Overview
Search Atlas offers a 7-day free trial so you can explore the platform before committing to a paid plan. In most cases, no charge is applied during the trial period. However, some customers have reported an unexpected charge — typically $199 — appearing shortly after signing up. This article explains why this can happen.
Why Was I Charged During My Free Trial?
A few known scenarios can trigger an unexpected charge at the start of your trial:
- Existing subscription conflict: If your account had a previous subscription pending cancellation, the system may not have correctly recognised you as eligible for a new free trial, resulting in an immediate charge.
- Onboarding subscription overlap: A technical issue previously caused new users to be blocked from receiving the 7-day trial due to a conflict with the onboarding subscription flow. This has since been resolved.
- Duplicate free trial claim: Search Atlas restricts users from claiming a free trial more than once. If the system detected a prior trial on your account, it may have skipped the trial period and charged the full plan amount instead.
All of the above issues have been addressed in recent platform updates. If you were affected before these fixes were deployed, you may still be eligible for a refund.
Search Atlas Refund Policy
Search Atlas offers refunds for unexpected charges under the following conditions:
- The refund request is submitted within 48 hours of the transaction date.
- The charge was the result of a billing error or a free trial that was not applied correctly.
- The account has not been used extensively during the billing period in question.
Refunds are processed back to the original payment method and typically take 5–10 business days to appear on your statement, depending on your bank or card provider.
How We Have Fixed This Issue
Our engineering team has deployed several fixes to prevent these billing errors from occurring in the future:
- The checkout page no longer displays "7-day free trial" messaging to users whose accounts are in a pending cancellation state.
- New users are now correctly identified as trial-eligible during the onboarding flow, removing the previous subscription conflict.
- The billing system now accurately returns free trial status so the correct plan is applied at checkout.
If you signed up recently and still experienced an unexpected charge, it is likely a residual case from before these updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I still get a refund if it has been more than 48 hours? Refunds are only guaranteed within the 48-hour window per our policy. Requests outside this window are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Will my account be downgraded if I receive a refund? If a refund is issued for a plan charge, your account will revert to the appropriate access level. Our support team will explain exactly what to expect before processing.
Additional Notes
You may notice a temporary authorization hold on your payment method when you sign up. This is not a real charge — it is a standard verification step used by payment processors to confirm your card is valid.
To have your case reviewed, reach out to our support team through live chat with your account email, the transaction date, and the amount charged.