See this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ints-post.html
Membership Rewards (USA) base points are posted as
pending a few days after the statement is generated, and they become available to redeem a few days after the
next statement, provided the balance was paid in full. In other words, the points are not
earned until the bill is paid. If you pay early you can ask customer service to release the points early, but this will not happen automatically, and they will not always do so.
Bonus points are different. If this is your first Membership Rewards card they will probably not appear sooner than specified in the terms of the offer. If you are an established customer they may post as soon as the spend requirement is met.