🔍 Why This Happens
Billing discrepancies — such as a charge appearing on an unexpected card, in a different currency, or for an amount that doesn't match your plan — are usually caused by one of the following:
- Multiple payment methods on file: If a previous card was not fully removed from your account, our payment processor may fall back to it during renewal or a top-up event.
- Currency conversion: Search Atlas bills in USD. If your bank or card issuer is based in another country (e.g., Australia), the charge is converted to your local currency (e.g., AUD) at your bank's exchange rate on the day of billing — not at a fixed rate. This means the AUD amount you see may differ from the USD plan price.
- Bundled top-up charges: Usage top-ups (such as OTTO credits or keyword credits) are sometimes processed alongside your subscription renewal in a single Stripe transaction. This can make the total appear higher than your base plan cost.
- Legacy or duplicate billing events: Accounts migrated from older billing systems, or accounts connected to both Shopify and a direct credit card, may occasionally trigger a duplicate charge during a billing cycle transition.
- Custom deal not applied: If you have a negotiated or promotional price, a system error may cause the standard rate to be charged instead.
💱 Understanding Currency Differences (AUD and Other Non-USD Currencies)
Search Atlas processes all payments in USD. If you are based in Australia or another non-USD country, here is what to expect:
- Your plan is priced and invoiced in USD (e.g., $999.00 USD).
- Your bank or card network converts that USD amount to your local currency at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of the transaction.
- The converted amount (e.g., $1,434.52 AUD) will appear on your bank statement — this is not an overcharge; it reflects the current exchange rate plus any foreign transaction fees your bank may apply.
If the USD amount on your Search Atlas invoice matches your plan price but the local currency amount looks higher than expected, the difference is exchange-rate-driven and handled entirely by your financial institution. Search Atlas does not control or add currency conversion fees.
If the USD amount itself does not match your plan, that is a billing error and should be investigated immediately.
🗂️ How to Check Your Invoice and Payment Method
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Click your avatar in the top-right (Account Menu) and select Billing.
- Open the Invoices tab and locate the charge in question.
- Confirm the invoice amount in USD matches your active plan or any top-ups you authorised.
- Open the Payment Methods tab and verify which card is set as the default. Remove any outdated or unintended cards to prevent future charges to the wrong card.
⚠️ Common Scenarios and What to Do
- Wrong card charged: An old card was still saved as default. Go to Account Menu (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Add Payment Method button), set your preferred card as default, and delete the old one. Then contact support to review whether a refund and recharge is needed.
- Amount higher than your plan: Check whether a top-up was triggered during the billing cycle. Top-ups for credits or add-ons are billed separately or bundled — review your invoice line items for details.
- Duplicate charge: If you see two identical or near-identical charges in the same billing period, do not wait — contact our support team immediately so we can investigate and issue a refund if confirmed.
- Custom or promotional price not applied: If you have a negotiated rate and were charged the standard price, gather your agreement details and contact support with the invoice number.
- Shopify and direct card both charged: If your account was connected to both Shopify billing and a direct Stripe card, you may have been billed twice. Contact support with both transaction references.
✅ Steps to Take Right Now
- Download the invoice from Account Menu (avatar) → Billing → Invoices and note the invoice number, USD amount, and date.
- Check your bank statement and note the local currency amount and the card last four digits that were charged.
- Compare the two: if the USD invoice amount matches your plan, the local currency difference is a bank conversion. If the USD amount is wrong, escalate immediately.
- Remove any unintended payment methods from your account to prevent recurrence.
- Contact our support team (see below) with your invoice number and both transaction references so we can investigate and, if applicable, process a refund.
🛡️ How We Prevent This From Happening Again
Our team continuously monitors billing events for anomalies including duplicate charges, incorrect plan pricing, and misapplied payment methods. Resolved issues are reviewed to improve billing safeguards. If you have experienced a discrepancy, reporting it helps us protect all customers.
💬 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.
When you reach out, please have the following ready: your invoice number, the last four digits of the card charged, the amount and currency shown on your bank statement, and the date of the charge. This allows us to locate and resolve your case as quickly as possible.