🚫 Block a Card and Refund Test Account Charges

Overview

If a credit card has been used on test accounts and you want to prevent future charges, our billing team can block the card in our payment systems and refund recent transactions. This article explains what the process involves and how to get it done quickly.

Important: This Requires Billing Team Action

Blocking a card and issuing refunds for test accounts is a backend operation — it cannot be completed through self-service settings in the platform. A member of our billing team must perform these steps on your behalf. However, knowing exactly what to request will help our team resolve your case faster.

How to Get This Resolved

To initiate the process, contact our support team directly through the chat or support channel available in your account. When you reach out, provide the following details so the billing team can act on your request promptly:

• The last four digits of the card you want blocked
• The email addresses associated with any test accounts
• The approximate dates and amounts of the charges you want reviewed
• Confirmation of which subscriptions or accounts should be reviewed for cancellation

Once our billing team receives your request with these details, they will:

1. Block your card so that no future charges from Search Atlas can be processed against it.
2. Review and refund the recent charges associated with your test account(s).
3. Review active subscriptions linked to the identified test accounts and take the appropriate action to stop recurring billing.

Steps You Can Take Right Now

While waiting for billing team confirmation, take the following steps immediately to limit further exposure:

1. Cancel active subscriptions on any test account you can still access. Log in to each test account and look for subscription or billing management options within your account settings. Cancelling directly stops future renewal charges even before the billing team completes the backend block.
2. Contact your card issuer to place a temporary hold or dispute any unrecognized charges. Most banks allow you to do this through their mobile app or by calling the number on the back of your card. This is the fastest way to stop new charges independently of our team's action.
3. Remove the card on file from any test account where you still have login access. Go to your avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab and open the payment methods section, then click Remove on the card and confirm "Yes, remove card". Note that the Remove button only appears when the account has more than one saved card — if it's the only card on file, add a new card first (Add Payment Method) and set it as primary, then remove the old one, or contact support to remove the only card. This prevents that account from processing new charges even if a subscription renewal is attempted.
4. Send our support team a chat message through your account with the four details listed above (last four digits, email addresses, charge dates/amounts, and subscription list). Once our billing team has these details, they will confirm the card block and process eligible refunds — typically within one business day. If you do not receive a confirmation within 24 hours, reply to the same chat thread to follow up.

What to Expect After You Submit Your Request

After contacting our billing team with all required details, here is the typical sequence of events:

1. Our billing team will confirm receipt of your request and verify the card and account details you provided.
2. The card block will be applied in our payment system so no further Search Atlas charges can be initiated against it.
3. Eligible refunds for recent test account charges will be processed and returned to your original payment method. Refund timing depends on your card issuer but is generally 3–10 business days.
4. Any active subscriptions tied to the identified test accounts will be cancelled to stop recurring billing.
5. You will receive a confirmation message once all actions have been completed.

If you have not heard back within one business day of submitting your request, please reply to your existing support chat thread to follow up. If you need immediate assistance, you can also reach us through the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform — type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.