🔍 Overview
When upgrading from the VIP plan to VIP Platinum, customers often expect to receive 300 additional HyperDrive credits — the full credit allotment of the new plan. However, you may notice that only 200 credits are added to your account instead. This is expected behaviour and is explained by how Search Atlas calculates credits during a mid-cycle plan upgrade.
⚙️ How Credit Allocation Works on Upgrade
Search Atlas uses a prorated credit model. When you upgrade mid-billing cycle, the platform calculates the credits you are entitled to based on two factors:
- Credits already included in your current VIP plan — The VIP plan includes a set number of HyperDrive credits per cycle. If those credits have already been issued to your account at the start of the billing period, they are counted toward your total.
- Credits included in the VIP Platinum plan — VIP Platinum includes a higher monthly credit allotment. The upgrade tops your account up to the Platinum level, not above it.
Because you already received a portion of your VIP credits at the start of the cycle, the system issues only the difference between the two plans — not the full Platinum allotment from scratch.
📊 Example: VIP to VIP Platinum Credit Calculation
Here is a straightforward example of how the 200-credit top-up is calculated:
- VIP plan HyperDrive credits: 100 credits issued at the start of the billing cycle.
- VIP Platinum plan HyperDrive credits: 300 credits per billing cycle.
- Credits added on upgrade: 300 − 100 = 200 additional credits.
This means your account reaches the full 300-credit entitlement of VIP Platinum — 100 from VIP already in your account, plus 200 issued at the time of upgrade. No credits are lost.
✅ How to Verify Your Current HyperDrive Credit Balance
You can check your total available HyperDrive credits at any time directly inside the platform:
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Navigate to your Account or Billing settings from the top-right profile menu.
- Locate the HyperDrive Credits section to view your current balance and usage history.
If your balance reflects 300 or more credits in total (including any you already had), your upgrade has been applied correctly.
🛠️ What to Do If Your Balance Still Looks Incorrect
If your total HyperDrive credit balance is lower than expected after accounting for the proration logic above, consider the following before reaching out:
- Check for recent credit usage: HyperDrive credits are consumed when running certain Authority workflows. Review your usage history to confirm no credits were spent shortly after the upgrade.
- Allow a few minutes for the system to update: In rare cases, there may be a brief delay before upgraded credits appear in your balance.
- Confirm your upgrade was processed: Verify in your billing settings that your plan now shows VIP Platinum as your active subscription.
💬 Still Need Help?
If you have reviewed the above and your credit balance still does not match expectations, our team is ready to investigate. 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.