🧾 Overview of Your Search Atlas Bill
Your Search Atlas invoice may show more than one charge per billing cycle. This is normal. Different features and add-ons are billed as separate line items, so seeing two or more charges does not automatically mean there is a billing error.
Before raising a billing concern, it helps to understand what each charge represents. The two most common line items customers ask about are their base subscription fee and their AI credit top-up fee.
📦 What Is the Base Subscription Charge?
Your base subscription charge covers access to the core Search Atlas platform, including your selected plan features, user seats, and standard toolset. This charge recurs on the same date each billing cycle and reflects the plan tier you enrolled in when you signed up or last upgraded.
🤖 What Is the AI Credit Top-Up Charge?
The AI credit top-up is a separate, recurring charge that funds the credits used by OTTO, the Search Atlas AI automation engine. OTTO consumes credits each time it runs optimizations on your behalf, such as publishing on-page SEO recommendations, generating structured data, or executing automated tasks across your connected sites.
This charge is not a duplicate of your base subscription. It is a distinct add-on billed independently to keep your OTTO optimizations running without interruption. Common AI credit top-up amounts include $38 per cycle, though the amount may vary depending on your selected credit package.
If you see a charge like $99 alongside a separate $38 charge, this typically means:
- The $99 is your base plan subscription fee.
- The $38 is your recurring AI credit top-up for OTTO optimizations.
Both charges are legitimate and expected if you have OTTO features active on your account.
🔍 How to Verify What Each Charge Is For
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Account Menu.
- Select Billing to open your billing dashboard.
- Review your Invoice History to see a full breakdown of each charge, including the line item description and the date it was billed.
- Match each charge to a plan or add-on listed under your active subscriptions.
If every charge on your invoice corresponds to a named plan, add-on, or credit package, your billing is working as intended.
⚠️ What Actually Counts as a Duplicate Billing Error
A true duplicate billing error occurs when the exact same charge appears more than once on the same invoice or within the same billing cycle with no corresponding difference in service. Signs of a genuine duplicate include:
- The same charge description and amount appearing twice on one invoice.
- Your plan being billed twice in a single cycle with no plan change or upgrade between them.
- A one-time fee charged on multiple occasions without any action taken on your account.
Seeing two different amounts, such as $99 and $38, for two different services is not a duplicate. It is a multi-line invoice reflecting multiple active services.
❓ Was a Correction Promised on My Account?
If you were told by a team member that a billing correction would be applied to your account, that correction would appear as a credit or refund in your billing history. You can verify this by checking your invoice history for any credit notes or adjusted invoices.
If you do not see the expected correction reflected after the promised timeframe, this is worth escalating to our team directly so they can review your account history and confirm what was communicated.
✅ Quick Reference: Charge Identification Summary
- Base subscription fee (e.g., $99): Your monthly or annual plan cost. Covers core platform access.
- AI credit top-up (e.g., $38): Recurring add-on that funds OTTO optimization credits. This is a separate and legitimate charge.
- True duplicate: The identical charge and description appearing more than once in the same cycle with no service difference.
- Pending correction: Should appear as a credit note in your invoice history within the agreed timeframe.
💬 Still Have Questions About Your Bill?
If you have reviewed your invoices and still cannot identify a charge, or if you believe a genuine billing error or a previously promised correction has not been applied, our team is ready to help you 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.