Pulse (debit network)

Pulse was founded in Houston in 1981 by a group of banks that wanted to share cash machines, and through the 1990s it swallowed other regional networks across the South and Midwest. Discover bought it in 2005. The point was that a company with only a credit card network could now process debit cards for other banks, and Pulse became a cornerstone of Discover Global Network alongside Diners Club.

The Durbin Amendment handed Pulse a new role: every US debit card must be routable over two unaffiliated networks, and for a Visa card Pulse is one of the most common second options. When Capital One bought Discover in 2025, Pulse came along, giving the bank its own debit rails as well.