## 🔍 Why Did I See a Charge During My Free Trial?

Search Atlas offers a **7-day free trial** before your paid plan begins. In most cases, no charge is applied until the trial period ends. However, 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.

If a full subscription charge appeared on your statement before your 7-day trial ended, this may have been caused by a billing system issue that has since been resolved. Our team has implemented a fix to ensure plan upgrade charges are correctly deferred to the end of the trial period.



## 📋 What Qualifies for a Refund?

You may be eligible for a refund if:

- You were charged the full subscription amount **before** your 7-day free trial ended.
- You did not intend to upgrade or continue with a paid plan.
- The charge occurred due to a billing error on our end.

Please note the following conditions that may affect eligibility:

- Refund requests must be submitted promptly after the charge appears.
- Accounts that have already claimed a free trial are not eligible for an additional free trial or free month on the same account.
- If you signed up through a promotional offer or special checkout event, the specific terms of that promotion apply.

## ⚙️ How the Refund Process Works

1. **Contact our support team** through the live chat widget (see below) and explain that you were charged during your free trial.
2. Our team will **verify the charge** against your account billing history.
3. If a billing error is confirmed, a refund will be **initiated to your original payment method**.
4. Refunds typically appear within **5–10 business days**, depending on your bank or card provider.

## 🔄 If Your Chat Was Disconnected

We understand how frustrating it can be to lose connection mid-conversation, especially when discussing something as important as a charge on your account. If your previous chat session was interrupted, **you do not need to start from scratch**. When you reconnect with our team, simply mention that you were previously discussing a free trial refund and provide your account email address. Our team can review the chat history and pick up where things left off.



## 💡 Tips to Avoid Unexpected Charges

- Review the plan details and trial terms carefully during checkout before confirming your subscription.
- Check your email inbox for a confirmation receipt after signing up — this will confirm when your trial starts and ends.
- Set a personal reminder a day or two before your trial ends if you are unsure whether you want to continue.
- If you decide not to continue, cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged.

## 🛠️ Still Need Help?

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.