## **🔍 What Does 'Over Quota' Mean?**

An **over-quota** status means your account has consumed more resources than your current plan allows. This most commonly happens when automatic top-ups are triggered during your billing cycle but the associated payment fails to process. Until the outstanding balance is cleared, your access to certain features may be restricted.

## **💳 Why Do Unpaid Top-Ups Happen?**

Top-ups are additional resource purchases. Universal Credits auto top-ups are off by default and can be enabled by an account admin from the Billing dashboard (Plans & Top-ups tab); when enabled, they trigger when your balance drops below the admin-set threshold. A top-up can go unpaid for several reasons:

- Your saved payment card expired or was replaced
- Your bank declined the charge (insufficient funds, fraud protection, or international transaction block)
- Your billing details — such as name, address, or CVV — no longer match your card records
- A temporary issue occurred with the payment gateway at the time of the charge

When the payment fails, the resources already consumed are not reversed, which puts your account into an over-quota state.

## **🛠️ How to Resolve an Over-Quota Account**

Follow these steps to clear the unpaid balance and restore full access:

1. **Log in to Search Atlas** and click your avatar in the **top-right corner** to open the Account Menu.
2. Select **Billing** from the Account Menu (Billing is a separate item, not nested under Settings).
3. Locate the **outstanding balance** or **failed payment** notification displayed on the billing page.
4. Go to **Plans & Top-ups** and click **Add Payment Method** and enter your current, valid card details.
5. Once your payment method is updated, click **Pay Now** (or **Retry Payment**) to process the outstanding amount immediately.
6. After successful payment, your account status will return to **active** and your quota will be restored within a few minutes.

If you do not see a **Pay Now** button, your account may require a manual review. In that case, use the live chat widget to reach our support team (see the **Need More Help?** section below).

## **🚀 How to Prevent This in the Future**

A few simple habits will keep your account in good standing and prevent unexpected over-quota messages:

- **Keep your payment method current.** Whenever you receive a new card, update your billing details in the Account Menu right away.
- **Monitor your usage.** Check your resource consumption regularly in the dashboard so you can anticipate when you are approaching your plan limits.
- **Review billing notifications.** Search Atlas sends email alerts when a payment fails — act on these quickly to avoid service interruption.
- **Consider upgrading your plan.** If you consistently hit your limits and trigger top-ups, moving to a higher-tier plan is often more cost-effective than paying for repeated top-ups.

## **❓ Thinking About Cancelling Your Account?**

We understand that unexpected charges and access restrictions are frustrating — we are sorry for the inconvenience. Before cancelling, please consider that the over-quota status is fully reversible once the payment is resolved, and your existing projects, data, and settings are preserved. If you would like to discuss your plan, review your billing history, or explore a plan that better fits your usage, our team is happy to help you find the best option.

If you still wish to cancel, a member of our team can guide you through the process and ensure no unexpected charges occur after your cancellation date.

## **💬 Need More 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.