## 🔍 Overview

If you cancelled an add-on but your account is showing a charge higher than expected — or your account status shows **Past Due** — this article explains why this happens and what steps to take to resolve it quickly.



## ⚠️ Why Is the Charge Higher Than Expected?

This issue typically occurs when an add-on subscription is cancelled through the Search Atlas dashboard, but the cancellation is not fully synchronised with our payment processor (Stripe) in time for the next billing cycle. As a result, Stripe may attempt to collect the full amount including the add-on fee, rather than the reduced plan-only amount.

Common scenarios that can trigger this:

- The add-on was cancelled close to the billing renewal date, leaving insufficient time for the cancellation to propagate to Stripe.
- A known edge case in our billing system where add-on subscriptions were not always terminated in Stripe when the main subscription was cancelled or modified from the dashboard.
- A billing migration or system update that affected how cancellations were processed during a specific window of time.

For example, if your plan is **$199/month** and your add-on is also **$199/month**, you may see a charge attempt of approximately **$398** even after cancelling the add-on. This is not intentional, and our team can correct it.



## 📋 What "Past Due" Means for Your Account

When a payment attempt fails or an unexpected charge triggers a declined transaction, your account may be flagged as **Past Due**. This does not necessarily mean you owe the full disputed amount. It means our system detected an unsuccessful payment and is waiting for resolution.

While your account is Past Due:

- Access to certain features may be temporarily restricted.
- Stripe may retry the charge automatically within a few days.
- No additional late fees are applied by Search Atlas.

## ✅ Steps to Resolve the Overcharge

1. **Confirm your cancellation is recorded in Search Atlas.** Log into your account and navigate to **Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing**. Verify that the add-on no longer appears as an active subscription.
2. **Check the charge amount in your payment history.** Under **Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing → Invoices**, review the most recent invoice to confirm which line items were billed.
3. **Do not attempt to re-cancel or modify your plan repeatedly.** Multiple cancellation attempts in quick succession can sometimes create duplicate actions in Stripe. Leave the plan as-is while you contact support.
4. **Contact our support team immediately.** Our team can verify the cancellation on the Stripe side, cancel any pending retry attempts, and issue a refund for any overcharged amount. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.

## 💡 What Information to Have Ready

To help our team resolve your case as quickly as possible, please have the following ready before opening the chat:

- The date you cancelled the add-on
- The expected charge amount vs. the amount attempted
- A screenshot or reference number from your bank or Stripe receipt (if available)
- Your account email address

## 🛡️ Our Commitment to Billing Accuracy

Search Atlas has identified and resolved the underlying technical issues that caused add-on cancellations to not always sync correctly with Stripe. These fixes have been deployed as part of our billing system updates. However, if you were affected during the period when these edge cases were active, our team will make it right with a full review and refund where applicable.

We do not charge customers for services they have cancelled, and any confirmed overcharge will be refunded promptly.



## 🔄 How to Prevent This in the Future

- Cancel add-ons at least **3–5 days before your billing renewal date** to allow time for the cancellation to fully process.
- After cancelling, check your Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing the following day to confirm the add-on no longer appears as active.
- If your account unexpectedly shows Past Due after a cancellation, contact support right away rather than waiting for the next billing cycle.