Share-based Compensation
 6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Share-based Compensation [Abstract]  
Share-based Compensation
Note 10—Share-based Compensation
The Company granted the following equity awards to employees and non-employee directors under the 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan during the six months ended March 31, 2015. The amounts presented below reflect the four-for-one stock split that was effected in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. See Note 8—Stockholders' Equity.
 
Granted
 
Weighted-Average
Grant Date Fair
Value
 
Weighted-Average
Exercise Price
Non-qualified stock options
1,408,388

 
$
12.00

 
$
62.59

Restricted stock awards ("RSAs")
1,855,076

 
$
62.78

 
 
Restricted stock units ("RSUs")
733,340

 
$
62.56

 
 
Performance-based shares(1)
785,884

 
$
69.78

 
 

(1)  
Represents the maximum number of performance-based shares which could be earned.
The Company’s non-qualified stock options, RSAs and RSUs are equity awards with service-only conditions and are accordingly expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Company's performance-based shares are equity awards with service, market and performance conditions that are accounted for using the graded-vesting method. Compensation cost is recorded net of estimated forfeitures, which are adjusted as appropriate.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan. In January 2015, the Company's class A stockholders approved the Visa Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), under which substantially all employees are eligible to participate. The ESPP permits eligible employees to purchase the Company’s class A common stock at a 15% discount of the stock price on the purchase date, subject to certain restrictions. A total of 20 million shares of class A common stock have been reserved for issuance under the ESPP. The first offering date was April 1, 2015. The ESPP is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.