Visa (V) 10-Q 30 Jul 20 2020 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Cover

Cover - shares	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jul. 24, 2020
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2020
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-33977
Entity Registrant Name	VISA INC.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	26-0267673
Entity Address, Address Line One	P.O. Box 8999
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	94128-8999
Entity Address, City or Town	San Francisco,
Entity Address, State or Province	CA
City Area Code	650
Local Phone Number	432-3200
Title of 12(b) Security	Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share
Trading Symbol	V
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Central Index Key	0001403161
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Class A common stock
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		1,686,007,156
Class B common stock
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		245,513,385
Class C common stock
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		10,859,763

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UN

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 13,898	$ 7,838
Restricted cash equivalents—U.S. litigation escrow (Note 4 and Note 5)	1,148	1,205
Investment securities (Note 6)	2,739	4,236
Settlement receivable	2,111	3,048
Accounts receivable	1,453	1,542
Customer collateral (Note 4 and Note 9)	1,759	1,648
Current portion of client incentives	1,150	741
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	753	712
Total current assets	25,011	20,970
Investment securities (Note 6)	547	2,157
Client incentives	3,168	2,084
Property, equipment and technology, net	2,746	2,695
Goodwill	15,791	15,656
Intangible assets, net	27,188	26,780
Other assets	3,433	2,232
Total assets	77,884	72,574
Liabilities
Accounts payable	153	156
Settlement payable	2,725	3,990
Customer collateral (Note 4 and Note 9)	1,759	1,648
Accrued compensation and benefits	703	796
Client incentives	4,208	3,997
Accrued liabilities	2,397	1,625
Current maturities of debt (Note 8)	2,999	0
Accrued litigation (Note 14)	1,156	1,203
Total current liabilities	16,100	13,415
Long-term debt (Note 8)	17,880	16,729
Deferred tax liabilities	4,728	4,807
Other liabilities	3,652	2,939
Total liabilities	42,360	37,890
Equity
Right to recover for covered losses (Note 5)	(24)	(171)
Additional paid-in capital	16,457	16,541
Accumulated income	14,072	13,502
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net:
Investment securities	4	6
Defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans	(192)	(192)
Derivative instruments	(39)	199
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(52)	(663)
Total accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net	(279)	(650)
Total equity	35,524	34,684
Total liabilities and equity	77,884	72,574
Series A Preferred Stock
Equity
Preferred stock	0	0
UK&I preferred stock
Equity
Preferred stock	2,213	2,285
Europe preferred stock
Equity
Preferred stock	3,085	3,177
Class A common stock
Equity
Common stock	0	0
Class B common stock
Equity
Common stock	0	0
Class C common stock
Equity
Common stock	$ 0	$ 0

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (_2

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Preferred Stock
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	25,000,000	25,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	5,000,000	5,000,000
Series A Preferred Stock
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
UK&I preferred stock
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	2,000,000	2,000,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	2,000,000	2,000,000
Europe preferred stock
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	3,000,000	3,000,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	3,000,000	3,000,000
Class A common stock
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	2,001,622,000,000	2,001,622,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	1,687,000,000	1,718,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	1,687,000,000	1,718,000,000
Class B common stock
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	622,000,000	622,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	245,000,000	245,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	245,000,000	245,000,000
Class C common stock
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	1,097,000,000	1,097,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	11,000,000	11,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	11,000,000	11,000,000

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPER

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Revenues
Net revenues	$ 4,837	$ 5,840	$ 16,745	$ 16,840
Operating Expenses
Personnel	941	872	2,863	2,573
Marketing	174	282	683	799
Network and processing	172	184	536	528
Professional fees	95	113	304	305
Depreciation and amortization	197	165	571	484
General and administrative	258	315	840	855
Litigation provision (Note 14)	1	1	9	30
Total operating expenses	1,838	1,932	5,806	5,574
Operating income	2,999	3,908	10,939	11,266
Non-operating Income (Expense)
Interest expense, net	(142)	(128)	(371)	(413)
Investment income and other	75	86	167	320
Total non-operating income (expense)	(67)	(42)	(204)	(93)
Income before income taxes	2,932	3,866	10,735	11,173
Income tax provision (Note 13)	559	765	2,006	2,118
Net income	$ 2,373	$ 3,101	$ 8,729	$ 9,055
Class A common stock
Earnings Per Share
Basic Earnings Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.07	$ 1.37	$ 3.92	$ 3.98
Basic Weighted-average Shares Outstanding (in shares)	1,690	1,735	1,702	1,748
Diluted Earnings Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.07	$ 1.37	$ 3.92	$ 3.97
Diluted Weighted-average Shares Outstanding (in shares)	2,214	2,265	2,227	2,278
Class B common stock
Earnings Per Share
Basic Earnings Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.74	$ 2.23	$ 6.37	$ 6.49
Basic Weighted-average Shares Outstanding (in shares)	245	245	245	245
Diluted Earnings Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.74	$ 2.23	$ 6.36	$ 6.48
Diluted Weighted-average Shares Outstanding (in shares)	245	245	245	245
Class C common stock
Earnings Per Share
Basic Earnings Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 4.29	$ 5.48	$ 15.70	$ 15.92
Basic Weighted-average Shares Outstanding (in shares)	11	12	11	12
Diluted Earnings Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 4.29	$ 5.48	$ 15.68	$ 15.90
Diluted Weighted-average Shares Outstanding (in shares)	11	12	11	12

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMP

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 2,373	$ 3,101	$ 8,729	$ 9,055
Investment securities:
Net unrealized gain (loss)	(3)	5	2	20
Income tax effect	1	(1)	0	(5)
Reclassification adjustments	(1)	1	(3)	1
Income tax effect	1	0	1	0
Defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans:
Net unrealized actuarial gain (loss) and prior service credit (cost)	0	(1)	2	(8)
Income tax effect	0	0	(1)	1
Reclassification adjustments	9	2	15	2
Income tax effect	(2)	0	(3)	0
Derivative instruments:
Net unrealized gain (loss)	(106)	(68)	(247)	29
Income tax effect	23	14	54	(9)
Reclassification adjustments	(43)	(22)	(58)	(69)
Income tax effect	9	4	13	13
Foreign currency translation adjustments	277	262	621	(419)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	165	196	396	(444)
Comprehensive income	$ 2,538	$ 3,297	$ 9,125	$ 8,611

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHAN

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (UNAUDITED) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions		Total	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	UK&I preferred stock	Europe preferred stock	Class A common stock	Preferred Stock	Preferred StockUK&I preferred stock	Preferred StockEurope preferred stock	Common StockClass A common stock	Common StockClass B common stock	Common StockClass C common stock		Right to Recover for Covered Losses	Additional Paid-In Capital	Accumulated Income	Accumulated IncomeCumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), NetCumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment
Beginning balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2018								2	3	1,768	245	12
Beginning balance at Sep. 30, 2018		$ 34,006	$ 392				$ 5,470							$ (7)	$ 16,678	$ 11,318		$ 547
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income		9,055														9,055
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		(444)																(444)
Comprehensive income		8,611
VE territory covered losses incurred (Note 5)		(170)												(170)
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment (Note 5 and 10)				$ 6	$ 2		(8)							8
Conversion of class C common stock upon sales into public market (in shares)										1		0	[1]
Vesting of restricted stock and performance-based shares (in shares)										3
Share-based compensation, net of forfeitures (Note 12)		321													321
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes (in shares)										(1)
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes		(106)													(106)
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans (in shares)										2
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans		127													127
Cash dividends declared and paid, at a quarterly amount per Class A share		(1,706)														(1,706)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10) (in shares)						(44)				(44)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10)		(6,480)				$ (6,480)									(468)	(6,012)
Ending balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2019								2	3	1,729	245	12
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2019		34,995					5,462							(169)	16,552	13,040	$ 385	110	$ 7
Beginning balance (in shares) at Mar. 31, 2019								2	3	1,741	245	12
Beginning balance at Mar. 31, 2019		34,275					5,464							(163)	16,547	12,513		(86)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income		3,101														3,101
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		196																196
Comprehensive income		3,297
VE territory covered losses incurred (Note 5)		(8)												(8)
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment (Note 5 and 10)		0					(2)							2
Conversion of class C common stock upon sales into public market (in shares)	[1]									0		0
Vesting of restricted stock and performance-based shares (in shares)	[1]									0
Share-based compensation, net of forfeitures (Note 12)		110													110
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes (in shares)	[1]									0
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes		(3)													(3)
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans (in shares)										1
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans		38													38
Cash dividends declared and paid, at a quarterly amount per Class A share		(565)														(565)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10) (in shares)						(13)				(13)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10)		(2,149)				$ (2,149)									(140)	(2,009)
Ending balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2019								2	3	1,729	245	12
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2019		34,995					5,462							(169)	16,552	13,040	385	110	7
Beginning balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2019								2	3	1,718	245	11
Beginning balance at Sep. 30, 2019		34,684					5,462	$ 2,285	$ 3,177					(171)	16,541	13,502		(650)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income		8,729														8,729
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		396
Comprehensive income		9,125
VE territory covered losses incurred (Note 5)		(22)						0	0					(22)
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment (Note 5 and 10)		5		$ 72	$ 92		(164)	$ 72	$ 92					169
Conversion of class C common stock upon sales into public market (in shares)										3		0	[1]
Vesting of restricted stock and performance-based shares (in shares)										3
Share-based compensation, net of forfeitures (Note 12)		322													322
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes (in shares)										(1)
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes		(158)													(158)
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans (in shares)										1
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans		142													142
Cash dividends declared and paid, at a quarterly amount per Class A share		(2,002)														(2,002)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10) (in shares)						(37)				(37)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10)		(6,572)				$ (6,572)									(390)	(6,182)
Ending balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2020								2	3	1,687	245	11
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2020		35,524					5,298	$ 2,213	$ 3,085					(24)	16,457	14,072	25	(279)	(25)
Beginning balance (in shares) at Mar. 31, 2020								2	3	1,693	245	11
Beginning balance at Mar. 31, 2020		34,585					5,462							(184)	16,385	13,366		(444)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income		2,373														2,373
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		165																165
Comprehensive income		2,538
VE territory covered losses incurred (Note 5)		(9)												(9)
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment (Note 5 and 10)		5					(164)							169
Vesting of restricted stock and performance-based shares (in shares)	[1]									0
Share-based compensation, net of forfeitures (Note 12)		107													107
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes (in shares)	[1]									0
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes		(3)													(3)
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans (in shares)	[1]									0
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans		33													33
Cash dividends declared and paid, at a quarterly amount per Class A share		(663)														(663)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10) (in shares)						(6)				(6)
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10)		(1,069)				$ (1,069)									(65)	(1,004)
Ending balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2020								2	3	1,687	245	11
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2020		$ 35,524					$ 5,298	$ 2,213	$ 3,085					$ (24)	$ 16,457	$ 14,072	$ 25	$ (279)	$ (25)
[1]	Increase or decrease is less than one million shares.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANG

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (UNAUDITED) (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Cash dividends declared and paid, quarterly, per Class A share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.30	$ 0.25	$ 0.30	$ 0.25

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Operating Activities
Net income	$ 8,729	$ 9,055
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Client incentives (Note 3)	4,966	4,480
Share-based compensation (Note 12)	322	321
Depreciation and amortization of property, equipment, technology and intangible assets	571	484
Deferred income taxes	(116)	234
VE territory covered losses incurred (Note 5)	(22)	(170)
Other	(149)	(204)
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Settlement receivable	966	(127)
Accounts receivable	108	(319)
Client incentives	(6,261)	(4,778)
Other assets	(464)	(172)
Accounts payable	7	(22)
Settlement payable	(1,324)	280
Accrued and other liabilities	1,058	257
Accrued litigation (Note 14)	(47)	(577)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	8,344	8,742
Investing Activities
Purchases of property, equipment and technology	(568)	(507)
Investment securities:
Purchases	(549)	(2,321)
Proceeds from maturities and sales	3,675	3,870
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(77)	(136)
Purchases of / contributions to other investments	(254)	(482)
Proceeds / distributions from other investments	5	10
Other investing activities	76	(21)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	2,308	413
Financing Activities
Repurchase of class A common stock (Note 10)	(6,572)	(6,480)
Dividends paid (Note 10)	(2,002)	(1,706)
Proceeds from issuance of senior notes (Note 8)	3,985	0
Payment of deferred purchase consideration related to Visa Europe acquisition	0	(1,236)
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee equity plans	142	127
Restricted stock and performance-based shares settled in cash for taxes	(158)	(106)
Other financing activities	(118)	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(4,723)	(9,401)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	173	(62)
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	6,102	(308)
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents at beginning of period (Note 4)	10,832	10,977
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents at end of period (Note 4)	16,934	10,669
Supplemental Disclosure
Income taxes paid, net of refunds	1,793	1,992
Interest payments on debt	503	503
Accruals related to purchases of property, equipment and technology	$ 34	$ 87

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Organization. Visa Inc. (“Visa” or the “Company”) is a global payments technology company that enables fast, secure and reliable electronic payments across more than 200 countries and territories. Visa and its wholly-owned consolidated subsidiaries, including Visa U.S.A. Inc. (“Visa U.S.A.”), Visa International Service Association (“Visa International”), Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited, Visa Europe Limited (“Visa Europe”), Visa Canada Corporation (“Visa Canada”), Visa Technology & Operations LLC and CyberSource Corporation, operate one of the world’s largest electronic payments networks — VisaNet — which facilitates authorization, clearing and settlement of payment transactions and enables the Company to provide its financial institution and merchant clients a wide range of products, platforms and value-added services. Visa is not a financial institution and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for account holders on Visa products. In most cases, account holder and merchant relationships belong to, and are managed by, Visa’s financial institution clients. Consolidation and basis of presentation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Visa and its consolidated entities and are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The Company consolidates its majority-owned and controlled entities, including variable interest entities (“VIEs”) for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. The Company’s investments in VIEs have not been material to its unaudited consolidated financial statements as of and for the periods presented. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) requirements for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and, consequently, do not include all of the annual disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. Reference should be made to the Visa Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019 for additional disclosures, including a summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods presented. Use of estimates. The preparation of accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited consolidated financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates may change, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and will be recognized in the consolidated financial statements in the period in which such changes occur. Future actual results could differ materially from these estimates. The worldwide spread of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has created significant uncertainty in the global economy. There have been no comparable recent events that provide guidance as to the effect the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic may have, and, as a result, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 and the extent to which COVID-19 continues to impact the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and difficult to predict. Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, which requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities arising from operating leases on the balance sheet. Subsequently, the FASB also issued a series of amendments to this new leases standard that address the transition methods available and clarify the guidance for lessor costs and other aspects of the new leases standard. The Company adopted the standard effective October 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective transition method with comparative periods continuing to be reported using the prior leases standard. The Company elected to apply the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance, allowing the Company to carry forward the historical assessment of whether a contract was or contains a lease, lease classification and capitalization of initial direct costs. The adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In accordance with ASU 2016-02, the Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at its inception. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, and corresponding lease liabilities, are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of remaining lease payments over the lease term. For this purpose, the Company considers only payments that are fixed and determinable at the time of commencement. As a majority of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU asset also includes any lease payments made prior to commencement and is recorded net of any lease incentives received. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. The Company does not record a ROU asset and corresponding liability for leases with terms of 12 months or less. The Company does not include renewals in the determination of the lease term unless the renewals are deemed to be reasonably assured at lease commencement. Lease agreements generally contain lease and non-lease components. Non-lease components primarily include payments for maintenance and utilities. The Company does not combine lease payments with non-lease components for any of its leases. Operating leases are recorded as ROU assets, which are included in other assets. The current portion of lease liabilities are included in accrued liabilities and the long-term portion is included in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company’s lease cost consists of amounts recognized under lease agreements in the results of operations adjusted for impairment and sublease income. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, which allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for adjustments to tax effects that were originally recorded in other comprehensive income due to changes in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate resulting from the enactment of the U.S. tax reform legislation, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2019. The adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in the existing guidance for income taxes and making other minor improvements. The amendments in the ASU are effective for the Company on October 1, 2021. The Company does not plan to early adopt the ASU at this time. The adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-01, which clarifies that an entity should consider observable transactions that require it to either apply or discontinue the equity method of accounting for the purposes of applying the fair value measurement alternative. The amendments in the ASU are effective for the Company on October 1, 2021. The adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. The amendments in the ASU are effective for the Company upon issuance through December 31, 2022. The Company is evaluating the effect ASU 2020-04 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	Note 2—Acquisitions Pending Acquisition. On January 13, 2020, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Plaid, Inc. for $5.3 billion. The Company will pay approximately $4.9 billion of cash and $0.4 billion of retention equity and deferred equity consideration. This acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including ongoing regulatory reviews and approvals, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Revenues

Revenues	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenues	Note 3—Revenues The nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of the Company’s revenues and cash flows and how they are affected by economic factors are most appropriately depicted through the Company’s revenue categories and geographical markets. The following tables disaggregate the Company’s net revenues by revenue category and by geography for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions) Service revenues $ 2,409 $ 2,405 $ 7,587 $ 7,164 Data processing revenues 2,525 2,662 8,100 7,564 International transaction revenues 1,102 1,977 4,953 5,624 Other revenues 314 342 1,071 968 Client incentives (1,513) (1,546) (4,966) (4,480) Net revenues $ 4,837 $ 5,840 $ 16,745 $ 16,840 Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions) U.S. $ 2,380 $ 2,587 $ 7,747 $ 7,573 International 2,457 3,253 8,998 9,267 Net revenues $ 4,837 $ 5,840 $ 16,745 $ 16,840

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restric

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	Note 4—Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents The Company’s cash and cash equivalents include cash and certain highly liquid investments with original maturities of 90 days or less from the date of purchase. Cash equivalents are primarily recorded at cost, which approximates fair value due to their generally short maturities. The Company defines restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents as cash and cash equivalents that cannot be withdrawn or used for general operating activities. The Company reconciles cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents reported in the consolidated balance sheets that aggregate to the beginning and ending balances shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows as follows: June 30, September 30, (in millions) Cash and cash equivalents $ 13,898 $ 7,838 Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents: U.S. litigation escrow 1,148 1,205 Customer collateral 1,759 1,648 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 129 141 Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents $ 16,934 $ 10,832

U.S. and Europe Retrospective R

U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plan	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Retrospective Responsibility Plan [Abstract]
U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plan	Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans U.S. Retrospective Responsibility Plan Under the terms of the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan, the Company maintains an escrow account from which settlements of, or judgments in, certain litigation referred to as the “U.S. covered litigation” are paid. The escrow funds are held in money market investments along with interest income earned, less applicable taxes, and are classified as restricted cash equivalents on the consolidated balance sheets. On December 13, 2019, the district court entered the final judgment order approving the Amended Settlement Agreement with the Damages Class plaintiffs in the Interchange Multidistrict Litigation proceedings. A takedown payment of approximately $467 million was received on December 27, 2019, and deposited into the Company’s litigation escrow account. The deposit into the litigation escrow account and reestablishment of a prior accrual to address opt-out claims was recorded during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. The accrual related to the U.S. covered litigation could be either higher or lower than the litigation escrow account balance. See Note 14—Legal Matters . The following table sets forth the changes in the restricted cash equivalents—U.S. litigation escrow account: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 1,205 $ 1,491 Return of takedown payment to the litigation escrow account 467 — Payments to class plaintiffs’ settlement fund (1) — (600) Payments to opt-out merchants (1) and interest earned on escrow funds (524) 11 Balance at end of period $ 1,148 $ 902 (1) These payments are associated with the Interchange Multidistrict Litigation. See Note 14—Legal Matters . Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plan Visa Inc., Visa International and Visa Europe are parties to certain existing and potential litigation relating to the setting of multilateral interchange fee rates in the Visa Europe territory (the “VE territory covered litigation”). Under the terms of the Europe retrospective responsibility plan, the Company is entitled to recover certain losses resulting from VE territory covered litigation (the “VE territory covered losses”) through a periodic adjustment to the class A common stock conversion rates applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock. VE territory covered losses are recorded in “right to recover for covered losses” within equity before the corresponding adjustment to the applicable conversion rate is effected. Adjustments to the conversion rate may be executed once in any six-month period unless a single, individual loss greater than €20 million is incurred, in which case, the six-month limitation does not apply. When the adjustment to the conversion rate is made, the amount previously recorded in “right to recover for covered losses” as contra-equity is then recorded against the book value of the preferred stock within stockholders’ equity. During the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, the Company recovered $164 million of VE territory covered losses through adjustments to the class A common stock conversion rates applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock. The conversion rates applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock were reduced from 12.936 and 13.884, respectively, as of September 30, 2019 to 12.775 and 13.722, respectively, as of June 30, 2020. The following table sets forth the activities related to VE territory covered losses in preferred stock and “right to recover for covered losses” within equity during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. Preferred Stock Right to Recover for Covered Losses UK&I Europe (in millions) Balance as of September 30, 2019 $ 2,285 $ 3,177 $ (171) VE territory covered losses incurred (1) — — (22) Recovery through conversion rate adjustment (2) (72) (92) 169 Balance as of June 30, 2020 $ 2,213 $ 3,085 $ (24) (1) VE territory covered losses incurred reflect settlements with merchants and additional legal costs. See Note 14—Legal Matters . (2) Adjustment to right to recover for covered losses for the conversion rate adjustment differs from the actual recovered amount due to differences in foreign exchange rates between the time the losses were incurred and the subsequent recovery through the conversion rate adjustment. The following table sets forth the as-converted value of the preferred stock available to recover VE territory covered losses compared to the book value of preferred shares recorded in stockholders’ equity within the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019: June 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 As-Converted Value of Preferred Stock (1),(2) Book Value of Preferred Stock (1) As-Converted Value of Preferred Stock (1),(3) Book Value of Preferred Stock (1) (in millions) UK&I preferred stock $ 6,121 $ 2,213 $ 5,519 $ 2,285 Europe preferred stock 8,368 3,085 7,539 3,177 Total 14,489 5,298 13,058 5,462 Less: right to recover for covered losses (24) (24) (171) (171) Total recovery for covered losses available $ 14,465 $ 5,274 $ 12,887 $ 5,291 (1) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. As-converted and book values are based on unrounded numbers. (2) The as-converted value of preferred stock is calculated as the product of: (a) 2 million and 3 million shares of the UK&I and Europe preferred stock outstanding, respectively, as of June 30, 2020; (b) 12.775 and 13.722, the class A common stock conversion rate applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock as of June 30, 2020, respectively; and (c) $193.17, Visa’s class A common stock closing stock price as of June 30, 2020. (3) The as-converted value of preferred stock is calculated as the product of: (a) 2 million and 3 million shares of the UK&I and Europe preferred stock outstanding, respectively, as of September 30, 2019; (b) 12.936 and 13.884, the class A common stock conversion rate applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock as of September 30, 2019, respectively; and (c) $172.01, Visa’s class A common stock closing stock price as of September 30, 2019.

Fair Value Measurements and Inv

Fair Value Measurements and Investments	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements and Investments	Note 6—Fair Value Measurements and Investments Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis Fair Value Measurements Level 1 Level 2 June 30, September 30, June 30, September 30, (in millions) Assets Cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents: Money market funds $ 12,739 $ 6,494 U.S. government-sponsored debt securities $ — $ 150 Investment securities: Marketable equity securities 140 126 U.S. government-sponsored debt securities 2,892 5,592 U.S. Treasury securities 254 675 Other current and non-current assets: Derivative instruments 672 437 Total $ 13,133 $ 7,295 $ 3,564 $ 6,179 Liabilities Accrued compensation and benefits: Deferred compensation liability $ 128 $ 113 Accrued and other liabilities: Derivative instruments $ 247 $ 52 Total $ 128 $ 113 $ 247 $ 52 There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 assets during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. Level 1 assets. Money market funds, marketable equity securities and U.S. Treasury securities are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy, as fair value is based on quoted prices in active markets. The Company’s deferred compensation liability is measured at fair value based on marketable equity securities held under the deferred compensation plan. Level 2 assets and liabilities. The fair value of U.S. government-sponsored debt securities, as provided by third-party pricing vendors, is based on quoted prices in active markets for similar, not identical, assets. The pricing data obtained from outside sources is reviewed internally for reasonableness, compared against benchmark quotes from independent pricing sources, then confirmed or revised accordingly. Derivative instruments are valued using inputs that are observable in the market or can be derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data. There were no substantive changes to the valuation techniques and related inputs used to measure fair value during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. U.S. government-sponsored debt securities and U.S. Treasury securities. The Company considers U.S. government-sponsored debt securities and U.S. Treasury securities to be available-for-sale and held $3.1 billion and $6.3 billion of these investment securities as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively. All of the Company’s long-term available-for-sale investment securities are due within one Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis Non-marketable equity securities. The Company’s non-marketable equity securities are investments in privately held companies without readily determinable market values. These investments are classified as Level 3 due to the absence of quoted market prices, the inherent lack of liquidity and the fact that inputs used to measure fair value are unobservable and require management’s judgment. During the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, $56 million and $65 million, respectively, of upward adjustments were included in the carrying value of non-marketable equity securities. No material downward adjustments were included during the same periods. During the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, $6 million in impairment was recognized. There was no impairment recognized during the same prior-year comparable periods. The following table summarizes the total carrying value of the Company’s non-marketable equity securities held as of June 30, 2020 including cumulative unrealized gains and losses: June 30, 2020 (in millions) Initial cost basis $ 834 Upward adjustments 175 Downward adjustments (including impairment) (11) Carrying amount, end of period $ 998 Non-financial assets and liabilities. Long-lived assets such as goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets, finite-lived intangible assets and property, equipment and technology are considered non-financial assets. The Company does not have any non-financial liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis. Finite-lived intangible assets primarily consist of customer relationships and trade names, all of which were obtained through acquisitions. If the Company were required to perform a quantitative assessment for impairment testing of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, the fair values would generally be estimated using an income approach. As the assumptions employed to measure these assets on a non-recurring basis are based on management’s judgment using internal and external data, these fair value determinations are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The Company completed its annual impairment review of its indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill as of February 1, 2020, and concluded that there was no impairment. No recent events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment existed at June 30, 2020. Gains and Losses on Marketable and Non-marketable Equity Securities Gains and losses on the Company’s equity securities are summarized below. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions) Net gain (loss) on equity securities sold during the period $ — $ 1 $ 5 $ 16 Unrealized gain (loss) on equity securities held as of the end of the period 68 10 59 69 Total gain (loss) recognized in non-operating income (expense), net $ 68 $ 11 $ 64 $ 85 Other Fair Value Disclosures Long-term debt. Debt instruments are measured at amortized cost on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The fair value of the debt instruments, as provided by third-party pricing vendors, is based on quoted prices in active markets for similar, not identical, assets. The pricing data obtained from outside sources is reviewed internally for reasonableness, compared against benchmark quotes from independent pricing sources, then confirmed or revised accordingly. If measured at fair value in the financial statements, these instruments would be classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. The carrying value and estimated fair value of long-term debt was $20.9 billion and $23.4 billion, respectively, as of June 30, 2020. The carrying value and estimated fair value of long-term debt was $16.7 billion and $18.4 billion, respectively, as of September 30, 2019. Other financial instruments not measured at fair value. The following financial instruments are not measured at fair value on the Company’s unaudited consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2020, but disclosure of their fair values is required: settlement receivable and payable, accounts receivable and customer collateral. The estimated fair value of such instruments at June 30, 2020 approximates their carrying value due to their generally short maturities. If measured at fair value in the financial statements, these financial instruments would be classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

Leases

Leases	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	Note 7—Leases The Company entered into various operating lease agreements primarily for real estate. The Company's leases have original lease periods expiring between fiscal 2020 and 2030. Many leases include one or more options to renew. The Company's lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants. Payments under the Company’s lease arrangements are generally fixed. At June 30, 2020, the Company had no finance leases. During the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, total operating lease cost was $29 million and $84 million, respectively. At June 30, 2020, the weighted average remaining lease term for operating leases was approximately 7 years and the weighted average discount rate for operating leases was 2.28%. At June 30, 2020, the present value of future minimum lease payments was as follows: June 30, 2020 (in millions) Remainder of 2020 $ 29 2021 107 2022 100 2023 93 2024 80 Thereafter 226 Total undiscounted lease payments 635 Less: imputed interest (52) Present value of lease liabilities $ 583 At June 30, 2020, the Company had additional operating leases that had not yet commenced with lease obligations of $465 million. These operating leases will commence between fiscal 2020 and 2023 with non-cancellable lease terms of 1 to 15 years.

Debt

Debt	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	Note 8—Debt The Company had outstanding debt as follows: June 30, September 30, Effective Interest Rate (1) (in millions, except percentages) 2.20% Senior Notes due December 2020 $ 3,000 $ 3,000 2.30 % 2.15% Senior Notes due September 2022 1,000 1,000 2.30 % 2.80% Senior Notes due December 2022 2,250 2,250 2.89 % 3.15% Senior Notes due December 2025 4,000 4,000 3.26 % 1.90% Senior Notes due April 2027 1,500 — 2.02 % 2.75% Senior Notes due September 2027 750 750 2.91 % 2.05% Senior Notes due April 2030 1,500 — 2.13 % 4.15% Senior Notes due December 2035 1,500 1,500 4.23 % 2.70% Senior Notes due April 2040 1,000 — 2.80 % 4.30% Senior Notes due December 2045 3,500 3,500 4.37 % 3.65% Senior Notes due September 2047 750 750 3.73 % Total debt 20,750 16,750 Unamortized discounts and debt issuance costs (134) (108) Hedge accounting fair value adjustments (2) 263 87 Total carrying value of debt $ 20,879 $ 16,729 Reported as: Current maturities of debt $ 2,999 $ — Long-term debt 17,880 16,729 Total carrying value of debt $ 20,879 $ 16,729 (1) Effective interest rates disclosed do not reflect hedge accounting adjustments. (2) Represents the change in fair value of interest rate swap agreements entered into on a portion of certain outstanding senior notes. Commercial Paper Program Visa maintains a commercial paper program to support its working capital requirements and for other general corporate purposes. Under the program, the Company is authorized to issue up to $3.0 billion in outstanding notes, with maturities up to 397 days from the date of issuance. During the three months ended June 30, 2020, the Company repaid $1.0 billion of commercial paper that was issued during the three months ended March 31, 2020. The Company had no outstanding obligations under the program at June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019. Senior Notes In April 2020, the Company issued fixed-rate senior notes in a public offering for an aggregate principal amount of $4.0 billion, with maturities ranging between 7 and 20 years. The April 2027 Notes, 2030 Notes and 2040 Notes, or collectively, the "2020 Notes", have interest rates of 1.90%, 2.05% and 2.70%, respectively. Interest on the 2020 Notes is payable semi-annually on April 15 and October 15 of each year, commencing October 15, 2020. The net aggregate proceeds, after deducting discounts and debt issuance costs, were approximately $4.0 billion. The Company plans to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes. The 2020 Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company, ranking equally with the Company's other senior unsecured indebtedness. The Company may redeem the 2020 Notes as a whole or in part at any time and from time to time at specified redemption prices. Future principal payments on the Company’s outstanding debt are as follows: For the Years Ending September 30, 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Thereafter Total (in millions) Future principal payments $ — $ 3,000 $ 1,000 $ 2,250 $ — $ 14,500 $ 20,750

Settlement Guarantee Management

Settlement Guarantee Management	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Settlement Guarantee Management [Abstract]
Settlement Guarantee Management	Note 9—Settlement Guarantee Management The Company indemnifies its clients for settlement losses suffered due to failure of any other client to fund its settlement obligations in accordance with the Visa operating rules. This indemnification creates settlement risk for the Company due to the difference in timing between the date of a payment transaction and the date of subsequent settlement. Historically, the Company has experienced minimal losses as a result of its settlement risk guarantee. However, the Company’s future obligations, which could be material under its guarantees, are not determinable as they are dependent upon future events. The Company’s settlement exposure is limited to the amount of unsettled Visa payment transactions at any point in time, which vary significantly day to day. The Company’s maximum daily settlement exposure was $97.3 billion and the average daily settlement exposure was $54.4 billion during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. The Company maintains and regularly reviews global settlement risk policies and procedures to manage settlement exposure, which may require clients to post collateral if certain credit standards are not met. At June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company held collateral as follows: June 30, September 30, (in millions) Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents $ 1,759 $ 1,648 Pledged securities at market value 281 259 Letters of credit 1,273 1,293 Guarantees 704 477 Total $ 4,017 $ 3,677

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	Note 10—Stockholders’ Equity As-converted class A common stock. The following table presents the number of shares of each series and class of stock and the number of shares of class A common stock on an as-converted basis: June 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Shares Conversion Rate Into As-converted Class A Common Stock (1) Shares Conversion Rate Into As-converted Class A Common Stock (1) (in millions, except conversion rates) UK&I preferred stock 2 12.7750 32 2 12.9360 32 Europe preferred stock 3 13.7220 43 3 13.8840 44 Class A common stock (2) 1,687 — 1,687 1,718 — 1,718 Class B common stock 245 1.6228 (3) 398 245 1.6228 (3) 398 Class C common stock 11 4.0000 43 11 4.0000 45 Total 2,203 2,237 (1) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. As-converted class A common stock is calculated based on unrounded numbers. (2) Class A common stock shares outstanding reflect repurchases that settled on or before June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019. (3) The class B to class A common stock conversion rate is presented on a rounded basis. Conversion calculations for dividend payments are based on a conversion rate rounded to the tenth decimal. Reduction in as-converted shares. Under the terms of the Europe retrospective responsibility plan, the Company is entitled to recover VE territory covered losses through periodic adjustments to the class A common stock conversion rates applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock. The recovery has the same economic effect on earnings per share as repurchasing the Company’s class A common stock, because it reduces the UK&I and Europe preferred stock conversion rates and consequently, reduces the as-converted class A common stock share count. The following table presents the reduction in equivalent number of as-converted shares of class A common stock, effective price per share and recovery of VE territory covered losses through conversion rate adjustments: Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended UK&I Europe UK&I Europe (in millions, except per share data) Reduction in equivalent number of as-converted class A common stock — (1) 1 — (1) — (1) Effective price per share (2) $ 180.00 $ 180.00 $ 141.32 $ 150.26 Recovery through conversion rate adjustment $ 72 $ 92 $ 6 $ 2 (1) The reduction in equivalent number of shares of class A common stock was less than one million shares. (2) Effective price per share for the quarter is calculated using the volume-weighted average price of the Company’s class A common stock over a pricing period in accordance with the Company’s current certificates of designations for its series B and C convertible participating preferred stock. Effective price per share is calculated using the weighted-average effective prices of the respective adjustments made during the year. Common stock repurchases. The following table presents share repurchases in the open market for the following periods: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions, except per share data) Shares repurchased in the open market (1) 6 13 37 44 Average repurchase price per share (2) $ 177.86 $ 162.97 $ 179.91 $ 147.66 Total cost (2) $ 1,069 $ 2,149 $ 6,572 $ 6,480 (1) Shares repurchased in the open market reflect repurchases that settled during the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. All shares repurchased in the open market have been retired and constitute authorized but unissued shares. (2) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. Average repurchase price per share and total cost is calculated based on unrounded numbers. In January 2019, the Company’s board of directors authorized an $8.5 billion share repurchase program and in January 2020, authorized an additional $9.5 billion share purchase program (the “January 2020 Program”). These authorizations have no expiration date. As of June 30, 2020, the Company’s January 2020 Program had remaining authorized funds of $7.0 billion for share repurchase. All share repurchase programs authorized prior to the January 2020 Program have been completed. Dividends. O n July 20, 2020, the Company’s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share of class A common stock (determined in the case of class B and C common stock and UK&I and Europe preferred stock on an as-converted basis). The cash dividend will be paid on September 1, 2020, to all holders of record as of August 14, 2020. The Company declared and paid $663 million and $565 million during the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively and $2.0 billion and $1.7 billion during the nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, in dividends to holders of the Company’s common and preferred stocks.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	Note 11—Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to each class of shares by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding and participating securities during the period. Net income is allocated to each class of common stock and participating securities based on its proportional ownership on an as-converted basis. The weighted-average number of shares outstanding of each class of common stock reflects changes in ownership over the periods presented. See Note 10—Stockholders’ Equity . Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding, participating securities and, if dilutive, potential class A common stock equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive class A common stock equivalents may consist of: (1) shares of class A common stock issuable upon the conversion of UK&I and Europe preferred stock and class B and C common stock based on the conversion rates in effect through the period, and (2) incremental shares of class A common stock calculated by applying the treasury stock method to the assumed exercise of employee stock options, the assumed purchase of stock under the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the assumed vesting of unearned performance shares. The following table presents earnings per share for the three months ended June 30, 2020: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 1,814 1,690 $ 1.07 $ 2,373 2,214 (3) $ 1.07 Class B common stock 428 245 $ 1.74 $ 427 245 $ 1.74 Class C common stock 46 11 $ 4.29 $ 47 11 $ 4.29 Participating securities (4) 85 Not presented Not presented $ 85 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 2,373 The following table presents earnings per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2020: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 6,679 1,702 $ 3.92 $ 8,729 2,227 (3) $ 3.92 Class B common stock 1,564 245 $ 6.37 $ 1,561 245 $ 6.36 Class C common stock 172 11 $ 15.70 $ 172 11 $ 15.68 Participating securities (4) 314 Not presented Not presented $ 314 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 8,729 The following table presents earnings per share for the three months ended June 30, 2019: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 2,379 1,735 $ 1.37 $ 3,101 2,265 (3) $ 1.37 Class B common stock 549 245 $ 2.23 $ 548 245 $ 2.23 Class C common stock 63 12 $ 5.48 $ 63 12 $ 5.48 Participating securities (4) 110 Not presented Not presented $ 110 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 3,101 The following table presents earnings per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2019: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 6,956 1,748 $ 3.98 $ 9,055 2,278 (3) $ 3.97 Class B common stock 1,592 245 $ 6.49 $ 1,590 245 $ 6.48 Class C common stock 186 12 $ 15.92 $ 185 12 $ 15.90 Participating securities (4) 321 Not presented Not presented $ 321 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 9,055 (1) Net income is allocated based on proportional ownership on an as-converted basis. The weighted-average number of shares of as-converted class B common stock used in the income allocation was 398 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 400 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019. The weighted-average number of shares of as-converted class C common stock used in the income allocation was 43 million and 44 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and 46 million and 47 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. The weighted-average number of shares of preferred stock included within participating securities was 32 million of as-converted UK&I preferred stock for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, and 44 million of as-converted Europe preferred stock for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. (2) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. Earnings per share is calculated based on unrounded numbers. (3) Weighted-average diluted shares outstanding are calculated on an as-converted basis and include incremental common stock equivalents, as calculated under the treasury stock method. The computation includes common stock equivalents of 3 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, because their effect would have been dilutive. The computation excludes common stock equivalents of 1 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, and less than 1 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, because their effect would have been anti-dilutive. (4) Participating securities include preferred stock outstanding and unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, such as the UK&I and Europe preferred stock and restricted stock units. Participating securities’ income is allocated based on the weighted-average number of shares of as-converted stock.

Share-based Compensation

Share-based Compensation	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Share-based Compensation	Note 12—Share-based Compensation The Company granted the following equity awards to employees and non-employee directors under the 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan, or the EIP, during the nine months ended June 30, 2020: Granted Weighted-Average Weighted-Average Non-qualified stock options 1,247,982 $ 29.37 $ 182.50 Restricted stock units 2,287,483 $ 183.22 Performance-based shares (1) 470,128 $ 211.08 (1) Represents the maximum number of performance-based shares which could be earned. The Company recorded share-based compensation cost related to the EIP of $102 million and $106 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and $306 million and $307 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, net of estimated forfeitures.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Note 13—Income Taxes The effective income tax rates were 19% for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, and 20% and 19% for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. The difference in the effective tax rates between the three-month periods was primarily due to the change in geographic mix of income. During the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, the Company’s gross unrecognized tax benefits increased by $55 million and $230 million, respectively. The Company’s net unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would favorably impact the effective tax rate, increased by $31 million and $70 million, respectively. The change in unrecognized tax benefits is primarily related to various tax positions across several jurisdictions. The Company’s accrued interest related to uncertain tax positions increased by $18 million and $56 million during the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $19 million and $51 million during the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. During the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, there were no significant changes in penalties related to uncertain tax positions. The Company’s tax filings are subject to examination by the U.S. federal, state and foreign taxing authorities. The timing and outcome of the final resolutions of the various ongoing income tax examinations are highly uncertain. It is not reasonably possible to estimate the increase or decrease in unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was enacted in the U.S. on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act includes several U.S. income tax provisions related to, among other things, net operating loss carrybacks, alternative minimum tax credits, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations, and technical amendments regarding the income tax depreciation of qualified improvement property placed in service after December 31, 2017. The CARES Act is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial results.

Legal Matters

Legal Matters	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Legal Matters [Abstract]
Legal Matters	Note 14—Legal Matters The Company is party to various legal and regulatory proceedings. Some of these proceedings involve complex claims that are subject to substantial uncertainties and unascertainable damages. Accordingly, except as disclosed, the Company has not established reserves or ranges of possible loss related to these proceedings, as at this time in the proceedings, the matters do not relate to a probable loss and/or the amount or range of losses are not reasonably estimable. Although the Company believes that it has strong defenses for the litigation and regulatory proceedings described below, it could, in the future, incur judgments or fines or enter into settlements of claims that could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. From time to time, the Company may engage in settlement discussions or mediations with respect to one or more of its outstanding litigation matters, either on its own behalf or collectively with other parties. The litigation accrual is an estimate and is based on management’s understanding of its litigation profile, the specifics of each case, advice of counsel to the extent appropriate and management’s best estimate of incurred loss as of the balance sheet date. The following table summarizes the activity related to accrued litigation: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 1,203 $ 1,434 Provision for uncovered legal matters 7 37 Provision for covered legal matters 14 165 Reestablishment of prior accrual related to interchange multidistrict litigation 467 — Payments for legal matters (535) (780) Balance at end of period $ 1,156 $ 856 Accrual Summary—U.S. Covered Litigation Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A. and Visa International are parties to certain legal proceedings that are covered by the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan, which the Company refers to as the U.S. covered litigation. See further discussion below under U.S. Covered Litigation and Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans. An accrual for the U.S. covered litigation and a charge to the litigation provision are recorded when a loss is deemed to be probable and reasonably estimable. In making this determination, the Company evaluates available information, including but not limited to actions taken by the litigation committee. The total accrual related to the U.S. covered litigation could be either higher or lower than the escrow account balance. The following table summarizes the accrual activity related to U.S. covered litigation: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 1,198 $ 1,428 Reestablishment of prior accrual related to interchange multidistrict litigation 467 — Payments for U.S. covered litigation (529) (600) Balance at end of period $ 1,136 $ 828 In fiscal 2019, the Company paid $600 million from its litigation escrow account into a settlement fund established pursuant to the Amended Settlement Agreement with the Damages Class plaintiffs in the Interchange Multidistrict Litigation. Under the Amended Settlement Agreement, if class members opt out of the Damages Class, the defendants are entitled to receive takedown payments of up to $700 million (up to $467 million for Visa), based on the percentage of payment card sales volume attributable to merchants who have chosen to opt out. On December 13, 2019, the district court entered a final judgment order approving the Amended Settlement Agreement with the Damages Class plaintiffs. A takedown payment of approximately $467 million was received on December 27, 2019, and deposited into the Company’s litigation escrow account. The deposit into the litigation escrow account and reestablishment of a prior accrual to address opt-out claims was recorded during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. See further discussion below under U.S. Covered Litigation . Accrual Summary—VE Territory Covered Litigation Visa Inc., Visa International and Visa Europe are parties to certain legal proceedings that are covered by the Europe retrospective responsibility plan. Unlike the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan, the Europe retrospective responsibility plan does not have an escrow account that is used to fund settlements or judgments. The Company is entitled to recover VE territory covered losses through periodic adjustments to the conversion rates applicable to the UK&I preferred stock and Europe preferred stock. An accrual for the VE territory covered losses and a reduction to stockholders’ equity will be recorded when the loss is deemed to be probable and reasonably estimable. See further discussion below under VE Territory Covered Litigation and Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans . The following table summarizes the accrual activity related to VE territory covered litigation: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 5 $ — Provision for VE territory covered litigation 14 165 Payments for VE territory covered litigation (5) (156) Balance at end of period $ 14 $ 9 U.S. Covered Litigation Interchange Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) – Putative Class Actions On November 20, 2019, the district court denied the bank defendants’ motion to dismiss the claims brought against them by the putative Injunctive Relief Class. On December 13, 2019, the district court granted final approval of the Amended Settlement Agreement relating to claims by the Damages Class, which was subsequently appealed. On May 29, 2020, a complaint was filed by Old Jericho Enterprise, Inc. against Visa and Mastercard on behalf of a purported class of gasoline retailers operating in 24 states and the District of Columbia. The complaint alleges violations of the antitrust laws of those jurisdictions and seeks recovery for plaintiffs as indirect purchasers. Visa believes Plaintiffs’ claims are released by the Amended Settlement Agreement and are, nevertheless, covered by the U.S. Retrospective Responsibility Plan. On June 1, 2020, Visa, jointly with other defendants, served a motion for summary judgment regarding the claims in the Injunctive Relief Class complaint. The putative Injunctive Relief Class plaintiffs served a motion for partial summary judgment. Interchange Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) - Individual Merchant Actions Visa has reached settlements with a number of merchants representing approximately 30% of the Visa-branded payment card sales volume of merchants who opted out of the Amended Settlement Agreement with the Damages Class plaintiffs. On June 1, 2020, Visa, jointly with other defendants, served motions for summary judgment regarding the claims in certain of the individual merchant actions, as well as certain declaratory judgment claims brought by Visa, Mastercard, and some U.S. financial institutions. Plaintiffs in certain of the individual merchant actions served motions for partial summary judgment. VE Territory Covered Litigation Europe Merchant Litigation Since July 2013, in excess of 500 Merchants (the capitalized term “Merchant,” when used in this section, means a merchant together with subsidiary/affiliate companies that are party to the same claim) have commenced proceedings against Visa Europe, Visa Inc. and other Visa subsidiaries in the UK, Germany, Belgium and Poland primarily relating to interchange rates in Europe and in some cases relating to fees charged by Visa and certain Visa rules. As of the filing date, Visa Europe, Visa Inc. and other Visa subsidiaries have settled the claims asserted by over 100 Merchants, leaving more than 400 Merchants with outstanding claims. In addition, over 30 additional Merchants have threatened to commence similar proceedings. Standstill agreements have been entered into with respect to some of those threatened Merchant claims, several of which have been settled. On June 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom found that Visa’s UK domestic interchange restricted competition. The case will now continue before the UK Competition Appeals Tribunal to determine the lawful level of interchange and the amount the plaintiff may be entitled to recover. Other Litigation Canadian Merchant Litigation Between August 2019 and January 2020, the Courts of Appeal in British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan rejected the appeals filed by Wal-Mart Canada and Home Depot of Canada Inc. In January 2020, Wal-Mart Canada and Home Depot of Canada Inc. filed applications to appeal the decisions of the British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario courts to the Supreme Court of Canada and those applications were denied on March 26, 2020. Wal-Mart Canada and Home Depot of Canada Inc. also filed an application seeking the Supreme Court’s review of the Saskatchewan court's decision. The application and an appeal to the Alberta Court of Appeal remain pending. Pulse Network On June 5, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit set the case for re-argument during the week of August 31, 2020. Nuts for Candy On December 31, 2019, plaintiff filed a motion to dismiss and for attorneys’ fees and costs based on the settlement reached between the parties and the grant of final approval of the 2018 Amended Settlement Agreement as discussed above in Interchange Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) - Putative Class Actions . On February 25, 2020, the court granted plaintiff’s motion to dismiss and for attorneys’ fees and costs. The case has been dismissed with prejudice. Federal Trade Commission Civil Investigative Demand (Formerly Voluntary Access Letter) On June 9, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Visa requesting additional documents and information. Euronet Litigation On December 13, 2019, Euronet 360 Finance Limited, Euronet Polska Spolka z.o.o. and Euronet Services spol. s.r.o. (“Euronet”) served a claim in the UK alleging that certain rules affecting ATM access fees in Poland, the Czech Republic and Greece by Visa Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated, and certain of their subsidiaries, breach various competition laws. Euronet seeks damages, costs, and injunctive relief to prevent the defendants from enforcing the aforementioned rules. European Commission Staged Digital Wallets Investigation On June 26, 2020, the European Commission (“EC”) informed Visa that it has opened a preliminary investigation into Visa’s rules regarding staged digital wallets and issued a request for information regarding such rules. Visa is cooperating with the EC.

Summary of Significant Accoun_2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Consolidation and basis of presentation	Consolidation and basis of presentation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Visa and its consolidated entities and are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The Company consolidates its majority-owned and controlled entities, including variable interest entities (“VIEs”) for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. The Company’s investments in VIEs have not been material to its unaudited consolidated financial statements as of and for the periods presented. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) requirements for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and, consequently, do not include all of the annual disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. Reference should be made to the Visa Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019 for additional disclosures, including a summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods presented.
Use of estimates	Use of estimates. The preparation of accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited consolidated financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates may change, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and will be recognized in the consolidated financial statements in the period in which such changes occur. Future actual results could differ materially from these estimates. The worldwide spread of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has created significant uncertainty in the global economy. There have been no comparable recent events that provide guidance as to the effect the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic may have, and, as a result, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 and the extent to which COVID-19 continues to impact the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and difficult to predict.
Recently issued and adopted accounting pronouncements	Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, which requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities arising from operating leases on the balance sheet. Subsequently, the FASB also issued a series of amendments to this new leases standard that address the transition methods available and clarify the guidance for lessor costs and other aspects of the new leases standard. The Company adopted the standard effective October 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective transition method with comparative periods continuing to be reported using the prior leases standard. The Company elected to apply the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance, allowing the Company to carry forward the historical assessment of whether a contract was or contains a lease, lease classification and capitalization of initial direct costs. The adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In accordance with ASU 2016-02, the Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at its inception. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, and corresponding lease liabilities, are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of remaining lease payments over the lease term. For this purpose, the Company considers only payments that are fixed and determinable at the time of commencement. As a majority of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU asset also includes any lease payments made prior to commencement and is recorded net of any lease incentives received. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. The Company does not record a ROU asset and corresponding liability for leases with terms of 12 months or less. The Company does not include renewals in the determination of the lease term unless the renewals are deemed to be reasonably assured at lease commencement. Lease agreements generally contain lease and non-lease components. Non-lease components primarily include payments for maintenance and utilities. The Company does not combine lease payments with non-lease components for any of its leases. Operating leases are recorded as ROU assets, which are included in other assets. The current portion of lease liabilities are included in accrued liabilities and the long-term portion is included in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company’s lease cost consists of amounts recognized under lease agreements in the results of operations adjusted for impairment and sublease income. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, which allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for adjustments to tax effects that were originally recorded in other comprehensive income due to changes in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate resulting from the enactment of the U.S. tax reform legislation, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Company adopted the ASU effective October 1, 2019. The adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in the existing guidance for income taxes and making other minor improvements. The amendments in the ASU are effective for the Company on October 1, 2021. The Company does not plan to early adopt the ASU at this time. The adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-01, which clarifies that an entity should consider observable transactions that require it to either apply or discontinue the equity method of accounting for the purposes of applying the fair value measurement alternative. The amendments in the ASU are effective for the Company on October 1, 2021. The adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. The amendments in the ASU are effective for the Company upon issuance through December 31, 2022. The Company is evaluating the effect ASU 2020-04 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Revenues (Tables)

Revenues (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Disaggregation of Revenue	The following tables disaggregate the Company’s net revenues by revenue category and by geography for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions) Service revenues $ 2,409 $ 2,405 $ 7,587 $ 7,164 Data processing revenues 2,525 2,662 8,100 7,564 International transaction revenues 1,102 1,977 4,953 5,624 Other revenues 314 342 1,071 968 Client incentives (1,513) (1,546) (4,966) (4,480) Net revenues $ 4,837 $ 5,840 $ 16,745 $ 16,840 Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions) U.S. $ 2,380 $ 2,587 $ 7,747 $ 7,573 International 2,457 3,253 8,998 9,267 Net revenues $ 4,837 $ 5,840 $ 16,745 $ 16,840

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restr_2

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Schedule of Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	The Company reconciles cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents reported in the consolidated balance sheets that aggregate to the beginning and ending balances shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows as follows: June 30, September 30, (in millions) Cash and cash equivalents $ 13,898 $ 7,838 Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents: U.S. litigation escrow 1,148 1,205 Customer collateral 1,759 1,648 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 129 141 Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents $ 16,934 $ 10,832

U.S. and Europe Retrospective_2

U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plan (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Retrospective Responsibility Plan [Abstract]
Changes in the U.S. litigation escrow account	The following table sets forth the changes in the restricted cash equivalents—U.S. litigation escrow account: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 1,205 $ 1,491 Return of takedown payment to the litigation escrow account 467 — Payments to class plaintiffs’ settlement fund (1) — (600) Payments to opt-out merchants (1) and interest earned on escrow funds (524) 11 Balance at end of period $ 1,148 $ 902 (1) These payments are associated with the Interchange Multidistrict Litigation. See Note 14—Legal Matters .
Changes in Preferred Stock and Right to Recover for Covered Losses	The following table sets forth the activities related to VE territory covered losses in preferred stock and “right to recover for covered losses” within equity during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. Preferred Stock Right to Recover for Covered Losses UK&I Europe (in millions) Balance as of September 30, 2019 $ 2,285 $ 3,177 $ (171) VE territory covered losses incurred (1) — — (22) Recovery through conversion rate adjustment (2) (72) (92) 169 Balance as of June 30, 2020 $ 2,213 $ 3,085 $ (24) (1) VE territory covered losses incurred reflect settlements with merchants and additional legal costs. See Note 14—Legal Matters . (2) Adjustment to right to recover for covered losses for the conversion rate adjustment differs from the actual recovered amount due to differences in foreign exchange rates between the time the losses were incurred and the subsequent recovery through the conversion rate adjustment.
Preferred Stock As-Converted Value and Book Value	The following table sets forth the as-converted value of the preferred stock available to recover VE territory covered losses compared to the book value of preferred shares recorded in stockholders’ equity within the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019: June 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 As-Converted Value of Preferred Stock (1),(2) Book Value of Preferred Stock (1) As-Converted Value of Preferred Stock (1),(3) Book Value of Preferred Stock (1) (in millions) UK&I preferred stock $ 6,121 $ 2,213 $ 5,519 $ 2,285 Europe preferred stock 8,368 3,085 7,539 3,177 Total 14,489 5,298 13,058 5,462 Less: right to recover for covered losses (24) (24) (171) (171) Total recovery for covered losses available $ 14,465 $ 5,274 $ 12,887 $ 5,291 (1) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. As-converted and book values are based on unrounded numbers. (2) The as-converted value of preferred stock is calculated as the product of: (a) 2 million and 3 million shares of the UK&I and Europe preferred stock outstanding, respectively, as of June 30, 2020; (b) 12.775 and 13.722, the class A common stock conversion rate applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock as of June 30, 2020, respectively; and (c) $193.17, Visa’s class A common stock closing stock price as of June 30, 2020. (3) The as-converted value of preferred stock is calculated as the product of: (a) 2 million and 3 million shares of the UK&I and Europe preferred stock outstanding, respectively, as of September 30, 2019; (b) 12.936 and 13.884, the class A common stock conversion rate applicable to the UK&I and Europe preferred stock as of September 30, 2019, respectively; and (c) $172.01, Visa’s class A common stock closing stock price as of September 30, 2019.

Fair Value Measurements and I_2

Fair Value Measurements and Investments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis	Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis Fair Value Measurements Level 1 Level 2 June 30, September 30, June 30, September 30, (in millions) Assets Cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents: Money market funds $ 12,739 $ 6,494 U.S. government-sponsored debt securities $ — $ 150 Investment securities: Marketable equity securities 140 126 U.S. government-sponsored debt securities 2,892 5,592 U.S. Treasury securities 254 675 Other current and non-current assets: Derivative instruments 672 437 Total $ 13,133 $ 7,295 $ 3,564 $ 6,179 Liabilities Accrued compensation and benefits: Deferred compensation liability $ 128 $ 113 Accrued and other liabilities: Derivative instruments $ 247 $ 52 Total $ 128 $ 113 $ 247 $ 52
Equity Securities without Readily Determinable Fair Value	The following table summarizes the total carrying value of the Company’s non-marketable equity securities held as of June 30, 2020 including cumulative unrealized gains and losses: June 30, 2020 (in millions) Initial cost basis $ 834 Upward adjustments 175 Downward adjustments (including impairment) (11) Carrying amount, end of period $ 998
Schedule of Gains and Losses on Marketable and Non-Marketable Equity Securities	Gains and losses on the Company’s equity securities are summarized below. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions) Net gain (loss) on equity securities sold during the period $ — $ 1 $ 5 $ 16 Unrealized gain (loss) on equity securities held as of the end of the period 68 10 59 69 Total gain (loss) recognized in non-operating income (expense), net $ 68 $ 11 $ 64 $ 85

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Schedule of Present Value of Future Minimum Lease Payments	At June 30, 2020, the present value of future minimum lease payments was as follows: June 30, 2020 (in millions) Remainder of 2020 $ 29 2021 107 2022 100 2023 93 2024 80 Thereafter 226 Total undiscounted lease payments 635 Less: imputed interest (52) Present value of lease liabilities $ 583

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Debt	The Company had outstanding debt as follows: June 30, September 30, Effective Interest Rate (1) (in millions, except percentages) 2.20% Senior Notes due December 2020 $ 3,000 $ 3,000 2.30 % 2.15% Senior Notes due September 2022 1,000 1,000 2.30 % 2.80% Senior Notes due December 2022 2,250 2,250 2.89 % 3.15% Senior Notes due December 2025 4,000 4,000 3.26 % 1.90% Senior Notes due April 2027 1,500 — 2.02 % 2.75% Senior Notes due September 2027 750 750 2.91 % 2.05% Senior Notes due April 2030 1,500 — 2.13 % 4.15% Senior Notes due December 2035 1,500 1,500 4.23 % 2.70% Senior Notes due April 2040 1,000 — 2.80 % 4.30% Senior Notes due December 2045 3,500 3,500 4.37 % 3.65% Senior Notes due September 2047 750 750 3.73 % Total debt 20,750 16,750 Unamortized discounts and debt issuance costs (134) (108) Hedge accounting fair value adjustments (2) 263 87 Total carrying value of debt $ 20,879 $ 16,729 Reported as: Current maturities of debt $ 2,999 $ — Long-term debt 17,880 16,729 Total carrying value of debt $ 20,879 $ 16,729 (1) Effective interest rates disclosed do not reflect hedge accounting adjustments.
Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt	Future principal payments on the Company’s outstanding debt are as follows: For the Years Ending September 30, 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Thereafter Total (in millions) Future principal payments $ — $ 3,000 $ 1,000 $ 2,250 $ — $ 14,500 $ 20,750

Settlement Guarantee Manageme_2

Settlement Guarantee Management (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Settlement Guarantee Management [Abstract]
Schedule of Customer Collateral	The Company maintains and regularly reviews global settlement risk policies and procedures to manage settlement exposure, which may require clients to post collateral if certain credit standards are not met. At June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company held collateral as follows: June 30, September 30, (in millions) Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents $ 1,759 $ 1,648 Pledged securities at market value 281 259 Letters of credit 1,273 1,293 Guarantees 704 477 Total $ 4,017 $ 3,677

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Schedule of Stock by Class	As-converted class A common stock. The following table presents the number of shares of each series and class of stock and the number of shares of class A common stock on an as-converted basis: June 30, 2020 September 30, 2019 Shares Conversion Rate Into As-converted Class A Common Stock (1) Shares Conversion Rate Into As-converted Class A Common Stock (1) (in millions, except conversion rates) UK&I preferred stock 2 12.7750 32 2 12.9360 32 Europe preferred stock 3 13.7220 43 3 13.8840 44 Class A common stock (2) 1,687 — 1,687 1,718 — 1,718 Class B common stock 245 1.6228 (3) 398 245 1.6228 (3) 398 Class C common stock 11 4.0000 43 11 4.0000 45 Total 2,203 2,237 (1) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. As-converted class A common stock is calculated based on unrounded numbers. (2) Class A common stock shares outstanding reflect repurchases that settled on or before June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019. (3) The class B to class A common stock conversion rate is presented on a rounded basis. Conversion calculations for dividend payments are based on a conversion rate rounded to the tenth decimal.
Effect of VE Territory Covered Losses Recovery on the Company Repurchasing its Common Stock	The following table presents the reduction in equivalent number of as-converted shares of class A common stock, effective price per share and recovery of VE territory covered losses through conversion rate adjustments: Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended UK&I Europe UK&I Europe (in millions, except per share data) Reduction in equivalent number of as-converted class A common stock — (1) 1 — (1) — (1) Effective price per share (2) $ 180.00 $ 180.00 $ 141.32 $ 150.26 Recovery through conversion rate adjustment $ 72 $ 92 $ 6 $ 2 (1) The reduction in equivalent number of shares of class A common stock was less than one million shares. (2) Effective price per share for the quarter is calculated using the volume-weighted average price of the Company’s class A common stock over a pricing period in accordance with the Company’s current certificates of designations for its series B and C convertible participating preferred stock. Effective price per share is calculated using the weighted-average effective prices of the respective adjustments made during the year.
Share Repurchase Program Disclosure	Common stock repurchases. The following table presents share repurchases in the open market for the following periods: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 2020 2019 (in millions, except per share data) Shares repurchased in the open market (1) 6 13 37 44 Average repurchase price per share (2) $ 177.86 $ 162.97 $ 179.91 $ 147.66 Total cost (2) $ 1,069 $ 2,149 $ 6,572 $ 6,480 (1) Shares repurchased in the open market reflect repurchases that settled during the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. All shares repurchased in the open market have been retired and constitute authorized but unissued shares. (2) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. Average repurchase price per share and total cost is calculated based on unrounded numbers.

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	The following table presents earnings per share for the three months ended June 30, 2020: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 1,814 1,690 $ 1.07 $ 2,373 2,214 (3) $ 1.07 Class B common stock 428 245 $ 1.74 $ 427 245 $ 1.74 Class C common stock 46 11 $ 4.29 $ 47 11 $ 4.29 Participating securities (4) 85 Not presented Not presented $ 85 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 2,373 The following table presents earnings per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2020: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 6,679 1,702 $ 3.92 $ 8,729 2,227 (3) $ 3.92 Class B common stock 1,564 245 $ 6.37 $ 1,561 245 $ 6.36 Class C common stock 172 11 $ 15.70 $ 172 11 $ 15.68 Participating securities (4) 314 Not presented Not presented $ 314 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 8,729 The following table presents earnings per share for the three months ended June 30, 2019: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 2,379 1,735 $ 1.37 $ 3,101 2,265 (3) $ 1.37 Class B common stock 549 245 $ 2.23 $ 548 245 $ 2.23 Class C common stock 63 12 $ 5.48 $ 63 12 $ 5.48 Participating securities (4) 110 Not presented Not presented $ 110 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 3,101 The following table presents earnings per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2019: Basic Earnings Per Share Diluted Earnings Per Share (in millions, except per share data) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Income Allocation (A) (1) Weighted- Earnings per Share = (A)/(B) (2) Class A common stock $ 6,956 1,748 $ 3.98 $ 9,055 2,278 (3) $ 3.97 Class B common stock 1,592 245 $ 6.49 $ 1,590 245 $ 6.48 Class C common stock 186 12 $ 15.92 $ 185 12 $ 15.90 Participating securities (4) 321 Not presented Not presented $ 321 Not presented Not presented Net income $ 9,055 (1) Net income is allocated based on proportional ownership on an as-converted basis. The weighted-average number of shares of as-converted class B common stock used in the income allocation was 398 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 400 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019. The weighted-average number of shares of as-converted class C common stock used in the income allocation was 43 million and 44 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and 46 million and 47 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. The weighted-average number of shares of preferred stock included within participating securities was 32 million of as-converted UK&I preferred stock for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, and 44 million of as-converted Europe preferred stock for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. (2) Figures in the table may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. Earnings per share is calculated based on unrounded numbers. (3) Weighted-average diluted shares outstanding are calculated on an as-converted basis and include incremental common stock equivalents, as calculated under the treasury stock method. The computation includes common stock equivalents of 3 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, because their effect would have been dilutive. The computation excludes common stock equivalents of 1 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020, and less than 1 million for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2019, because their effect would have been anti-dilutive. (4) Participating securities include preferred stock outstanding and unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents, such as the UK&I and Europe preferred stock and restricted stock units. Participating securities’ income is allocated based on the weighted-average number of shares of as-converted stock.

Share-based Compensation (Table

Share-based Compensation (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Noncash Expense [Abstract]
Disclosure of Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award	The Company granted the following equity awards to employees and non-employee directors under the 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan, or the EIP, during the nine months ended June 30, 2020: Granted Weighted-Average Weighted-Average Non-qualified stock options 1,247,982 $ 29.37 $ 182.50 Restricted stock units 2,287,483 $ 183.22 Performance-based shares (1) 470,128 $ 211.08 (1) Represents the maximum number of performance-based shares which could be earned.

Legal Matters (Tables)

Legal Matters (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020
Legal Matters [Abstract]
Schedule of Loss Contingencies by Contingency	The following table summarizes the activity related to accrued litigation: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 1,203 $ 1,434 Provision for uncovered legal matters 7 37 Provision for covered legal matters 14 165 Reestablishment of prior accrual related to interchange multidistrict litigation 467 — Payments for legal matters (535) (780) Balance at end of period $ 1,156 $ 856 The following table summarizes the accrual activity related to U.S. covered litigation: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 1,198 $ 1,428 Reestablishment of prior accrual related to interchange multidistrict litigation 467 — Payments for U.S. covered litigation (529) (600) Balance at end of period $ 1,136 $ 828 The following table summarizes the accrual activity related to VE territory covered litigation: Nine Months Ended 2020 2019 (in millions) Balance at beginning of period $ 5 $ — Provision for VE territory covered litigation 14 165 Payments for VE territory covered litigation (5) (156) Balance at end of period $ 14 $ 9

Summary of Significant Accoun_3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details)	Jun. 30, 2020country
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Number of countries in which entity operates (more than)	200

Acquisitions (Details)

Acquisitions (Details) - Plaid, Inc. $ in Billions	Jan. 13, 2020USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration	$ 5.3
Total consideration, cash	4.9
Total consideration, restricted stock units and stock options	$ 0.4

Revenues (Details)

Revenues (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	$ 4,837	$ 5,840	$ 16,745	$ 16,840
U.S.
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	2,380	2,587	7,747	7,573
International
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	2,457	3,253	8,998	9,267
Service revenues
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	2,409	2,405	7,587	7,164
Data processing revenues
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	2,525	2,662	8,100	7,564
International transaction revenues
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	1,102	1,977	4,953	5,624
Other revenues
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	314	342	1,071	968
Client incentives
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Net revenues	$ (1,513)	$ (1,546)	$ (4,966)	$ (4,480)

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restr_3

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 13,898	$ 7,838
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	16,934	10,832	$ 10,669	$ 10,977
U.S. litigation escrow
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	1,148	1,205
Customer collateral
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	1,759	1,648
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	$ 129	$ 141

U.S. and Europe Retrospective_3

U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plan - Additional Details (Details) € in Millions, $ in Millions	Dec. 27, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020EUR (€)	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Return of takedown payment to the litigation escrow account	$ 467				$ 467	$ 0
VE covered loss, maximum amount of loss to allow adjustment of conversion rate during six-month period | €			€ 20
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment		$ 5		$ 0	5
UK&I preferred stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment					$ 72	6
Preferred stock, conversion rate		12.775	12.775		12.775		12.936
Europe preferred stock
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment					$ 92	2
Preferred stock, conversion rate		13.722	13.722		13.722		13.884
Right to Recover for Covered Losses
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment		$ 169		$ 2	$ 169	$ 8

U.S. and Europe Retrospective_4

U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plan - Changes in the U.S. Litigation Escrow Account (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 27, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Escrow Account [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance		$ 1,205	$ 1,491
Return of takedown payment to the litigation escrow account	$ 467	467	0
Payments to class plaintiffs’ settlement fund		0	(600)
Ending balance		1,148	902
Interest Income | Opt-out Merchants
Escrow Account [Roll Forward]
Payments to opt-out merchants and interest earned on escrow funds		$ (524)	$ 11

U.S. and Europe Retrospective_5

U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plan - Changes in Preferred Stock and Right to Recover Covered Losses (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)$ / sharesshares	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)$ / sharesshares
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 34,585	$ 34,275	$ 34,684	$ 34,006
VE territory covered losses incurred	(9)	(8)	(22)	(170)
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment	5	0	5
Ending balance	35,524	34,995	35,524	34,995
Preferred Stock, As-Converted Value	14,489		14,489		$ 13,058
Preferred Stock Available to Recover Covered Losses, Value	5,298		5,298		5,462
Less: right to recover for covered losses	(24)		(24)		(171)
Preferred Stock, As-Converted Value, Total Recovery for Covered Losses Available	14,465		14,465		12,887
Preferred Stock, Book Value, Total Recovery for Covered Losses Available	$ 5,274		$ 5,274		$ 5,291
Share price (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 193.17		$ 193.17		$ 172.01
Preferred Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 5,462	5,464	$ 5,462	5,470
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment	(164)	(2)	(164)	(8)
Ending balance	5,298	5,462	5,298	5,462
Right to Recover for Covered Losses
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(184)	(163)	(171)	(7)
VE territory covered losses incurred	(9)	(8)	(22)	(170)
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment	169	2	169	8
Ending balance	(24)	$ (169)	(24)	(169)
UK&I preferred stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment			72	6
Preferred Stock, As-Converted Value	6,121		6,121		$ 5,519
Preferred Stock, Book Value	$ 2,213		$ 2,213		$ 2,285
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares) | shares	2,000,000		2,000,000		2,000,000
Preferred stock, conversion rate	12.775		12.775		12.936
UK&I preferred stock | Preferred Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance			$ 2,285
VE territory covered losses incurred			0
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment			72
Ending balance	$ 2,213		2,213
Europe preferred stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment			92	$ 2
Preferred Stock, As-Converted Value	8,368		8,368		$ 7,539
Preferred Stock, Book Value	$ 3,085		$ 3,085		$ 3,177
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares) | shares	3,000,000		3,000,000		3,000,000
Preferred stock, conversion rate	13.722		13.722		13.884
Europe preferred stock | Preferred Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance			$ 3,177
VE territory covered losses incurred			0
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment			92
Ending balance	$ 3,085		$ 3,085

Fair Value Measurements and I_3

Fair Value Measurements and Investments - Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Assets
U.S. securities	$ 3,100	$ 6,300
Level 1 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Assets
Marketable equity securities	140	126
Total	13,133	7,295
Liabilities
Deferred compensation liability	128	113
Total	128	113
Level 1 | U.S. Treasury securities | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Assets
U.S. securities	254	675
Level 2 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Assets
Derivative instruments	672	437
Total	3,564	6,179
Liabilities
Derivative instruments	247	52
Total	247	52
Level 2 | U.S. government-sponsored debt securities | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Assets
U.S. securities	2,892	5,592
Money market funds | Level 1 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Assets
Cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents:	12,739	6,494
U.S. government-sponsored debt securities | Level 2 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Assets
Cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents:	$ 0	$ 150

Fair Value Measurements and I_4

Fair Value Measurements and Investments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Feb. 01, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 assets		$ 0	$ 0
U.S. securities		3,100,000,000	3,100,000,000	$ 6,300,000,000
Upward adjustments		56,000,000	65,000,000
Downward adjustments		0	0
Impairment charges of non-marketable equity securities		6,000,000	6,000,000
Impairment of indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill	$ 0
Carrying value of long-term debt		$ 20,879,000,000	$ 20,879,000,000	16,729,000,000
Minimum
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities, stated maturities		1 year	1 year
Maximum
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities, stated maturities		5 years	5 years
Senior Notes
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Carrying value of long-term debt		$ 20,900,000,000	$ 20,900,000,000	16,700,000,000
Estimated Fair Value | Senior Notes
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Estimated fair value of long-term debt		$ 23,400,000,000	$ 23,400,000,000	$ 18,400,000,000

Fair Value Measurements and I_5

Fair Value Measurements and Investments - Schedule of Non-Marketable Equity Securities (Details) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Initial cost basis	$ 834
Upward adjustments	175
Downward adjustments (including impairment)	(11)
Carrying amount, end of period	$ 998

Fair Value Measurements and I_6

Fair Value Measurements and Investments - Schedule of Gains and Losses on Marketable and Non-Marketable Equity Securities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Net gain (loss) on equity securities sold during the period	$ 0	$ 1	$ 5	$ 16
Unrealized gain (loss) on equity securities held as of the end of the period	68	10	59	69
Total gain (loss) recognized in non-operating income (expense), net	$ 68	$ 11	$ 64	$ 85

Leases - Additional Information

Leases - Additional Information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)option_to_renew
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease cost	$ 29	$ 84
Weighted average remaining lease term (in years)	7 years	7 years
Weighted average discount rate	2.28%	2.28%
Operating leases, not yet commenced, lease obligations	$ 465	$ 465
Minimum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Number of renewal options | option_to_renew		1
Operating leases, non-cancellable lease terms	1 year	1 year
Maximum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating leases, non-cancellable lease terms	15 years	15 years

Leases - Schedule of Present Va

Leases - Schedule of Present Value of Future Minimum Lease Payments (Details) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Remainder of 2020	$ 29
2021	107
2022	100
2023	93
2024	80
Thereafter	226
Total undiscounted lease payments	635
Less: imputed interest	(52)
Present value of lease liabilities	$ 583

Debt - Summary of Debt (Details

Debt - Summary of Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020	Apr. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 20,750
Unamortized discounts and debt issuance costs	(134)		$ (108)
Hedge accounting fair value adjustments	263		87
Total carrying value of debt	20,879		16,729
Current maturities of debt	2,999		0
Long-term debt	17,880		16,729
Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	20,750		16,750
Total carrying value of debt	20,900		16,700
Senior Notes | 2.20% Senior Notes due December 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 3,000		3,000
Effective interest rate (percent)	2.30%
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.20%
Senior Notes | 2.15% Senior Notes due September 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,000		1,000
Effective interest rate (percent)	2.30%
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.15%
Senior Notes | 2.80% Senior Notes due December 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 2,250		2,250
Effective interest rate (percent)	2.89%
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.80%
Senior Notes | 3.15% Senior Notes due December 2025
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 4,000		4,000
Effective interest rate (percent)	3.26%
Stated interest rate (percent)	3.15%
Senior Notes | 1.90% Senior Notes due April 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,500		0
Effective interest rate (percent)	2.02%
Stated interest rate (percent)	1.90%	1.90%
Senior Notes | 2.75% Senior Notes due September 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 750		750
Effective interest rate (percent)	2.91%
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.75%
Senior Notes | 2.05% Senior Notes due April 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,500		0
Effective interest rate (percent)	2.13%
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.05%
Senior Notes | 4.15% Senior Notes due December 2035
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,500		1,500
Effective interest rate (percent)	4.23%
Stated interest rate (percent)	4.15%
Senior Notes | 2.70% Senior Notes due April 2040
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 1,000		0
Effective interest rate (percent)	2.80%
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.70%
Senior Notes | 4.30% Senior Notes due December 2045
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 3,500		3,500
Effective interest rate (percent)	4.37%
Stated interest rate (percent)	4.30%
Senior Notes | 3.65% Senior Notes due September 2047
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 750		$ 750
Effective interest rate (percent)	3.73%
Stated interest rate (percent)	3.65%

Debt - Narrative (Details)

Debt - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commercial paper program, outstanding obligations		$ 0	$ 0		$ 0
Proceeds from issuance of senior notes (Note 8)			3,985,000,000	$ 0
Commercial Paper
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commercial paper program, amount available		3,000,000,000	$ 3,000,000,000
Credit agreement term			397 days
Repayments of commercial paper		$ 1,000,000,000
Senior Notes | 2020 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Proceeds from issuance of senior notes (Note 8)	$ 4,000,000,000
Stated interest rate (percent)		2.20%	2.20%
Senior Notes | 1.90% Senior Notes due April 2027
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (percent)	1.90%	1.90%	1.90%
Senior Notes | 2030 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.05%
Senior Notes | 2040 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (percent)	2.70%
Senior Notes | Minimum | 2020 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit agreement term	7 years
Senior Notes | Maximum | 2020 Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit agreement term	20 years

Debt - Schedule of Future Princ

Debt - Schedule of Future Principal Payments of Outstanding Debt (Details) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2020	$ 0
2021	3,000
2022	1,000
2023	2,250
2024	0
Thereafter	14,500
Total	$ 20,750

Settlement Guarantee Manageme_3

Settlement Guarantee Management - Additional Information (Details) $ in Billions	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)
Settlement Guarantee Management [Abstract]
Maximum Settlement Exposure	$ 97.3
Average Daily Settlement Exposure	$ 54.4

Settlement Guarantee Manageme_4

Settlement Guarantee Management - Collateral (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Settlement Guarantee Management [Abstract]
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	$ 1,759	$ 1,648
Pledged securities at market value	281	259
Letters of credit	1,273	1,293
Guarantees	704	477
Total	$ 4,017	$ 3,677

Stockholders' Equity - Number o

Stockholders' Equity - Number of Shares of Class A Common Shares Outstanding on an As-Converted Basis (Detail)	Jun. 30, 2020shares	Sep. 30, 2019shares
Schedule of Common Stock as Converted [Line Items]
As-converted Class A Common Stock (in shares)	2,203,000,000	2,237,000,000
U.K.& I preferred stock
Schedule of Common Stock as Converted [Line Items]
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	2,000,000	2,000,000
Preferred stock, conversion rate into Class A Common Stock	12.775	12.936
As-converted Class A Common Stock (in shares)	32,000,000	32,000,000
Europe preferred stock
Schedule of Common Stock as Converted [Line Items]
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	3,000,000	3,000,000
Preferred stock, conversion rate into Class A Common Stock	13.722	13.884
As-converted Class A Common Stock (in shares)	43,000,000	44,000,000
Class A common stock
Schedule of Common Stock as Converted [Line Items]
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	1,687,000,000	1,718,000,000
As-converted Class A Common Stock (in shares)	1,687,000,000	1,718,000,000
Class B common stock
Schedule of Common Stock as Converted [Line Items]
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	245,000,000	245,000,000
Common stock, conversion rate into Class A Common Stock	1.6228	1.6228
As-converted Class A Common Stock (in shares)	398,000,000	398,000,000
Class C common stock
Schedule of Common Stock as Converted [Line Items]
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	11,000,000	11,000,000
Common stock, conversion rate into Class A Common Stock	4	4
As-converted Class A Common Stock (in shares)	43,000,000	45,000,000

Stockholders' Equity - Effect o

Stockholders' Equity - Effect of VE Territory Covered Losses Through Coversion Rate Adjustments (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment	$ 5	$ 0	$ 5
UK&I preferred stock
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Reduction in equivalent number of as-converted shares of class A common stock (in shares)			0	0
Effective price per share (in dollars per share)			$ 180	$ 141.32
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment			$ 72	$ 6
Europe preferred stock
Conversion of Stock [Line Items]
Reduction in equivalent number of as-converted shares of class A common stock (in shares)			1	0
Effective price per share (in dollars per share)			$ 180	$ 150.26
Recovery through conversion rate adjustment			$ 92	$ 2

Stockholders' Equity - Share Re

Stockholders' Equity - Share Repurchases in the Open Market (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Total cost	$ 1,069	$ 2,149	$ 6,572	$ 6,480
Class A common stock
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Shares repurchased in the open market (in shares)	6	13	37	44
Average repurchase price per share (in dollars per share)	$ 177.86	$ 162.97	$ 179.91	$ 147.66
Total cost	$ 1,069	$ 2,149	$ 6,572	$ 6,480

Stockholders' Equity - Addition

Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jul. 20, 2020	Jan. 31, 2020	Jan. 31, 2019
Stockholders Equity Note [Line Items]
Share repurchase program						$ 9,500	$ 8,500
January 2020 share repurchase program remaining authorized funds	$ 7,000		$ 7,000
Cash dividends declared and paid, at a quarterly amount per Class A share	$ 663	$ 565	$ 2,002	$ 1,706
Subsequent Event | Class A common stock
Stockholders Equity Note [Line Items]
Quarterly cash dividend (in dollars per share)					$ 0.30

Earnings Per Share - Basic and

Earnings Per Share - Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Net income	$ 2,373	$ 3,101	$ 8,729	$ 9,055
Class A common stock
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Income Allocation - Basic	$ 1,814	$ 2,379	$ 6,679	$ 6,956
Weighted- Average Shares Outstanding - Basic (in shares)	1,690	1,735	1,702	1,748
Earnings per Share - Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 1.07	$ 1.37	$ 3.92	$ 3.98
Income Allocation - Diluted	$ 2,373	$ 3,101	$ 8,729	$ 9,055
Weighted- Average Shares Outstanding - Diluted (in shares)	2,214	2,265	2,227	2,278
Earnings per Share - Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 1.07	$ 1.37	$ 3.92	$ 3.97
Class B common stock
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Income Allocation - Basic	$ 428	$ 549	$ 1,564	$ 1,592
Weighted- Average Shares Outstanding - Basic (in shares)	245	245	245	245
Earnings per Share - Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 1.74	$ 2.23	$ 6.37	$ 6.49
Income Allocation - Diluted	$ 427	$ 548	$ 1,561	$ 1,590
Weighted- Average Shares Outstanding - Diluted (in shares)	245	245	245	245
Earnings per Share - Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 1.74	$ 2.23	$ 6.36	$ 6.48
Class C common stock
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Income Allocation - Basic	$ 46	$ 63	$ 172	$ 186
Weighted- Average Shares Outstanding - Basic (in shares)	11	12	11	12
Earnings per Share - Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 4.29	$ 5.48	$ 15.70	$ 15.92
Income Allocation - Diluted	$ 47	$ 63	$ 172	$ 185
Weighted- Average Shares Outstanding - Diluted (in shares)	11	12	11	12
Earnings per Share - Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 4.29	$ 5.48	$ 15.68	$ 15.90
Participating securities
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Income Allocation - Basic	$ 85	$ 110	$ 314	$ 321
Income Allocation - Diluted	$ 85	$ 110	$ 314	$ 321

Earnings Per Share - Additional

Earnings Per Share - Additional Information (Detail) - shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Common stock equivalents included in the computation of diluted shares outstanding (in shares)	3	3	3	3
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)	1	1	1	1
Class B common stock
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Weighted-average as-converted common stock used in income allocation (in shares)	398	400	398	400
Class C common stock
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Weighted-average as-converted common stock used in income allocation (in shares)	43	46	44	47
UK&I preferred stock
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Weighted-average as-converted common stock used in income allocation (in shares)	32	32	32	32
Europe preferred stock
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted, by Common Class [Line Items]
Weighted-average as-converted common stock used in income allocation (in shares)	44	44	44	44

Share-based Compensation - Awar

Share-based Compensation - Awards Granted to Company Employees and Non-employee Directors Under the 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Non-qualified stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted (in shares)			1,247,982
Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share)			$ 29.37
Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in USD per share)			$ 182.50
Restricted stock units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted (in shares)			2,287,483
Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share)			$ 183.22
Performance-bases shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted (in shares)			470,128
Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value (in dollars per share)			$ 211.08
Equity Incentive Compensation Plan, 2007
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation cost	$ 102	$ 106	$ 306	$ 307

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Effective income tax rate reconciliation, percent	19.00%	20.00%	19.00%	19.00%
Increase in unrecognized tax benefits	$ 55		$ 230
Unrecognized tax benefits that would favorably impact effective tax rate	31		70
Increase in accrued interest related to uncertain tax positions	$ 18	$ 19	$ 56	$ 51

Legal Matters - Schedule of Acc

Legal Matters - Schedule of Accrued Litigation for Both Covered and Non-Covered Litigation (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 1,203	$ 1,434	$ 1,434
Provision for legal matters	14	165
Balance at end of period	1,156	856	1,203
U.S. Covered Litigation
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	1,198	1,428	1,428
Balance at end of period	1,136	828	1,198
VE Territory Covered Litigation
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	5	0	0
Provision for legal matters	14	165
Balance at end of period	14	9	$ 5
Interchange Multidistrict Litigation
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Provision for legal matters	467	0
Interchange Multidistrict Litigation | U.S. Covered Litigation
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Provision for legal matters	467	0
Unsettled
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Provision for legal matters	7	37
Settled Litigation
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Payments for legal matters	(535)	(780)
Settled Litigation | U.S. Covered Litigation
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Payments for legal matters	(529)	(600)
Settled Litigation | VE Territory Covered Litigation
Loss Contingency Accrual [Roll Forward]
Payments for legal matters	$ (5)	$ (156)

Legal Matters - Additional Info

Legal Matters - Additional Information (Details) $ in Millions	May 29, 2020state	Dec. 27, 2019USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2020USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2020merchant
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Provision for legal matters			$ 14	$ 165
Return of takedown payment to the litigation escrow account		$ 467	467	0
Number of states | state	24
Interchange Multidistrict Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Provision for legal matters			$ 467	$ 0
Subsequent Event | Interchange Multidistrict Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Settlement percentage						30.00%
Subsequent Event | U.K. Merchant Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of plaintiffs | merchant						500
Number of claims settled | merchant						100
Merchants with outstanding claims | merchant						400
Subsequent Event | U.K. Merchant Litigation | Threatened Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of plaintiffs | merchant						30
Visa, MasterCard, and Certain U.S. Financial Institutions
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Maximum takedown payments the defendants are entitled to					$ 700
U.S. Covered Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Maximum takedown payments the defendants are entitled to					467
U.S. Covered Litigation | Interchange Multidistrict Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Provision for legal matters					$ 600
Return of takedown payment to the litigation escrow account		$ 467