How long does a credit card authorization last?

A credit card authorization, also known as a hold, lasts anywhere between a minute and 31 days. Holds last until the merchant charges your card for the purchase and clears them, or they naturally "fall off" your account. The exact length of time depends on the type of transaction, the merchant, the issuer, and the card network.

When you make a transaction or give your card information to a merchant to charge later, you authorize the merchant to take up a certain amount of your credit line. That amount of your credit is then immediately unavailable to use until the hold ends.

Here's how long a credit card authorization lasts:

• Hotels: Typically, holds are released a few days after checkout.
• Car rentals: Usually, holds are released when you return the car or a few days after.
• Gas station pump purchases: Holds are generally released on the day you made the transaction, or a couple of days later. You can avoid the risk of longer holds by paying inside the gas station.
• Other card-present transactions: Typically, holds are released on the day of the transaction date.
• Other card-absent transactions: Up to 7 days from the day of the initial authorization approval.

Credit card authorizations are pretty straightforward when the exact purchase amount is available upfront. But that’s not always the case, especially with things like gas purchases and hotel reservations,  where the amount you owe is not clear from the start. In these cases, holds will be released after what you owe is settled.