we view payment services to comprise an obligation to stand ready to process as many transactions as the customer requires. Under a stand-ready obligation, the evaluation of the nature of our performance obligation is focused on each time increment rather than the underlying activities. Therefore, we view payment services to comprise a series of distinct days of service that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer to the customer. Accordingly, the promise to stand ready is accounted for as a single-series performance obligation. In order to provide our payment services, we route and clear each transaction through the applicable payment network. We obtain authorization for the transaction and request funds settlement from the card issuing financial institution through the payment network. When third parties are involved in the transfer of goods or services to our customer, we consider the nature of each specific promised good or service and apply judgment to determine whether we control the good or service before it is transferred to the customer or whether we are acting as an agent of the third party. To determine whether or not we control the good or service before it is transferred to the customer, we assess indicators including whether we or the third party is primarily responsible for fulfillment and which party has discretion in determining pricing for the good or service, as well as other considerations. Based on our assessment of these indicators, we have concluded that our promise to our customer to provide our payment services is distinct from the services provided by the card issuing financial institutions and payment networks in connection with payment transactions. We do not have the ability to direct the use of and obtain substantially all of the benefits of the services provided by the card issuing financial institutions and payment networks before those services are transferred to our customer, and on that basis, we do not control those services prior to being transferred to our customer. As a result, we present our revenue net of the interchange fees charged by the card issuing financial institutions and the fees charged by the payment networks. The majority of our processing services are priced as a percentage of transaction value or a specified fee per transaction, depending on the card type. We also charge other per occurrence fees based on specific services that may be unrelated to the number of transactions or transaction value. Given the nature of the promise and the underlying fees based on unknown quantities or outcomes of services to be performed over the contract term, the total consideration is determined to be variable consideration. The variable consideration for our payment processing service is usage-based and therefore it specifically relates to our efforts to satisfy our payment services obligation. In other words, the variability is satisfied each day the service is provided to the customer. We directly ascribe variable fees to the distinct day of service to which it relates, and we consider the services performed each day in order to ascribe the appropriate amount of total fees to that day. Therefore, we measure revenue for our payment processing service on a daily basis based on the services that are performed on that day. Certain of our technology-enabled customer arrangements contain multiple promises, such as payment services (as aforementioned, a series of distinct days of service), perpetual software licenses, software-as-a-service ("SaaS"), maintenance, installation services, training and equipment, each of which is evaluated to determine whether it represents a separate performance obligation. SaaS arrangements are generally offered on a subscription basis, providing the customers with access to the SaaS platform along with general support and maintenance services. Because these promised services within our SaaS arrangements are delivered concurrently over the contract term, we account for these promises as if they are a single performance obligation that includes a series of distinct services with the same pattern of transfer to the customer. In addition, certain installation services are not considered distinct from the SaaS, and are therefore recognized over the expected period of benefit. Once we determine the performance obligations and the transaction price, including an estimate of any variable consideration, we then allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation in the contract using a relative standalone selling price method. We determine standalone selling price based on the price at which the good or service is sold separately. If the standalone selling price is not observable through past transactions, we estimate the standalone selling price by considering all reasonably available information, including market conditions, trends or other company- or customer-specific factors. Substantially all of the performance obligations described above are satisfied over time. Only equipment sales, perpetual software licenses and certain professional services are generally transferred to the customer at a point in time. For certain other professional services that represent separate performance obligations, we generally use the input method and recognize revenue based on the number of hours incurred or services performed to date in relation to the total services expected to be required to satisfy the performance obligation. We satisfy the combined SaaS performance obligation by standing ready to provide access to the SaaS. Consideration for SaaS arrangements may consist of fixed- or usage-based fees. Revenue is recognized over the period for which the services are provided or by directly ascribing any variable fees to the distinct day of service based on the services that are performed on that day. Transaction Price Allocated to Future Performance Obligations ASC 606 requires disclosure of the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to unsatisfied performance obligations; however, as permitted by ASC 606, we have elected to exclude from this disclosure any contracts with an original duration of one year or less and any variable consideration that meets specified criteria. As described above, our most significant performance obligations consist of variable consideration under a stand-ready series of distinct days of service. Such variable consideration meets the specified criteria for the disclosure exclusion; therefore, the majority of the aggregate amount of transaction price that is allocated to performance obligations that have not yet been satisfied is variable consideration that is not required for this disclosure. The aggregate fixed consideration portion of customer contracts with an initial contract duration greater than one year is not material. Accounts Receivable, Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities A contract with a customer creates legal rights and obligations. As we perform under customer contracts, our right to consideration that is unconditional is considered to be accounts receivable. If our right to consideration for such performance is contingent upon a future event or satisfaction of additional performance obligations, the amount of revenues we have recognized in excess of the amount we have billed to the customer is recognized as a contract asset. Contract liabilities represent consideration received from customers in excess of revenues recognized. Contract assets and liabilities are presented net at the individual contract level in the consolidated balance sheet and are classified as current or noncurrent based on the nature of the underlying contractual rights and obligations. Net contract liabilities included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet were $114.1 million at September 30, 2018 , $116.9 million at July 1, 2018 and $100.6 million at January 1, 2018. Net contract liabilities included in other noncurrent liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet were $7.9 million at September 30, 2018 , $8.3 million at July 1, 2018 and $6.0 million at January 1, 2018. Revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2018 included $39.2 million that was in contract liabilities at July 1, 2018. Revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 included $90.2 million that was in contract liabilities at January 1, 2018. Net contract assets were not material at September 30, 2018 or at January 1, 2018. Contract Costs We incur costs to obtain contracts with customers, including employee sales commissions and fees to business partners. At contract inception, we capitalize such costs that we expect to recover and that would not have been incurred if the contract had not been obtained. We also capitalize certain costs incurred to fulfill our contracts with customers that (i) relate directly to the contract, (ii) are expected to generate resources that will be used to satisfy our performance obligation under the contract and (iii) are expected to be recovered through revenue generated under the contract. At September 30, 2018 , we had net capitalized costs to obtain and to fulfill contracts of $181.8 million and $9.8 million , respectively, included in other noncurrent assets on our consolidated balance sheet. Contract costs are amortized on a systematic basis consistent with the transfer to the customer of the goods or services to which the asset relates. A straight-line or proportional amortization method is used depending upon which method best depicts the pattern of transfer of the goods or services to the customer. In addition, these contract costs are evaluated for impairment by comparing, on a pooled basis, the expected future net cash flows from underlying customer relationships to the carrying amount of the capitalized contract costs. At September 30, 2018 , none of our capitalized contract costs were impaired. In order to determine the appropriate amortization period for contract costs, we consider a combination of factors, including customer attrition rates, estimated terms of customer relationships, the useful lives of technology we use to provide goods and services to our customers, whether future contract renewals are expected and if there is any incremental commission to be paid on a contract renewal. We amortize these assets over the expected period of benefit, which, based on the factors noted above, is typically 7 years . Costs to obtain a contract with an expected period of benefit of one year or less are recognized as an expense when incurred. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , amortization of capitalized contract costs was $13.5 million and $37.3 million , respectively.

SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS AN

SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Offsetting [Abstract]
SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS	SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , settlement processing assets and obligations consisted of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Settlement processing assets: Interchange reimbursement $ 262,487 $ 304,964 Receivable from members 116,843 104,339 Receivable from networks 2,521,106 2,055,390 Exception items 10,558 7,867 Merchant reserves (16,768 ) (13,268 ) $ 2,894,226 $ 2,459,292 Settlement processing obligations: Interchange reimbursement $ 93,736 $ 72,053 Liability to members (23,693 ) (20,369 ) Liability to merchants (2,352,216 ) (1,961,107 ) Exception items 6,307 6,863 Merchant reserves (143,020 ) (133,907 ) Reserve for operating losses and sales allowances (4,183 ) (4,042 ) $ (2,423,069 ) $ (2,040,509 )

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE A

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS	GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , goodwill and other intangible assets consisted of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Goodwill $ 6,130,921 $ 5,703,992 Other intangible assets: Customer-related intangible assets $ 2,123,046 $ 2,078,891 Acquired technologies 1,027,842 722,466 Trademarks and trade names 245,814 247,688 Contract-based intangible assets 137,097 171,522 3,533,799 3,220,567 Less accumulated amortization: Customer-related intangible assets 806,204 685,869 Acquired technologies 310,705 210,063 Trademarks and trade names 73,977 50,849 Contract-based intangible assets 63,945 92,079 1,254,831 1,038,860 $ 2,278,968 $ 2,181,707 The following table sets forth the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 : North America Europe Asia-Pacific Total (in thousands) Balance at December 31, 2017 $ 4,896,491 $ 513,138 $ 294,363 $ 5,703,992 Goodwill acquired 468,798 — — 468,798 Effect of foreign currency translation (1,891 ) (20,063 ) (19,491 ) (41,445 ) Measurement-period adjustments (424 ) — — (424 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 5,362,974 $ 493,075 $ 274,872 $ 6,130,921 There was no accumulated impairment loss as of September 30, 2018 or December 31, 2017 .

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CRE

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT	LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , long-term debt consisted of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Credit Facility: Term loans (face amounts of $3,984,386 and $3,932,677 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, less unamortized debt issuance costs of $35,187 and $37,961 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively) $ 3,949,199 $ 3,894,716 Revolving Credit Facility 851,000 765,000 Total long-term debt 4,800,199 4,659,716 Less current portion of Credit Facility (face amounts of $101,174 and $108,979 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, less unamortized debt issuance costs of $8,485 and $8,671 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively) 92,689 100,308 Long-term debt, excluding current portion $ 4,707,510 $ 4,559,408 Maturity requirements on long-term debt as of September 30, 2018 by year are as follows (in thousands): Years ending December 31, 2018 $ 20,810 2019 119,109 2020 154,979 2021 190,848 2022 262,587 2023 4,087,053 Total $ 4,835,386 Credit Facility We are party to a credit facility agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, and a syndicate of financial institutions as lenders and other agents (as amended from time to time, the "Credit Facility"). As of September 30, 2018 , the Credit Facility provided for secured financing comprised of (i) a $1.5 billion revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility"); (ii) a $1.5 billion term loan (the "Term A Loan"), (iii) a $1.37 billion term loan (the "Term A-2 Loan") and (iv) a $1.14 billion term loan (the "Term B-2 Loan"). Substantially all of the assets of our domestic subsidiaries are pledged as collateral under the Credit Facility. The borrowings outstanding under our Credit Facility as of September 30, 2018 reflect activities we completed earlier in 2018, including a reduction to the interest rate margins applicable to our Term A Loan, Term A-2 Loan, Term B-2 Loan and the Revolving Credit Facility, an extension of the maturity dates of the Term A Loan, Term A-2 Loan and the Revolving Credit Facility, and an increase in the total financing capacity under the Credit Facility to approximately $5.5 billion in June 2018. In October 2018, we entered into an additional term loan in the amount of $500 million . See "Note 14 —Subsequent Events" for discussion. The Credit Facility provides for an interest rate, at our election, of either London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or a base rate, in each case plus a margin. As of September 30, 2018 , the interest rates on the Term A Loan, the Term A-2 Loan and the Term B-2 Loan were 3.74% , 3.66% and 3.99% , respectively. As of September 30, 2018 , the interest rate on the Revolving Credit Facility was 3.66% . In addition, we are required to pay a quarterly commitment fee on the unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility at an applicable rate per annum ranging from 0.20% to 0.30% depending on our leverage ratio. The Term A Loan and the Term A-2 Loan mature, and the Revolving Credit Facility expires, on January 20, 2023 . The Term B-2 Loan matures on April 22, 2023 . The Term A Loan and Term A-2 Loan principals must be repaid in quarterly installments in the amount of 0.625% of principal through June 2019 , increasing to 1.25% of principal through June 2021 , increasing to 1.875% of principal through June 2022 and increasing to 2.50% through December 2022 , with the remaining principal balance due upon maturity in January 2023 . The Term B-2 Loan principal must be repaid in quarterly installments in the amount of 0.25% of principal through March 2023 , with the remaining principal balance due upon maturity in April 2023 . We may issue standby letters of credit of up to $100 million in the aggregate under the Revolving Credit Facility. Outstanding letters of credit under the Revolving Credit Facility reduce the amount of borrowings available to us under the Revolving Credit Facility. Borrowings available to us under the Revolving Credit Facility are further limited by the covenants described below under "Compliance with Covenants." The total available commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were $636.4 million and $473.3 million , respectively. The portion of deferred debt issuance costs related to the Revolving Credit Facility is included in other noncurrent assets, and the portion of deferred debt issuance costs related to the term loans is reported as a reduction to the carrying amount of the term loans. Debt issuance costs are amortized as an adjustment to interest expense over the terms of the respective facilities. Settlement Lines of Credit In various markets where we do business, we have specialized lines of credit, which are restricted for use in funding settlement. The settlement lines of credit generally have variable interest rates, are subject to annual review and are denominated in local currency but may, in some cases, facilitate borrowings in multiple currencies. For certain of our settlement lines of credit, the available credit is increased by the amount of cash we have on deposit in specific accounts with the lender. Accordingly, the amount of the outstanding line of credit may exceed the stated credit limit. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , a total of $68.5 million and $59.3 million , respectively, of cash on deposit was used to determine the available credit. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively, we had $685.9 million and $635.2 million outstanding under these lines of credit with additional capacity of $759.9 million as of September 30, 2018 to fund settlement. The weighted-average interest rate on these borrowings was 2.81% and 1.97% at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively. During the three months ended September 30, 2018 , the maximum and average outstanding balances under these lines of credit were $828.2 million and $409.8 million , respectively. Compliance with Covenants The Credit Facility contains customary affirmative and restrictive covenants, including, among others, financial covenants based on our leverage and interest coverage ratios, as defined in the agreement. As of September 30, 2018 , financial covenants under the Credit Facility required a leverage ratio no greater than: (i) 5.00 to 1.00 as of the end of any fiscal quarter ending during the period from April 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019 ; (ii) 4.75 to 1.00 as of the end of any fiscal quarter ending during the period from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 ; and (iii) 4.50 to 1.00 as of the end of any fiscal quarter ending thereafter. The interest coverage ratio is required to be no less than 3.25 to 1.00 . The Credit Facility and settlement lines of credit also include various other covenants that are customary in such borrowings. The Credit Facility includes covenants, subject in each case to exceptions and qualifications, that may restrict certain payments, including in certain circumstances, the payment of cash dividends in excess of our current rate of $0.01 per share per quarter. The Credit Facility also includes customary events of default, the occurrence of which, following any applicable cure period, would permit the lenders to, among other things, declare the principal, accrued interest and other obligations to be immediately due and payable. We were in compliance with all applicable covenants as of September 30, 2018 . Interest Rate Swap Agreements We have interest rate swap agreements with financial institutions to hedge changes in cash flows attributable to interest rate risk on a portion of our variable-rate debt instruments. Net amounts to be received or paid under the swap agreements are reflected as adjustments to interest expense. Since we have designated the interest rate swap agreements as portfolio cash flow hedges, unrealized gains or losses resulting from adjusting the swaps to fair value are recorded as components of other comprehensive income. The fair values of the interest rate swaps were determined based on the present value of the estimated future net cash flows using implied rates in the applicable yield curve as of the valuation date. These derivative instruments were classified within Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy. The table below presents the fair values of our derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges included in the consolidated balance sheets: Derivative Financial Instruments Balance Sheet Location Weighted-Average Fixed Rate of Interest at September 30, 2018 Range of Maturity Dates at September 30, 2018 September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Interest rate swaps (Notional of $500 million at September 30, 2018) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1.52% February 28, 2019 $ 1,825 $ — Interest rate swaps (Notional of $800 million at September 30, 2018 and $1,300 million at December 31, 2017) Other noncurrent assets 1.63% December 31, 2019 - March 31, 2021 $ 16,900 $ 9,202 The table below presents the effects of our interest rate swaps on the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Amount of unrealized gains (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) $ 1,845 $ 341 $ 12,353 $ (2,214 ) Amount of unrealized (gains) losses reclassified out of other comprehensive income (loss) to interest expense $ (1,663 ) $ 1,172 $ (2,830 ) $ 4,667 As of September 30, 2018 , the amount of net unrealized gains in accumulated other comprehensive loss related to our interest rate swaps that is expected to be reclassified into interest expense during the next 12 months was approximately $9.9 million . Interest Expense Interest expense was approximately $46 million and $41 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 , respectively, and approximately $140 million and $130 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 , respectively.

INCOME TAX

INCOME TAX	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
INCOME TAX	INCOME TAX On December 22, 2017, the United States enacted the 2017 U.S. Tax Act, which resulted in numerous changes, including a reduction in the U.S. federal tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018 and the transition of the U.S. federal tax system to a territorial regime. As of September 30, 2018 , we have not completed our accounting for the effects of the 2017 U.S. Tax Act; however, we made a reasonable estimate of the effects on our existing deferred tax balances and the one-time transition tax as of December 31, 2017 pursuant to guidance provided in SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, which in March 2018 was codified by the FASB in ASU 2018-05 – Income Taxes (Topic 740) . We have continued to analyze our foreign tax pools and resulting foreign tax credits and, during the three months ended September 30, 2018 , reduced our estimated transition tax liability by $23.3 million . We are continuing to gather additional information to complete our accounting for these items and expect to complete our accounting within the prescribed measurement period. Our effective income tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2018 was a benefit of 3.4% . Our effective income tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2017 was 11.7% . Our effective income tax rates for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 were 10.4% and 14.4% , respectively. Our 2017 effective income tax rates differed from the U.S. statutory rate primarily due to income generated in international jurisdictions with lower tax rates. Our 2018 effective income tax rates differed from the U.S. statutory rate primarily due to changes in estimates of prior year liabilities, including the aforementioned $23.3 million adjustment to the one-time transition tax liability recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2018 . We conduct business globally and file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state and foreign jurisdictions. In the normal course of business, we are subject to examination by taxing authorities around the world, including, without limitation, the United States and the United Kingdom. We are no longer subject to state income tax examinations for years ended on or before May 31, 2008 , U.S. federal income tax examinations for fiscal years prior to 2014 and U.K. federal income tax examinations for years ended on or before May 31, 2014 .

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY We make repurchases of our common stock mainly through open market repurchase plans and, at times, through accelerated share repurchase programs. As of September 30, 2018 , we were authorized to repurchase up to $419.1 million of our common stock. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 , through open market repurchase plans, we repurchased and retired 1,612,174 shares of our common stock, respectively, at a cost of $180.9 million , or an average cost of $112.19 per share, including commissions. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , through open market repurchase plans, we repurchased and retired 311,593 and 376,309 shares of our common stock at a cost of $29.0 million and $34.8 million , or an average cost of $93.09 and $92.51 per share, including commissions. On October 26, 2018, our board of directors declared a dividend of $0.01 per share payable on December 28, 2018 to common shareholders of record as of December 14, 2018.

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS	SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS The following table summarizes share-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit recognized for our share-based awards and stock options: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Share-based compensation expense $ 14,833 $ 9,617 $ 44,937 $ 30,771 Income tax benefit $ 3,614 $ 3,523 $ 10,276 $ 10,788 Share-Based Awards The following table summarizes the changes in unvested restricted stock and performance awards for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Shares Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value (in thousands) Unvested at December 31, 2017 1,226 $78.29 Granted 600 107.16 Vested (715 ) 62.89 Forfeited (55 ) 90.40 Unvested at September 30, 2018 1,056 $104.52 The total fair value of restricted stock and performance awards vested during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 was $45.0 million and $27.6 million , respectively. For restricted stock and performance awards, we recognized compensation expense of $13.8 million and $8.6 million during the three months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 , respectively, and $41.1 million and $27.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 , respectively. As of September 30, 2018 , there was $ 67.7 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock and performance awards that we expect to recognize over a weighted-average period of 2.1 years. Our restricted stock and performance award plans provide for accelerated vesting under certain conditions. Stock Options The following summarizes changes in stock option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Options Weighted-Average Exercise Price Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands) (years) (in millions) Outstanding at December 31, 2017 723 $47.79 6.4 $37.9 Granted 103 114.70 Forfeited (9 ) 81.68 Exercised (188 ) 39.40 Outstanding at September 30, 2018 629 $60.75 6.1 $41.8 Options vested and exercisable at September 30, 2018 457 $47.50 5.1 $36.5 We recognized compensation expense for stock options of $0.7 million during each of the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, and $2.3 million and $2.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 , respectively. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 was $15.9 million and $9.9 million , respectively. As of September 30, 2018 , we had $4.4 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options that we expect to recognize over a weighted-average period of 2.0 years. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of each stock option granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 was $35.09 and $23.68 , respectively. Fair value was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model with the following weighted-average assumptions: Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 Risk-free interest rate 2.60% 1.99% Expected volatility 29% 30% Dividend yield 0.04% 0.06% Expected term (years) 5 5 The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield of a zero coupon U.S. Treasury security with a maturity equal to the expected life of the option from the date of the grant. Our assumption on expected volatility is based on our historical volatility. The dividend yield assumption is calculated using our average stock price over the preceding year and the annualized amount of our most current quarterly dividend per share. We based our assumptions on the expected term of the options on our analysis of the historical exercise patterns of the options and our assumption on the future exercise pattern of options.

EARNINGS PER SHARE

EARNINGS PER SHARE	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
EARNINGS PER SHARE	EARNINGS PER SHARE Basic earnings per share ("EPS") is computed by dividing net income attributable to Global Payments by the weighted-average number of shares outstanding during the period. Earnings available to common shareholders is the same as reported net income attributable to Global Payments for all periods presented. Diluted EPS is computed by dividing net income attributable to Global Payments by the weighted-average number of shares outstanding during the period, including the effect of share-based awards that would have a dilutive effect on EPS. All stock options with an exercise price lower than the average market share price of our common stock for the period are assumed to have a dilutive effect on EPS. The following table sets forth the computation of diluted weighted-average number of shares outstanding for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Basic weighted-average number of shares outstanding 158,168 154,560 158,827 153,138 Plus: Dilutive effect of stock options and other share-based awards 538 842 632 941 Diluted weighted-average number of shares outstanding 158,706 155,402 159,459 154,079

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Abstract]
ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS The changes in the accumulated balances for each component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, were as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 : Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains on Hedging Activities Other Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (in thousands) Balance at June 30, 2018 $ (253,372 ) $ 14,030 $ (4,287 ) $ (243,629 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax (26,930 ) 72 (58 ) (26,916 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ (280,302 ) $ 14,102 $ (4,345 ) $ (270,545 ) Balance at June 30, 2017 $ (239,669 ) $ 51 $ (3,841 ) $ (243,459 ) Other comprehensive income, net of tax 40,090 843 18 40,951 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (199,579 ) $ 894 $ (3,823 ) $ (202,508 ) Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests, which relates only to foreign currency translation, was $11.7 million and $2.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 , respectively. Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Hedging Activities Other Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (in thousands) Balance at December 31, 2017 $ (185,856 ) $ 6,999 $ (4,287 ) $ (183,144 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax (92,603 ) 7,103 (58 ) (85,558 ) Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard (1,843 ) — — (1,843 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ (280,302 ) $ 14,102 $ (4,345 ) $ (270,545 ) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (318,450 ) $ (640 ) $ (3,627 ) $ (322,717 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 118,871 1,534 (196 ) 120,209 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (199,579 ) $ 894 $ (3,823 ) $ (202,508 ) Other comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests, which relates only to foreign currency translation, was $11.8 million and $15.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 , respectively.

SEGMENT INFORMATION

SEGMENT INFORMATION	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
SEGMENT INFORMATION	SEGMENT INFORMATION We operate in three reportable segments: North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. We evaluate performance and allocate resources based on the operating income of each operating segment. The operating income of each operating segment includes the revenues of the segment less expenses that are directly related to those revenues. Operating overhead, shared costs and certain compensation costs are included in Corporate in the following table. Interest and other income, interest and other expense and provision for income taxes are not allocated to the individual segments. We do not evaluate the performance of or allocate resources to our operating segments using asset data. The accounting policies of the reportable operating segments are the same as those described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and our summary of significant accounting policies in "Note 1 — Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies." Information on segments and reconciliations to consolidated revenues and consolidated operating income was as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Revenues (1) (2) : North America $ 643,715 $ 764,902 $ 1,859,545 $ 2,162,911 Europe 157,584 205,203 456,492 557,258 Asia-Pacific 56,371 68,802 169,774 200,741 Consolidated revenues $ 857,670 $ 1,038,907 $ 2,485,811 $ 2,920,910 Operating income (loss) (2) : North America $ 174,012 $ 138,345 $ 446,600 $ 344,604 Europe 85,781 76,214 239,011 196,394 Asia-Pacific 23,692 20,032 67,043 57,321 Corporate (3) (60,323 ) (62,120 ) (182,585 ) (189,026 ) Consolidated operating income $ 223,162 $ 172,471 $ 570,069 $ 409,293 Depreciation and amortization (2) : North America $ 106,022 $ 95,056 $ 313,980 $ 277,219 Europe 11,660 11,863 36,180 34,926 Asia-Pacific 4,381 4,484 13,740 12,068 Corporate 1,994 2,246 5,548 5,750 Consolidated depreciation and amortization $ 124,057 $ 113,649 $ 369,448 $ 329,963 (1) As more fully described in "Note 1 —Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" and "Note 3 —Revenues," we adopted a new revenue accounting standard on January 1, 2018 that results in revenue being presented net of certain fees that we pay to third parties. This change in presentation affected our reported revenues and operating expenses during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 by the same amount and had no effect on operating income. (2) Revenues, operating income and depreciation and amortization reflect the effect of acquired businesses from the respective dates of acquisition. For further discussion, see "Note 2 — Acquisitions." (3) During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , operating loss for Corporate included acquisition and integration expenses of $8.2 million and $34.6 million , respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , operating loss for Corporate included acquisition and integration expenses of $21.5 million and $69.5 million , respectively.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Leases In May 2017 , we sold our operating facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which we acquired as part of the Heartland merger, for $37.5 million and simultaneously leased the property back for an initial term of 20 years, followed by four optional renewal terms of five years. The arrangement met the criteria to be treated as a sale for accounting purposes, and as a result, we derecognized the associated property. There was no resulting gain or loss on the sale because the proceeds received were equal to the carrying amount of the property. We are accounting for the lease as an operating lease.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS	SUBSEQUENT EVENTS On October 17, 2018 , we drew approximately $415 million from our Revolving Credit Facility to fund our acquisition of SICOM Systems, Inc. ("SICOM"), a provider of enterprise, cloud-based SaaS solutions and other technologies to quick service restaurants and food service management companies. On October 18, 2018, we entered into a new term loan under the Credit Facility in the amount of $500 million (the "Term B-4 Loan"). We used the proceeds from the Term B-4 Loan to pay down a portion of the balance outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility. Like the other term loans issued under the Credit Facility, interest on the Term B-4 Loan will accrue at an interest rate, at our election, of either LIBOR or a base rate, in each case plus a margin. The Term B-4 Loan principal must be repaid in quarterly installments in the amount of 0.25% of principal through September 2025, with the remaining principal balance due upon maturity in October 2025.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUM_2

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Business, consolidation and presentation	Business, consolidation and presentation — We are a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions delivering innovative services to our customers globally. Our technologies, services and employee expertise enable us to provide a broad range of solutions that allow our customers to accept various payment types and operate their businesses more efficiently. We distribute our services across a variety of channels in 31 countries throughout North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and Brazil and operate in three reportable segments: North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. We were incorporated in Georgia as Global Payments Inc. in 2000 and spun-off from our former parent company in 2001 . Including our time as part of our former parent company, we have been in the payment technology services business since 1967 . Global Payments Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries are referred to collectively as "Global Payments," the "Company," "we," "our" or "us," unless the context requires otherwise. These unaudited consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our majority-owned subsidiaries, and all intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") for interim financial information pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2017 was derived from the audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP for annual financial statements. In the opinion of our management, all known adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the interim periods have been made. These adjustments consist of normal recurring accruals and estimates that affect the carrying amount of assets and liabilities. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 .
Use of estimates	Use of estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements and Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements New Revenue Accounting Standard We adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2014-09, as well as other clarifications and technical guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") related to this new revenue standard (collectively codified in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 606: Revenue from Contracts with Customers , "ASC 606" and ASC Subtopic 340-40: Other Assets and Deferred Costs - Contracts with Customers , "ASC 340-40"), on January 1, 2018. We elected the modified retrospective transition method, which resulted in a net increase to retained earnings of $51.0 million for the cumulative effect of applying the standard. The primary component of the cumulative-effect adjustment was the result of changes in the accounting for certain costs to obtain customer contracts and the related income tax effects, which resulted in increases to other noncurrent assets and deferred income tax liabilities of $64.6 million and $15.6 million , respectively. Previously, we amortized these assets to expense over the related contract term. Under ASC 340-40, we now amortize these assets over the expected period of benefit, which is generally longer than the initial contract term. Under the new standard, we also capitalized certain costs that were not previously capitalized, including certain commissions and related payroll taxes and certain costs incurred to fulfill a contract before the performance obligation has been satisfied, primarily compensation to employees engaged in customer implementation activities in our technology-enabled businesses. Under the modified retrospective transition method, we are required to provide additional disclosures during 2018 of the amount by which each financial statement line item is affected in the current reporting period, as compared to the guidance that was in effect before the change, and an explanation of the reasons for significant changes, if any. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , we presented revenue net of certain payments made to third parties, including payment networks. This change in presentation had the effect of reducing our revenues and operating expenses by the same amounts. As a result, revenues, cost of service and selling, general and administrative expenses were lower than the amounts without the effect of the new accounting standard by $291.3 million , $273.6 million and $17.7 million , respectively, during the three months ended September 30, 2018 ; and lower than the amounts without the effect of the new accounting standard by $825.5 million , $774.5 million and $51.0 million , respectively, during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 . The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a material effect on any other line items in our consolidated statement of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 or consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2018 , and had no effect on our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities or financing activities included in our consolidated statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 . Other Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Updates In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, "Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities ." The ASU expands and refines hedge accounting for both nonfinancial and financial risk components and aligns the recognition and presentation of the effects of the hedging instrument and the hedged item in the financial statements. In addition, the amendments in this update modify disclosure requirements for presentation of hedging activities. Those modifications include a tabular disclosure related to the effect on the income statement of fair value and cash flow hedges and eliminate the requirement to disclose the ineffective portion of the change in fair value of hedging instruments, if any. We adopted ASU 2017-12 on January 1, 2018 with no effect on our consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business ." The ASU clarifies the definition of a business, which affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill and consolidation. The new standard is intended to help companies and other organizations evaluate whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses, with the expectation that fewer will qualify as acquisitions (or disposals) of businesses. The ASU became effective for us on January 1, 2018. These amendments have been applied prospectively from the date of adoption. The effect of ASU 2017-01 is dependent upon the nature of future acquisitions or dispositions that we make. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory ." The amendments in this update state that an entity should recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory, such as intellectual property and property and equipment, when the transfer occurs. We adopted ASU 2016-16 on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method with no effect on our consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, "Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities ." The amendments in this update address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments. The amendments in this update supersede the guidance to classify equity securities with readily determinable fair values into different categories (that is, trading or available-for-sale) and require equity securities (including other ownership interests, such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures and limited liability companies) to be measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized through earnings. Equity investments that are accounted for under the equity method of accounting or result in consolidation of an investee are not included within the scope of this update. The amendments allow equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values to be remeasured at fair value either upon the occurrence of an observable price change or upon identification of an impairment. The amendments also require enhanced disclosures about those investments. We adopted ASU 2016-01 on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method with no material effect on our consolidated financial statements. Recently Issued Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted New Lease Accounting Standard In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, "Leases." This update requires lessees to recognize, on the balance sheet, assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases. In addition, several new disclosures will be required. Although early adoption is permitted, we expect to adopt ASU 2016-02, as well as other related clarifications and interpretive guidance issued by the FASB, when it becomes effective for us on January 1, 2019. We plan to elect the optional modified retrospective transition method to apply the provisions of the new standard at the adoption date, which will result in recognition and measurement of assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases in the period of adoption. Under this transition method, we would not recast the prior financial statements presented. We have not completed our evaluation of the effect of ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated financial statements; however, we expect to recognize right of use assets and liabilities for our operating leases in the balance sheet upon adoption. We plan to elect the transition package of three practical expedients, which among other things, allows for the carryforward of historical lease classifications, and we expect to make an accounting policy election to not apply the recognition requirements to leases with a term of less than twelve months. Our existing leases consist primarily of real estate leases for office space throughout the markets in which we conduct business. We are currently finalizing the analysis of our existing lease arrangements to evaluate the potential effects of this new accounting standard on our consolidated financial statements. We expect to implement new accounting processes and internal controls to meet the requirements for financial reporting and disclosures of our leases and are coordinating with various internal stakeholders to evaluate, design and implement these new processes and controls. We are also implementing a new technology solution to assist with the necessary calculations to support the accounting and disclosure requirements of the new accounting standard. We expect these evaluation and implementation activities will continue throughout the remainder of 2018 prior to the effective date of adoption on January 1, 2019. SEC Rules and Other Accounting Standards Updates Not Yet Adopted In August 2018, the SEC issued a final rule that amends certain of its disclosure requirements. The changes are generally intended to reduce or eliminate certain disclosures that have become redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated or superseded in light of other disclosures requirements or changes in the information environment. The rule also requires SEC registrants to present changes in stockholders' equity and the amount of dividends per share for each class of shares on a quarterly basis for the current and prior-year periods. The final rule is effective for SEC filings on Forms 10-Q and 10-K made on or after November 5, 2018. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, " Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is Service Contract (A Consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force). " This ASU provides additional guidance on the accounting for costs of implementation activities performed in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. The amendments in this update also provide additional disclosure requirements to disclose the nature of an entity’s hosting arrangements that are service contracts. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We are evaluating the effect of ASU 2018-15 on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, "Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. " This ASU provides an update to modify the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We are evaluating the effect of ASU 2018-13 on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, "Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income: Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income." This ASU provides an option to reclassify stranded tax effects within accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI") to retained earnings in each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the "2017 U.S. Tax Act") (or portion thereof) is recorded. This ASU requires disclosure of a description of the accounting policy for releasing income tax effects from AOCI; whether election is made to reclassify the stranded income tax effects from the 2017 U.S. Tax Act; and information about the income tax effects that are reclassified. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Although we do not believe adoption of ASU 2018-02 will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements, we are continuing to evaluate whether to elect the option. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ." The amendments in this update change how companies measure and recognize credit impairment for many financial assets. The new expected credit loss model will require companies to immediately recognize an estimate of credit losses expected to occur over the remaining life of the financial assets (including trade receivables) that are in the scope of the update. The update also made amendments to the current impairment model for held-to-maturity and available-for-sale debt securities and certain guarantees. The guidance will become effective for us on January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019. We are evaluating the effect of ASU 2016-13 on our consolidated financial statements.

ACQUISITIONS (Tables)

ACQUISITIONS (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of Consideration Transferred in Business Acquisition	The following table summarizes the cash and non-cash components of the consideration transferred on September 1, 2017 (in thousands): Cash consideration paid to ACTIVE Network stockholders $ 599,497 Fair value of Global Payments common stock issued to ACTIVE Network stockholders 572,079 $ 1,171,576
Schedule of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The estimated acquisition-date fair values of major classes of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including a reconciliation to the total purchase consideration, are as follows: December 31, 2017 Measurement-Period Adjustments September 30, 2018 (in thousands) Cash and cash equivalents $ 42,913 $ — $ 42,913 Property and equipment 21,985 (133 ) 21,852 Identified intangible assets 410,545 — 410,545 Other assets 87,240 (97 ) 87,143 Deferred income taxes (31,643 ) 4,003 (27,640 ) Other liabilities (144,132 ) (3,349 ) (147,481 ) Total identifiable net assets 386,908 424 387,332 Goodwill 784,668 (424 ) 784,244 Total purchase consideration $ 1,171,576 $ — $ 1,171,576
Schedule of Fair Values of Intangible Assets Acquired and Respective Weighted-Average Amortization Periods	The following reflects the estimated fair values of the identified intangible assets and the respective weighted-average estimated amortization periods: Estimated Fair Values Weighted-Average Estimated Amortization Periods (in thousands) (years) Customer-related intangible assets $ 189,000 17 Acquired technology 153,300 9 Trademarks and trade names 59,400 15 Covenants-not-to-compete 8,845 3 Total estimated acquired intangible assets $ 410,545 13

REVENUES (Tables)

REVENUES (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Schedule of Disaggregation of Revenue	The following tables present a disaggregation of our revenue from contracts with customers by distribution channel for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 North America Europe Asia-Pacific Total (in thousands) Direct: Relationship-led $ 254,593 $ 105,468 $ 33,612 $ 393,673 Technology-enabled 317,206 52,116 22,759 392,081 571,799 157,584 56,371 785,754 Wholesale 71,916 — — 71,916 $ 643,715 $ 157,584 $ 56,371 $ 857,670 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 North America Europe Asia-Pacific Total (in thousands) Direct: Relationship-led $ 725,874 $ 300,642 $ 101,225 $ 1,127,741 Technology-enabled 896,982 155,850 68,549 1,121,381 1,622,856 456,492 169,774 2,249,122 Wholesale 236,689 — — 236,689 $ 1,859,545 $ 456,492 $ 169,774 $ 2,485,811

SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS _2

SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Offsetting [Abstract]
Schedule of Offsetting Assets	As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , settlement processing assets and obligations consisted of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Settlement processing assets: Interchange reimbursement $ 262,487 $ 304,964 Receivable from members 116,843 104,339 Receivable from networks 2,521,106 2,055,390 Exception items 10,558 7,867 Merchant reserves (16,768 ) (13,268 ) $ 2,894,226 $ 2,459,292 Settlement processing obligations: Interchange reimbursement $ 93,736 $ 72,053 Liability to members (23,693 ) (20,369 ) Liability to merchants (2,352,216 ) (1,961,107 ) Exception items 6,307 6,863 Merchant reserves (143,020 ) (133,907 ) Reserve for operating losses and sales allowances (4,183 ) (4,042 ) $ (2,423,069 ) $ (2,040,509 )
Schedule of Offsetting Liabilities	As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , settlement processing assets and obligations consisted of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Settlement processing assets: Interchange reimbursement $ 262,487 $ 304,964 Receivable from members 116,843 104,339 Receivable from networks 2,521,106 2,055,390 Exception items 10,558 7,867 Merchant reserves (16,768 ) (13,268 ) $ 2,894,226 $ 2,459,292 Settlement processing obligations: Interchange reimbursement $ 93,736 $ 72,053 Liability to members (23,693 ) (20,369 ) Liability to merchants (2,352,216 ) (1,961,107 ) Exception items 6,307 6,863 Merchant reserves (143,020 ) (133,907 ) Reserve for operating losses and sales allowances (4,183 ) (4,042 ) $ (2,423,069 ) $ (2,040,509 )

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE_2

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Goodwill and Intangible Assets	As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , goodwill and other intangible assets consisted of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Goodwill $ 6,130,921 $ 5,703,992 Other intangible assets: Customer-related intangible assets $ 2,123,046 $ 2,078,891 Acquired technologies 1,027,842 722,466 Trademarks and trade names 245,814 247,688 Contract-based intangible assets 137,097 171,522 3,533,799 3,220,567 Less accumulated amortization: Customer-related intangible assets 806,204 685,869 Acquired technologies 310,705 210,063 Trademarks and trade names 73,977 50,849 Contract-based intangible assets 63,945 92,079 1,254,831 1,038,860 $ 2,278,968 $ 2,181,707
Schedule of Carrying Amount of Goodwill	The following table sets forth the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 : North America Europe Asia-Pacific Total (in thousands) Balance at December 31, 2017 $ 4,896,491 $ 513,138 $ 294,363 $ 5,703,992 Goodwill acquired 468,798 — — 468,798 Effect of foreign currency translation (1,891 ) (20,063 ) (19,491 ) (41,445 ) Measurement-period adjustments (424 ) — — (424 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ 5,362,974 $ 493,075 $ 274,872 $ 6,130,921

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF C_2

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Outstanding Debt	As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , long-term debt consisted of the following: September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Credit Facility: Term loans (face amounts of $3,984,386 and $3,932,677 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, less unamortized debt issuance costs of $35,187 and $37,961 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively) $ 3,949,199 $ 3,894,716 Revolving Credit Facility 851,000 765,000 Total long-term debt 4,800,199 4,659,716 Less current portion of Credit Facility (face amounts of $101,174 and $108,979 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, less unamortized debt issuance costs of $8,485 and $8,671 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively) 92,689 100,308 Long-term debt, excluding current portion $ 4,707,510 $ 4,559,408
Schedule of Maturities of Long-Term Debt	Maturity requirements on long-term debt as of September 30, 2018 by year are as follows (in thousands): Years ending December 31, 2018 $ 20,810 2019 119,109 2020 154,979 2021 190,848 2022 262,587 2023 4,087,053 Total $ 4,835,386
Schedule of Derivative Instruments	The table below presents the fair values of our derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges included in the consolidated balance sheets: Derivative Financial Instruments Balance Sheet Location Weighted-Average Fixed Rate of Interest at September 30, 2018 Range of Maturity Dates at September 30, 2018 September 30, 2018 December 31, 2017 (in thousands) Interest rate swaps (Notional of $500 million at September 30, 2018) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1.52% February 28, 2019 $ 1,825 $ — Interest rate swaps (Notional of $800 million at September 30, 2018 and $1,300 million at December 31, 2017) Other noncurrent assets 1.63% December 31, 2019 - March 31, 2021 $ 16,900 $ 9,202
Schedule of Derivative Instrument Effect on Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The table below presents the effects of our interest rate swaps on the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Amount of unrealized gains (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) $ 1,845 $ 341 $ 12,353 $ (2,214 ) Amount of unrealized (gains) losses reclassified out of other comprehensive income (loss) to interest expense $ (1,663 ) $ 1,172 $ (2,830 ) $ 4,667

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Allocation of Share-Based Compensation Costs by Plan	The following table summarizes share-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit recognized for our share-based awards and stock options: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Share-based compensation expense $ 14,833 $ 9,617 $ 44,937 $ 30,771 Income tax benefit $ 3,614 $ 3,523 $ 10,276 $ 10,788
Schedule of Changes in Non-Vested Restricted Stock Awards Activity	The following table summarizes the changes in unvested restricted stock and performance awards for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Shares Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value (in thousands) Unvested at December 31, 2017 1,226 $78.29 Granted 600 107.16 Vested (715 ) 62.89 Forfeited (55 ) 90.40 Unvested at September 30, 2018 1,056 $104.52
Schedule of Stock Option Activity	The following summarizes changes in stock option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Options Weighted-Average Exercise Price Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in thousands) (years) (in millions) Outstanding at December 31, 2017 723 $47.79 6.4 $37.9 Granted 103 114.70 Forfeited (9 ) 81.68 Exercised (188 ) 39.40 Outstanding at September 30, 2018 629 $60.75 6.1 $41.8 Options vested and exercisable at September 30, 2018 457 $47.50 5.1 $36.5
Schedule of Stock Option Valuation Assumptions	Fair value was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model with the following weighted-average assumptions: Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 Risk-free interest rate 2.60% 1.99% Expected volatility 29% 30% Dividend yield 0.04% 0.06% Expected term (years) 5 5

EARNINGS PER SHARE (Tables)

EARNINGS PER SHARE (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding	The following table sets forth the computation of diluted weighted-average number of shares outstanding for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Basic weighted-average number of shares outstanding 158,168 154,560 158,827 153,138 Plus: Dilutive effect of stock options and other share-based awards 538 842 632 941 Diluted weighted-average number of shares outstanding 158,706 155,402 159,459 154,079

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSI_2

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Abstract]
Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	The changes in the accumulated balances for each component of other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, were as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017 : Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains on Hedging Activities Other Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (in thousands) Balance at June 30, 2018 $ (253,372 ) $ 14,030 $ (4,287 ) $ (243,629 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax (26,930 ) 72 (58 ) (26,916 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ (280,302 ) $ 14,102 $ (4,345 ) $ (270,545 ) Balance at June 30, 2017 $ (239,669 ) $ 51 $ (3,841 ) $ (243,459 ) Other comprehensive income, net of tax 40,090 843 18 40,951 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (199,579 ) $ 894 $ (3,823 ) $ (202,508 ) Foreign Currency Translation Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Hedging Activities Other Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (in thousands) Balance at December 31, 2017 $ (185,856 ) $ 6,999 $ (4,287 ) $ (183,144 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax (92,603 ) 7,103 (58 ) (85,558 ) Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard (1,843 ) — — (1,843 ) Balance at September 30, 2018 $ (280,302 ) $ 14,102 $ (4,345 ) $ (270,545 ) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (318,450 ) $ (640 ) $ (3,627 ) $ (322,717 ) Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 118,871 1,534 (196 ) 120,209 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (199,579 ) $ 894 $ (3,823 ) $ (202,508 )

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Tables)

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information	Information on segments and reconciliations to consolidated revenues and consolidated operating income was as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2018 September 30, 2017 (in thousands) Revenues (1) (2) : North America $ 643,715 $ 764,902 $ 1,859,545 $ 2,162,911 Europe 157,584 205,203 456,492 557,258 Asia-Pacific 56,371 68,802 169,774 200,741 Consolidated revenues $ 857,670 $ 1,038,907 $ 2,485,811 $ 2,920,910 Operating income (loss) (2) : North America $ 174,012 $ 138,345 $ 446,600 $ 344,604 Europe 85,781 76,214 239,011 196,394 Asia-Pacific 23,692 20,032 67,043 57,321 Corporate (3) (60,323 ) (62,120 ) (182,585 ) (189,026 ) Consolidated operating income $ 223,162 $ 172,471 $ 570,069 $ 409,293 Depreciation and amortization (2) : North America $ 106,022 $ 95,056 $ 313,980 $ 277,219 Europe 11,660 11,863 36,180 34,926 Asia-Pacific 4,381 4,484 13,740 12,068 Corporate 1,994 2,246 5,548 5,750 Consolidated depreciation and amortization $ 124,057 $ 113,649 $ 369,448 $ 329,963 (1) As more fully described in "Note 1 —Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" and "Note 3 —Revenues," we adopted a new revenue accounting standard on January 1, 2018 that results in revenue being presented net of certain fees that we pay to third parties. This change in presentation affected our reported revenues and operating expenses during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 by the same amount and had no effect on operating income. (2) Revenues, operating income and depreciation and amortization reflect the effect of acquired businesses from the respective dates of acquisition. For further discussion, see "Note 2 — Acquisitions." (3) During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 , operating loss for Corporate included acquisition and integration expenses of $8.2 million and $34.6 million , respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 , operating loss for Corporate included acquisition and integration expenses of $21.5 million and $69.5 million , respectively.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUM_3

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)Country	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)segmentCountry	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Number of countries in which entity operates | Country	31		31
Number of reportable segments | segment			3
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Retained earnings	$ 1,994,003		$ 1,994,003			$ 1,597,897
Other noncurrent assets	365,144		365,144			207,297
Deferred income tax liabilities	516,357		516,357			$ 436,879
Revenues	857,670	$ 1,038,907	2,485,811	$ 2,920,910
Cost of service	265,013	493,883	781,943	1,418,969
Selling, general and administrative expenses	369,495	$ 372,553	1,133,799	$ 1,092,648
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Retained earnings					$ 51,000
Other noncurrent assets					64,600
Deferred income tax liabilities					$ 15,600
Revenues	291,300		825,500
Cost of service	273,600		774,500
Selling, general and administrative expenses	$ 17,700		$ 51,000

ACQUISITIONS - Narrative (Detai

ACQUISITIONS - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 04, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired					$ 468,798
AdvancedMD
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration to acquire business	$ 700,000
Unallocated provisional estimated goodwill acquired unlikely to be deductible for income tax purposes	$ 469,000
ACTIVE Network
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration to acquire business				$ 599,497
Total purchase consideration		$ 1,171,576	$ 1,171,576	$ 1,171,576
Number of shares issued as consideration (shares)				6,357,509
Goodwill acquired		$ 784,244	$ 784,668		$ 784,200
Expected tax deductible amount of goodwill (as a percent)					80.00%

ACQUISITIONS - Components of Co

ACQUISITIONS - Components of Consideration Transferred (Details) - ACTIVE Network - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 01, 2017
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration paid to ACTIVE Network stockholders			$ 599,497
Fair value of Global Payments common stock issued to ACTIVE Network stockholders			572,079
Total purchase consideration	$ 1,171,576	$ 1,171,576	$ 1,171,576

ACQUISITIONS - Acquisition Date

ACQUISITIONS - Acquisition Date Fair Value of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018
Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net
Goodwill				$ 468,798
Measurement-Period Adjustments
Goodwill				(424)
ACTIVE Network
Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 42,913		42,913
Property and equipment		21,985		21,852
Identified intangible assets		410,545	$ 410,545	410,545
Other assets		87,240		87,143
Deferred income taxes		(31,643)		(27,640)
Other liabilities		(144,132)		(147,481)
Total identifiable net assets		386,908		387,332
Goodwill	$ 784,244	784,668		784,200
Total purchase consideration	$ 1,171,576	$ 1,171,576	$ 1,171,576
Measurement-Period Adjustments
Cash and cash equivalents				0
Property and equipment				(133)
Identified intangible assets				0
Other assets				(97)
Deferred income taxes				4,003
Other liabilities				(3,349)
Total identifiable net assets				424
Goodwill				(424)
Total purchase consideration				$ 0

ACQUISITIONS - Schedule of Fair

ACQUISITIONS - Schedule of Fair Value of Intangible Assets (Details) - ACTIVE Network - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Fair Values	$ 410,545	$ 410,545	$ 410,545
Weighted-Average Estimated Amortization Periods	13 years
Customer-related intangible assets
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Fair Values	$ 189,000
Weighted-Average Estimated Amortization Periods	17 years
Acquired technology
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Fair Values	$ 153,300
Weighted-Average Estimated Amortization Periods	9 years
Trademarks and trade names
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Fair Values	$ 59,400
Weighted-Average Estimated Amortization Periods	15 years
Covenants-not-to-compete
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Estimated Fair Values	$ 8,845
Weighted-Average Estimated Amortization Periods	3 years

REVENUES - Narrative (Details)

REVENUES - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jul. 01, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Current contract liabilities	$ 114.1	$ 114.1	$ 116.9	$ 100.6
Noncurrent contract liabilities	7.9	7.9	$ 8.3	$ 6
Deferred revenue recognized	$ 39.2	$ 90.2
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Amortization period of capitalized contract costs	7 years	7 years
Amortization of capitalized contract costs	$ 13.5	$ 37.3
Obtain Contract
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Capitalized contract costs	181.8	181.8
Fulfill Contract
Capitalized Contract Cost [Line Items]
Capitalized contract costs	$ 9.8	$ 9.8

REVENUES - Disaggregation of Re

REVENUES - Disaggregation of Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 857,670	$ 1,038,907	$ 2,485,811	$ 2,920,910
Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	785,754		2,249,122
Wholesale
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	71,916		236,689
Relationship-led | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	393,673		1,127,741
Technology-enabled | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	392,081		1,121,381
North America
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	643,715		1,859,545
North America | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	571,799		1,622,856
North America | Wholesale
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	71,916		236,689
North America | Relationship-led | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	254,593		725,874
North America | Technology-enabled | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	317,206		896,982
Europe
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	157,584		456,492
Europe | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	157,584		456,492
Europe | Wholesale
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	0		0
Europe | Relationship-led | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	105,468		300,642
Europe | Technology-enabled | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	52,116		155,850
Asia-Pacific
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	56,371		169,774
Asia-Pacific | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	56,371		169,774
Asia-Pacific | Wholesale
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	0		0
Asia-Pacific | Relationship-led | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	33,612		101,225
Asia-Pacific | Technology-enabled | Direct distribution
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 22,759		$ 68,549

SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS _3

SETTLEMENT PROCESSING ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS - Summary (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Settlement processing assets
Total settlement processing assets	$ 2,894,226	$ 2,459,292
Settlement processing obligations
Total settlement processing obligations	(2,423,069)	(2,040,509)
Merchant reserves
Settlement processing assets
Merchant reserves	(16,768)	(13,268)
Settlement processing obligations
Settlement liabilities, reserves	(143,020)	(133,907)
Reserve for operating losses and sales allowances
Settlement processing obligations
Settlement liabilities, reserves	(4,183)	(4,042)
Interchange reimbursement
Settlement processing assets
Settlement processing assets:	262,487	304,964
Settlement processing obligations
Settlement processing obligations:	93,736	72,053
Receivable from members
Settlement processing assets
Settlement processing assets:	116,843	104,339
Receivable from networks
Settlement processing assets
Settlement processing assets:	2,521,106	2,055,390
Liability to members
Settlement processing obligations
Settlement processing obligations:	(23,693)	(20,369)
Liability to merchants
Settlement processing obligations
Settlement processing obligations:	(2,352,216)	(1,961,107)
Exception items
Settlement processing assets
Settlement processing assets:	10,558	7,867
Settlement processing obligations
Settlement processing obligations:	$ 6,307	$ 6,863

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE_3

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Schedule of Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Accumulated impairment of goodwill	$ 0	$ 0
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	6,130,921,000	5,703,992,000
Other intangible assets:
Other intangible assets	3,533,799,000	3,220,567,000
Less accumulated amortization:
Less accumulated amortization	1,254,831,000	1,038,860,000
Other intangible assets, net	2,278,968,000	2,181,707,000
Customer-related intangible assets
Other intangible assets:
Other intangible assets	2,123,046,000	2,078,891,000
Less accumulated amortization:
Less accumulated amortization	806,204,000	685,869,000
Acquired technologies
Other intangible assets:
Other intangible assets	1,027,842,000	722,466,000
Less accumulated amortization:
Less accumulated amortization	310,705,000	210,063,000
Trademarks and trade names
Other intangible assets:
Other intangible assets	245,814,000	247,688,000
Less accumulated amortization:
Less accumulated amortization	73,977,000	50,849,000
Contract-based intangible assets
Other intangible assets:
Other intangible assets	137,097,000	171,522,000
Less accumulated amortization:
Less accumulated amortization	$ 63,945,000	$ 92,079,000

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE_4

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS - Goodwill Roll-Forward (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 5,703,992
Goodwill acquired	468,798
Effect of foreign currency translation	(41,445)
Measurement-period adjustments	(424)
Balance at end of period	6,130,921
North America
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	4,896,491
Goodwill acquired	468,798
Effect of foreign currency translation	(1,891)
Measurement-period adjustments	(424)
Balance at end of period	5,362,974
Europe
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	513,138
Goodwill acquired	0
Effect of foreign currency translation	(20,063)
Measurement-period adjustments	0
Balance at end of period	493,075
Asia-Pacific
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	294,363
Goodwill acquired	0
Effect of foreign currency translation	(19,491)
Measurement-period adjustments	0
Balance at end of period	$ 274,872

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF C_3

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT - Narrative (Details)	Oct. 26, 2018$ / shares	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)Rate	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)$ / sharesRate	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2022	Mar. 31, 2023	Jun. 30, 2020	Oct. 18, 2018USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 20, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument		$ 101,174,000		$ 101,174,000		$ 108,979,000
Other restrictions on payments of dividends (USD per share) | $ / shares				$ 0.01
Interest expense		46,000,000	$ 41,000,000	$ 140,000,000	$ 130,000,000
Secured Debt | Term Loan A
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument		$ 1,500,000,000		$ 1,500,000,000
Credit facility interest rate (as a percent) | Rate		3.74%		3.74%
Secured Debt | Term Loan A-2
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument		$ 1,370,000,000		$ 1,370,000,000
Credit facility interest rate (as a percent) | Rate		3.66%		3.66%
Secured Debt | Term Loan B-2
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument															$ 1,140,000,000
Credit facility interest rate (as a percent) | Rate		3.99%		3.99%
Secured Debt | Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument		$ 1,500,000,000		$ 1,500,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity														$ 5,500,000,000
Line of credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity		828,200,000		828,200,000
Remaining borrowing capacity		759,900,000		759,900,000
Net repayments of settlement lines of credit				68,500,000		59,300,000
Amount outstanding under lines of credit		$ 685,900,000		$ 685,900,000		$ 635,200,000
Weighted-average interest rate of short-term debt (as a percent)		2.81%		2.81%		1.97%
Average outstanding balance		$ 409,800,000
Interest rate swap
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) related to interest rate		$ 9,900,000		$ 9,900,000
Revolving Credit Facility | Fourth Amendment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum leverage ratio		5		5
Minimum interest coverage ratio		3.25		3.25
Revolving Credit Facility | Secured Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Effective interest rate (as a percent) | Rate		3.66%		3.66%
Revolving Credit Facility | Forecast | Term Loan A
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Rate of quarterly installment payments (as a percent)							0.625%	1.25%	1.875%	2.50%
Revolving Credit Facility | Forecast | Term Loan B-2
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Rate of quarterly installment payments (as a percent)											0.25%
Revolving Credit Facility | Forecast | Fourth Amendment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum leverage ratio							4.75					4.50
Letter of Credit | Line of credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity		$ 100,000,000		$ 100,000,000
Standby letters of credit | Line of credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Remaining borrowing capacity		$ 636,400,000		$ 636,400,000												$ 473,300,000
Minimum | Revolving Credit Facility | Fourth Amendment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment fee rate (as a percent)				0.20%
Maximum | Revolving Credit Facility | Fourth Amendment
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitment fee rate (as a percent)				0.30%
Subsequent Event
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other restrictions on payments of dividends (USD per share) | $ / shares	$ 0.01
Subsequent Event | Secured Debt | Term Loan B-4
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument													$ 500,000,000

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF C_4

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT - Schedule of Outstanding Debt (Details) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	$ 4,800,199,000	$ 4,659,716,000
Less current portion of Credit Facility (face amounts of $101,174 and $108,979 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, less unamortized debt issuance costs of $8,485 and $8,671 at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively)	92,689,000	100,308,000
Long-term debt	4,707,510,000	4,559,408,000
Face amount of debt instrument	101,174,000	108,979,000
Unamortized debt issuance expense	8,485,000	8,671,000
Term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	3,949,199,000	3,894,716,000
Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	851,000,000	765,000,000
Five Year Unsecured Term Loan Due February 2019 | Term loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument	3,984,386,000	3,932,677,000
Unamortized debt issuance expense	$ 35,187,000	$ 37,961,000

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF C_5

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT - Schedule of Maturities of Long-Term Debt (Details) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2,018	$ 20,810
2,019	119,109
2,020	154,979
2,021	190,848
2,022	262,587
2,023	4,087,053
Total	$ 4,835,386

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF C_6

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT - Schedule of Derivative Instruments (Details) - Interest rate swap - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted-average fixed rate of interest	1.52%
Interest rate swaps	$ 1,825,000	$ 0
Notional amount	$ 500,000,000	0
Other noncurrent assets
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted-average fixed rate of interest	1.63%
Interest rate swaps	$ 16,900,000	9,202,000
Notional amount	$ 800,000,000	$ 1,300,000,000

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF C_7

LONG-TERM DEBT AND LINES OF CREDIT - Schedule of Effect on Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Derivatives in cash flow hedging relationships:
Amount of unrealized gains (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss)	$ 1,845	$ 341	$ 12,353	$ (2,214)
Amount of unrealized (gains) losses reclassified out of other comprehensive income (loss) to interest expense	$ (1,663)	$ 1,172	$ (2,830)	$ 4,667

INCOME TAX - Narrative (Details

INCOME TAX - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Reduction in estimated transition tax liability	$ 23.3
Effective tax rate (as a percent)	(3.40%)	11.70%	10.40%	14.40%

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY - Narrativ

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Oct. 26, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Repurchase and retirement of common stock			$ 180,897	$ 34,811
Dividends declared (USD per share)			$ 0.01
Other than accelerated share repurchase program
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Remaining authorized repurchase amount (up to)			$ 419,100
Repurchase of common stock (shares)		311,593	1,612,174	376,309
Repurchase and retirement of common stock		$ 29,000	$ 180,900	$ 34,800
Repurchase of common stock (USD per share)		$ 93.09	$ 112.19	$ 92.51
Subsequent Event
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Dividends declared (USD per share)	$ 0.01

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTION_2

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS - Share-Based Compensation Expense and Income Tax Benefit (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 14,833	$ 9,617	$ 44,937	$ 30,771
Income tax benefit	$ 3,614	$ 3,523	$ 10,276	$ 10,788

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTION_3

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS - Share-Based Awards (Details) - Share-Based Awards shares in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (shares) | shares	1,226
Granted (shares) | shares	600
Vested (shares) | shares	(715)
Forfeited (shares) | shares	(55)
Ending balance (shares) | shares	1,056
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Beginning balance (USD per share) | $ / shares	$ 78.29
Granted (USD per share) | $ / shares	107.16
Vested (USD per share) | $ / shares	62.89
Forfeited (USD per share) | $ / shares	90.40
Ending balance (USD per share) | $ / shares	$ 104.52

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTION_4

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS - Share-Based Awards Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 14,833	$ 9,617	$ 44,937	$ 30,771
Share-Based Awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Fair value of share-based awards vested			45,000	27,600
Share-based compensation expense	13,800	$ 8,600	41,100	$ 27,700
Compensation not yet recognized	$ 67,700		$ 67,700
Weighted-average period of unrecognized compensation cost			2 years 1 month 6 days

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTION_5

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS - Stock Option Activity (Details) - Employee stock option - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Options
Outstanding at beginning of period (shares)	723
Granted (shares)	103
Forfeited (shares)	(9)
Exercised (shares)	(188)
Outstanding at end of period (shares)	629	723
Options vested and exercisable (shares)	457
Weighted-Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at beginning of period (USD per share)	$ 47.79
Granted (USD per share)	114.70
Forfeited (USD per share)	81.68
Exercised (USD per share)	39.40
Outstanding at end of period (USD per share)	60.75	$ 47.79
Options vested and exercisable (USD per share)	$ 47.50
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding	6 years 1 month	6 years 5 months
Options vested and exercisable	5 years 1 month
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding	$ 41.8	$ 37.9
Options vested and exercisable	$ 36.5

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTION_6

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS - Stock Options Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 14,833	$ 9,617	$ 44,937	$ 30,771
Employee stock option
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	700	$ 700	2,300	2,000
Aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised			15,900	$ 9,900
Total unrecognized compensation cost	$ 4,400		$ 4,400
Weighted-average period of unrecognized compensation cost			2 years
Weighted average grant date fair value for each option granted (USD per share)	$ 35.09	$ 23.68	$ 35.09	$ 23.68

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTION_7

SHARE-BASED AWARDS AND OPTIONS - Valuation Assumptions (Details) - Employee stock option	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate (as a percent)	2.60%	1.99%
Expected volatility (as a percent)	29.00%	30.00%
Dividend yield (as a percent)	0.04%	0.06%
Expected term (years)	5 years	5 years

EARNINGS PER SHARE - Summary (D

EARNINGS PER SHARE - Summary (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Basic weighted-average number of shares outstanding (shares)	158,168	154,560	158,827	153,138
Plus: Dilutive effect of stock options and other share-based awards (shares)	538	842	632	941
Diluted weighted-average number of shares outstanding (shares)	158,706	155,402	159,459	154,079

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSI_3

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation adjustment, other comprehensive (income) loss	$ 11.7	$ 2.3	$ 11.8	$ 15.1

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSI_4

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS - Summary (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period			$ 3,794,527
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	$ (26,916)	$ 40,951	(85,558)	$ 120,209
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard	49,126		49,126
Balance at end of period	3,974,286		3,974,286
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	(243,629)	(243,459)	(183,144)	(322,717)
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard	(1,843)		(1,843)
Balance at end of period	(270,545)	(202,508)	(270,545)	(202,508)
Foreign Currency Translation
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	(253,372)	(239,669)	(185,856)	(318,450)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(26,930)	40,090	(92,603)	118,871
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard	(1,843)		(1,843)
Balance at end of period	(280,302)	(199,579)	(280,302)	(199,579)
Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Hedging Activities
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	14,030	51	6,999	(640)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	72	843	7,103	1,534
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard	0		0
Balance at end of period	14,102	894	14,102	894
Other
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	(4,287)	(3,841)	(4,287)	(3,627)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(58)	18	(58)	(196)
Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standard	0		0
Balance at end of period	$ (4,345)	$ (3,823)	$ (4,345)	$ (3,823)

SEGMENT INFORMATION - Summary (

SEGMENT INFORMATION - Summary (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 857,670	$ 1,038,907	$ 2,485,811	$ 2,920,910
Operating income (loss) for segments	223,162	172,471	570,069	409,293
Depreciation and amortization	124,057	113,649	369,448	329,963
Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income (loss) for segments	(60,323)	(62,120)	(182,585)	(189,026)
Depreciation and amortization	1,994	2,246	5,548	5,750
Acquisition-related costs	8,200	21,500	34,600	69,500
North America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	643,715		1,859,545
North America | Operating segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	643,715	764,902	1,859,545	2,162,911
Operating income (loss) for segments	174,012	138,345	446,600	344,604
Depreciation and amortization	106,022	95,056	313,980	277,219
Europe
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	157,584		456,492
Europe | Operating segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	157,584	205,203	456,492	557,258
Operating income (loss) for segments	85,781	76,214	239,011	196,394
Depreciation and amortization	11,660	11,863	36,180	34,926
Asia-Pacific
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	56,371		169,774
Asia-Pacific | Operating segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	56,371	68,802	169,774	200,741
Operating income (loss) for segments	23,692	20,032	67,043	57,321
Depreciation and amortization	$ 4,381	$ 4,484	$ 13,740	$ 12,068

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES -

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Narrative (Details) - Heartland Payment Systems $ in Millions	1 Months Ended
	May 31, 2017USD ($)option
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Total purchase consideration | $	$ 37.5
Term of operating lease contract	20 years
Number of renewal options | option	4
Renewal term of operating lease contract	5 years

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS - Narrative (

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	Oct. 17, 2018	Oct. 18, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument			$ 101,174,000	$ 108,979,000
Revolving Credit Facility | Secured Debt
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument			$ 1,500,000,000
Subsequent Event | Revolving Credit Facility | Secured Debt | SICOM Systems, Inc.
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Draw on Revolving Credit Facility	$ 415,000,000
Subsequent Event | Term Loan B-4 | Secured Debt
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Face amount of debt instrument		$ 500,000,000
Quarterly Installment Payments on Principal, Percentage		0.25%