Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,145
My experience is that the authorization shows up immediately, but it can be several days (up to a week IME) before the actual charges go through. This can be annoying when .bomb has made a mistake and multiply-charged you, requiring one to watch the authorizations like a hawk to make sure they do indeed drop off (and that one and only one goes through).