🔍 Overview
If your bank or card provider notified you of a payment attempt from Search Atlas while you were on a free trial, this can understandably cause concern. This article explains why that can happen and what steps to take if you are unsure whether you were actually charged.
❓ Why Did a Payment Attempt Occur on My Free Trial?
Search Atlas free trials are linked to a billing plan that activates automatically when the trial period ends. When your trial concludes, our billing system may initiate a payment attempt for the next subscription cycle. This is standard behaviour for subscription platforms and is triggered by the trial end date.
A payment attempt may occur if:
- Your free trial reached its end date without being cancelled beforehand.
- A payment method was on file from when you signed up.
- Your account was not explicitly cancelled or downgraded before the trial expired.
Having no active projects or features running does not necessarily prevent a payment attempt. The billing trigger is based on the trial timeline and the plan attached to your account.
✅ How to Tell the Difference Between a Declined Attempt and an Actual Charge
Use the following checks to determine what actually happened:
- Check your bank or card statement. A declined attempt typically appears as a temporary pending authorisation that resolves on its own, or as a declined notification with no debit to your balance. An actual charge will appear as a completed, posted transaction on your statement.
- Check your Search Atlas account. Review your billing or subscription section inside the platform to see whether any active paid plan is shown on your account.
- Check your email. Look for any confirmation or receipt message from Search Atlas in your inbox or spam folder for the date in question.
🛑 What to Do If You Were Charged Unexpectedly
If you believe you were charged after your free trial ended and did not intend to continue with a paid subscription, take the following steps:
- Cancel your subscription or downgrade your plan inside your account settings as soon as possible to prevent further charges.
- Gather your account details, the approximate date of the charge, and any bank transaction reference available.
- Contact our support team so we can review the charge on your account and advise on next steps.
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.