Plus System, Inc. started out as a consortium formed by 34 major U.S. banks to build a national network of automated teller machines (ATM).

[2] As the booming ATM industry outgrew regional networks and began to go nationwide in the mid-1980s, credit-card giant Visa sought entry in the lucrative ATM network business and acquired a third of Plus System in 1987.

[citation needed] By default, Visa / Electron cards are linked to the Plus network, but very often all three logotypes will be shown.

It is also used in Canada, though it is significantly smaller than Interac there, and in India and Indonesia where there are numerous competing interbank networks.

The main competitor of Plus System is the Cirrus network, which is owned by Mastercard, Visa's longtime rival.