Refer a Friend program

I was just wondering if anyone has figured out how long it takes for the points to show up...

So when a referral makes a purchase, how long does it take for the points to show up in the refer a friend section?
I know the refer a friend points go into my account as pending for 30 days around the 3rd of each month. But i was wondering how long it takes from the referral making a purchase to seeing the points listed as earned to when the points actually go into pending on the 3rd.

One of my referrals and I have tried to figure it out, but we haven't actually been able to figure out the timeline.
Basically, I promised to help this referral out on a book donation program that she's created for one of her local elementary schools. Some larger purchases have been made recently and so we're both trying to figure out how long it will take before those points are available to cash in for a B&N giftcard(which are currently not listed as rewards, but we're hoping thats only a temporary thing due to the holidays).