What happens to the credit card authorization after 30 days?

When a credit card authorization is placed, it typically holds a specific amount of funds in the customer's account for a set period, generally up to 30 days. After this time frame, if the transaction has not been completed or if the merchant does not finalize the payment, the hold on the funds is released, meaning the authorization "goes away." This helps ensure that customers are not indefinitely left with funds unavailable for use on their card while also balancing the merchant's need for secure payment processing.

The correct understanding is that after 30 days, the authorization expires, and the held funds become available to the customer once again, reflecting a standard practice in payment processing.