Overview
When you upgrade from a free trial to a paid plan, your credit balance and refresh schedule may not update instantly. This article explains how credit refresh works after a plan upgrade, what happens at the end of your trial period, and how to confirm your new credit limits are active.
How Free Trial Credits Work
During your free trial, Search Atlas provides a limited set of credits to explore the platform. These trial credits are tied to your trial period and are not the same as the credits included in a paid plan. Trial credits do not carry over once your trial ends or once you upgrade to a paid subscription.
What Happens When You Upgrade Your Plan
When you upgrade to a paid plan, here is what to expect:
- Your new credit allowance is tied to your billing cycle, not the upgrade moment. Credits associated with your paid plan are allocated at the start of your first paid billing cycle, not immediately upon selecting a new plan during an active trial.
- Your trial credits remain active until the trial end date. You will continue to see your trial credit balance until the trial period officially closes.
- At the end of your trial, your paid plan credits are applied. Once the trial concludes and your first payment is processed, your credit balance will refresh to reflect the full allowance included in your paid plan.
- Credits reset on your monthly billing date going forward. After the initial refresh, credits will renew automatically on the same date each month.
When Will My Credits Actually Refresh?
The most common reason credits appear unchanged after upgrading is that the trial period has not yet ended. The platform does not apply paid plan credits mid-trial. Here is a quick summary of timing:
- During the trial: Trial credit balance remains visible and active.
- On your trial end date: The trial period closes and payment for your selected plan is processed.
- After successful payment: Your credit balance updates to the full amount included in your paid plan.
- Each month after: Credits reset automatically on your billing renewal date.
What to Do If Your Credits Have Not Refreshed
If your trial end date has already passed and your credits have not refreshed, try the following steps:
- Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your billing or subscription settings to confirm your paid plan is active and your payment was processed successfully.
- Check that the payment method on file is valid and that no payment errors are shown on your account.
- If your plan shows as active and payment has been confirmed but your credits still have not updated, note your account username, the date your trial ended, and any relevant details to share with our support team.
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.