🔍 What Are AI Quota Charges?
Search Atlas offers AI-powered features that consume credits from an AI quota. In some cases, customers have reported charges for AI quota they did not intentionally subscribe to or activate. If you see an unexpected line item on your invoice — such as a charge labeled AI Quota — this article will help you understand why it happened and how to resolve it.
⚠️ Why a Charge May Appear More Than Once
If you received a refund for an AI quota charge in a previous billing cycle and the same charge reappears in a subsequent cycle, this is most likely caused by one of the following reasons:
- Auto-renewal of an add-on: The AI quota add-on may have been re-enabled automatically at the start of a new billing period, even after a prior refund was issued.
- Account-level settings not updated: A refund does not automatically cancel or remove an active add-on. If the add-on was not explicitly removed from your subscription, it will continue to renew.
- Timing of billing cycles: If a refund was processed near the end of one billing cycle, the system may have already generated the next invoice before the add-on was deactivated.
🛠️ How to Check Your Current Subscription Add-Ons
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Account Menu.
- Select Billing.
- Review the list of active add-ons and features.
- If you see AI Quota listed as an active add-on that you did not intentionally enable, make note of it before contacting support.
💡 Steps to Request a Refund for an Erroneous Charge
If you have been charged for AI quota you did not subscribe to — especially if this is a repeated occurrence after a prior refund — follow these steps to escalate the issue for review:
- Gather your billing details: Note the charge amount, the date it appeared, and any previous refund reference numbers related to the same issue.
- Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform.
- Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our support team.
- Provide the agent with your account email, the charge amount, the billing date, and a brief description explaining this is a recurring erroneous charge.
- The agent will review your billing history, confirm whether the add-on was active, and process an eligible refund.
🔒 How to Prevent This From Happening Again
Once your refund has been processed, take these steps to avoid being charged again in future billing cycles:
- Confirm the add-on is removed: Ask the support agent to verify that the AI Quota add-on has been fully deactivated on your account — not just refunded.
- Review your subscription after every refund: Whenever a charge is reversed, log in and check your active add-ons to ensure nothing is still set to renew.
- Monitor your billing email notifications: Search Atlas sends invoice emails at the start of each billing cycle. Review these promptly so you can flag unexpected charges before they go unnoticed.
📊 What to Expect During the Refund Process
Once a refund request is submitted and verified by our team, here is what typically happens:
- The support agent will confirm the charge is eligible for a refund based on your account history.
- Refunds are generally processed once approved by our team; exact timing depends on your payment provider and there is no fixed guaranteed window.
- You will receive a confirmation once the refund has been initiated.
- If the same issue reoccurs after this resolution, mention your prior case history when contacting support so the team can investigate any underlying account configuration issues.
🤝 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.