🔍 What Is Happening
Some customers who purchased an annual Search Atlas plan have noticed an additional recurring monthly charge appearing on their payment method. This can happen when a monthly top-up or add-on is attached to your account alongside your annual base plan, or when a billing configuration issue causes both charge types to run simultaneously.
A known issue previously caused annual plan accounts to display the annual renewal date where the monthly top-up renewal date should appear, making it harder to spot the overlap. This display bug has been resolved, and your billing dashboard now shows the correct dates for each charge type.
⚙️ Common Reasons for Dual Billing
- Monthly add-on or top-up active: You subscribed to a monthly quota top-up on top of your annual plan. These are billed separately each month.
- Misconfigured account: In some cases, accounts were set up with an incorrect plan configuration — for example, a trial flag left active, an incorrect base plan price, or an add-on charge applied in error.
- Two separate subscriptions: A monthly plan was not cancelled before or after the annual plan was purchased, leaving both active at the same time.
📋 How to Check Your Current Subscriptions
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and select Billing or Subscription.
- Review all active plans listed. Look for both an annual plan entry and any monthly charge entries.
- Check the renewal dates shown. Your annual plan will display a date roughly 12 months from purchase; any monthly top-up will show a date within the next 30 days.
- If you see a monthly charge you did not intentionally add, note the amount and the charge description before contacting support.
🛠️ How to Stop Unwanted Monthly Charges
If you purchased an annual plan and are being billed monthly without intending to subscribe to a top-up or add-on, our team needs to review and correct your account configuration. This is not something you can fully resolve through self-service because it may involve a backend billing correction.
Do not cancel your annual plan in an attempt to stop the monthly charge — this could interrupt your service and create further billing complications.
Instead, follow these steps:
- Gather the following information before reaching out: your registered email address, the date of your annual plan purchase, the amount of the unexpected monthly charge, and any transaction IDs from your payment receipts.
- Contact our support team directly via the live chat widget (see below) so we can audit your account, stop the incorrect charge, and issue any applicable refund.
💰 Will I Receive a Refund for Incorrect Charges
If our team confirms that monthly charges were applied to your account in error — for example, due to a misconfigured plan setup — we will work with you to reverse the incorrect charges and correct your subscription going forward. Refund eligibility and processing time will be confirmed by our billing team during your support conversation.
✅ What a Correctly Configured Annual Plan Looks Like
- One annual subscription line item reflecting your full yearly price.
- A renewal date approximately 12 months from your original purchase date.
- No additional recurring monthly base-plan charge unless you intentionally added a monthly quota top-up.
- If a monthly top-up is present and intended, it should display its own separate monthly renewal date — not your annual plan renewal date.
🆘 Still Seeing Unexpected Charges
If you have reviewed your billing dashboard and are still unsure why a monthly charge is appearing, or if you were billed monthly in addition to your annual plan purchase and need it corrected, please reach out right away.
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.
Additional Notes
Take a screenshot of the billing page and any charge amounts you want to dispute — this speeds up the correction process. Also: 'What a Correct Annual Plan Looks Like' section (plan label clearly marked as Annual) helps customers verify their setup is fixed.