## 🔍 Overview

If you upgraded your Search Atlas plan during a free trial — for example, after attending a marketing summit or promotional event — you may have been charged immediately rather than at the end of your trial period. This article explains why that happens, what recent improvements have been made to our billing system, and what to do if you believe you were charged incorrectly.

## ⚙️ How Free Trial Billing Works

Search Atlas offers a **7-day free trial** so you can explore the platform before committing to a paid plan. Here is how billing is intended to work:

- **During the trial:** You should not be charged for your subscription.
- **At the end of the trial:** Your first payment is collected automatically based on the plan you selected.
- **If you upgrade mid-trial:** Previously, upgrading to a paid plan during the trial triggered an immediate charge. This behaviour has now been corrected — upgrades made during the trial period will defer the charge to the end of your 7-day trial window.

## 🛠️ Known Issues We Have Fixed

Our engineering team has resolved several billing issues that may have affected customers who upgraded during a free trial. These fixes are either live or in active release:

- **Immediate charge on mid-trial upgrade:** Resolved. Plan upgrades initiated during the free trial will no longer trigger an immediate charge. The charge is now deferred to the end of the 7-day trial.
- **Spiffy Checkout integration:** An updated checkout experience has been launched to improve how plan selections and payments are processed during promotional events.

If you were charged immediately after upgrading during a free trial **before these fixes were applied**, your charge may have been the result of this now-resolved issue.

## 🚨 If You Were Charged Unexpectedly

If you believe you were charged during your free trial when you should not have been, follow these steps:

1. Check the date your trial started and compare it to the date on your charge. If the charge occurred before your 7-day trial ended, this may be an error.
2. Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to the **top-right avatar menu → Billing** to review your payment history and current plan status.
3. Confirm that the plan you selected is active and that your account reflects the correct subscription tier.
4. If the charge appears incorrect or your plan upgrade did not apply properly, contact our support team immediately (see below).

## 💡 Refund Eligibility

Refund requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To be considered for a refund, the following generally applies:

- You were charged during an active free trial period.
- The charge was triggered by a mid-trial upgrade before our billing fix was applied.
- Your account activity shows no significant platform usage after the charge that would indicate intentional paid plan use.

Our team will review your account details and billing records before approving any refund. Refunds, when approved, are typically returned to the original payment method within **5–10 business days**, depending on your bank or card provider.

## 📊 Preventing Billing Surprises

To avoid unexpected charges in the future, keep these tips in mind:

- If you plan to upgrade during a promotional event or summit, confirm your trial start date first so you know when billing will begin.
- Review the plan summary screen during checkout — it will display the amount and the date your first charge is scheduled.
- Check your **top-right avatar menu → Billing** page after any plan change to verify the upgrade was applied correctly.

## 🤝 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.

Please have the following ready to help us resolve your case quickly: your account email address, the date of the charge, the amount charged, and any confirmation emails or receipts you received.

## **Additional Notes**

To avoid any charge, you must cancel your account before your free trial period expires. We recommend cancelling with enough time before your trial end date to ensure the cancellation is fully processed. To cancel, locate the subscription or billing settings within the platform.