🔍 What Are Automatic AI Credit Top-Ups?
Search Atlas uses AI credits to power features such as content generation, keyword research tools, and other AI-assisted workflows. Account admins can optionally enable an automatic top-up setting that replenishes your Universal Credits balance when it runs low — once turned on, this can trigger charges you may not have expected. Automatic top-up is off by default and can only be enabled or changed by an account admin.
If you have seen line items labeled something like AI credit top-up on your invoice that you did not intentionally authorize, this article will help you understand what happened and how to resolve it.
📋 How to Identify the Charges on Your Invoice
Before disputing a charge, confirm the details by reviewing your billing history:
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Account Menu.
- Select Billing.
- Open your recent invoices and look for line items marked as AI Credits or Automatic Top-Up.
- Note the date, amount, and number of top-up transactions that appear.
Once you have confirmed the charges are not ones you manually initiated, follow the steps below to disable automatic top-ups and request a refund.
🛑 How to Disable Automatic AI Credit Top-Ups
Turning off automatic top-ups prevents any future unexpected charges. Here is how to do it:
- Go to the top-right avatar (Account Menu) → Billing.
- In the Billing dashboard, open the Plans & Top-ups tab and locate the automatic top-up setting.
- Switch the setting to Off or Disabled. (Only an account admin can make this change.)
- Save your changes. You should see a confirmation message.
Once disabled, your AI features will pause when your credit balance reaches zero instead of triggering an automatic purchase. You can always top up manually whenever you need more credits.
💰 How to Request a Refund for Unauthorized Charges
Search Atlas reviews refund requests for automatic top-up charges on a case-by-case basis. To give your request the best chance of a quick resolution, have the following information ready before you contact support:
- The total amount you believe was charged without authorization.
- The dates of the disputed transactions.
- Your invoice or receipt numbers (found in Billing).
- A brief explanation of why you did not authorize the top-ups (for example, you were unaware the setting was enabled).
Our support team will verify the transactions against your account activity and process any approved refund back to your original payment method. Refund processing times vary depending on your bank or card issuer but typically appear within 5–10 business days after approval.
⚙️ Tips to Prevent Unexpected AI Credit Charges
Follow these best practices to stay in full control of your AI credit spending:
- Review your billing settings after onboarding. Automatic top-up is off by default, but an admin may have turned it on — check and adjust it to match your preferences.
- Set a manual top-up workflow. Purchase AI credits only when you need them by topping up manually from the Billing section.
- Monitor your usage regularly. Check your AI credit balance in the account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups to avoid surprises at the end of a billing cycle.
- Enable billing notifications. Where available, turn on email or in-app alerts for payment activity so you are notified of every charge in real time.
🙋 Still Need Help?
If you have followed the steps above and still have questions about a specific charge, or if you would like a support agent to initiate a refund on your behalf, we are here to 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.