PULSE is an interbank electronic funds transfer

Electronic funds transfer

Electronic funds transfer is the electronic exchange or transfer of money from one account to another, either within a single financial institution or across multiple institutions, through computer-based systems....

 (EFT) network in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It serves more than 4,400 U.S. financial institutions and includes more than 380,000 ATMs, as well as POS terminals nationwide. It is also included in Discover's agreement with China UnionPay

China UnionPay

China UnionPay , also known as UnionPay or by its abbreviation, CUP, is the only domestic bank card organization in the People's Republic of China . Founded in March 2002, China UnionPay is an association for China's banking card industry, operating under the approval of the People's Bank of China...

; cards can be used on each other's network leading to better acceptance outside large cities than the larger networks.

History

• 1981, PULSE incorporates and begins operating its regional EFT switching facility.
• 1995, PULSE launches PULSE Pay, a point-of-sale service where cardholders can use their ATM
  Automated teller machine
  An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
  
   card at retailers.
• 1997, PULSE announced acquisision of Gulfnet, the Louisiana
  Louisiana
  Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
  
  -based regional EFT network.
• 2000, PULSE announced it would acquire the Cincinnati-based MoneyStation network.
• 2002, PULSE merged with Wisconsin
  Wisconsin
  Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
  
  -based Tyme
  Tyme
  TYME is an ATM/interbank network in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was organized in 1975 and was the first shared EFT network in the country...
  
   Corporation.
• 2005, PULSE is acquired by the Discover Financial Services.