Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

CASH AND INVESTMENTS - Summary of Marketable Securities (Detail)

v2.4.1.9
CASH AND INVESTMENTS - Summary of Marketable Securities (Detail) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]    
Document Fiscal Year Focus 2014  
Trading Securities $ 430,000,000us-gaap_TradingSecurities $ 0us-gaap_TradingSecurities
Marketable Securities, Amortized Cost Basis 992,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis 582,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain 2,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain 2,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss (2,000,000)ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss (4,000,000)ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
Marketable securities 992,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent 580,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
Corporate Debt Securities [Member]    
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]    
Marketable Securities, Amortized Cost Basis 534,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
146,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain 0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
1,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss 0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
(1,000,000)ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
Marketable securities 534,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
146,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
Mortgage and asset-backed debt securities    
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]    
Marketable Securities, Amortized Cost Basis 89,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
76,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain 1,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
1,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss (1,000,000)ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
(2,000,000)ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
Marketable securities 89,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
75,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
US Treasury and Government [Member]    
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]    
Marketable Securities, Amortized Cost Basis 321,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
355,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain 1,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss (1,000,000)ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
(1,000,000)ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
Marketable securities 321,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
354,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
U.S. state and local municipal debt securities    
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]    
Marketable Securities, Amortized Cost Basis 2,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
2,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain 0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss 0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
Marketable securities 2,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
2,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_USStatesAndPoliticalSubdivisionsMember
Other debt and equity securities [Member]    
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]    
Marketable Securities, Amortized Cost Basis 46,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember
3,000,000ups_MarketableSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain 0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember
0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedGain
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember
Marketable Securities, Gross Unrealized Loss 0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember
0ups_MarketableSecuritiesGrossUnrealizedLoss
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember
Marketable securities $ 46,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember
$ 3,000,000us-gaap_MarketableSecuritiesCurrent
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= ups_OtherDebtAndEquitySecuritiesMember