Push-to-card payouts, explained

How it works

Card networks like Visa run rails that were built to move money in both directions. When you send a push-to-card payout, the money travels over the card network and lands in the bank account behind the recipient’s debit card, usually within a minute or two.

Business
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Payout platform
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Card-network payout route
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Eligible card
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Recipient account

Why anyone uses it

Not everyone wants to type in a routing and account number. Almost everyone has a debit card in their wallet and knows the number on it. For recipients like athletes, artists, and gig workers, entering a card number is faster and more familiar than digging up bank details.

The tradeoffs

Push-to-card usually costs more per payout than a bank transfer, and it only works for debit cards from banks that support fast funds. Some prepaid cards and credit cards are not eligible. Bank rails like RTP and FedNow are often cheaper for the same speed, which is why payout platforms tend to route across several rails and pick the best one per payout.

The short version

Push-to-card is the convenience option. It is a great fallback when a recipient does not want to share bank details, and a solid default for consumer-heavy payout programs.

Where DiscoFi fits

Push-to-card is one of the rails DiscoFi routes over: each payout takes the fastest rail the recipient can accept across RTP, FedNow, Visa Direct and ACH, and on instant rails funds typically land in 60 seconds or less.* See Instant Pay disclosure If a recipient shares a debit card instead of bank details, the payout still goes out in the same batch. Like every rail, it enters your cost picture through the rail mix, which is what sizes DiscoFi’s pricing.