Credit card transaction still not shown after 10 days. Does it time out? Is it my luck?

Question

Ten days ago, I paid for food on a train. I paid by credit card, signed the receipt (old style), and received my food. So far so good.

On my online statement, this transaction does not show ten days after it should have happened.

Is there a limit as to when it can still occur? Have I been lucky and received free food or may this bite me later?

My credit card is with a UK institution and is in GBP. The transaction (in the order of €10) occurred on a train in Germany.

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Edit: The transaction appeared after 2–3 weeks, backdated to the date of transaction.

Answer 1

Let's take Visa, for example. The TL;DR is they were supposed to process the charge within 5 calendar days of the train arriving, but you can only chargeback on the basis of it being late after 180 days.

According to the rules, this was an in-transit transaction, where in-transit is defined as

The purchase of goods, services, or gambling on board a passenger transport vehicle. This includes Transactions on board a Cruise Line, bus, airplane, ferry, or train.

On page PSR-419, it says the acquirer must process the transaction within 5 calendar days of the transaction date. 2 pages later, it says the transaction date is the date which it occurs, or within 24 hours after the arrival of the vehicle.

That's what's supposed to happen. But what are your rights when it doesn't? The answer is Chargeback Reason 74 - Late Presentment. (Page 609)

A chargeback is allowed if the transaction is presented 30 days (6 days Electron, 10 days ATM) after the transaction date and the account is no longer in good standing (e.g. closed), OR the transaction date is 180 days before.