💡 Overview
Search Atlas issues all subscription invoices in USD (United States Dollars). However, some customers — particularly those using cards issued by Australian banks — may notice that their card statement shows a charge in AUD (Australian Dollars), sometimes at an unfavourable exchange rate. This article explains why this happens and what steps you can take.
🔍 Why Does This Happen?
The currency shown on your Search Atlas invoice and the currency your bank processes the charge in are two separate things. Here is what typically causes the mismatch:
- Card-issuing bank conversion: Even if your card account holds a USD balance, some banks — especially Australian financial institutions — automatically convert international charges to AUD at the point of settlement. This is a bank-side decision, not something Search Atlas controls.
- Card type and account settings: Multi-currency cards and accounts do not always default to the matching currency. Your bank's rules determine which currency is used at the time of the transaction.
- Payment processor routing: Our payment processor submits all charges in USD. If your bank's systems detect the card as AUD-primary, it may convert the charge automatically before it reaches your account.
⚠️ Known Billing Issues We Have Fixed
We are aware of several past billing incidents that may have affected customers, including incorrect cards being billed due to a legacy system migration and duplicate or inconsistent charges for some accounts. Our engineering team has resolved these specific bugs. If you believe your charge was affected by a platform error — rather than a bank-side currency conversion — please reach out so we can investigate your account directly.
🛠️ What You Can Do
Follow these steps to minimise or avoid cross-currency exchange fees:
- Contact your bank first. Ask your bank or card provider whether your card is set up to accept USD charges without automatic conversion. Some banks allow you to opt in to dynamic currency choice or lock a preferred settlement currency.
- Use a USD-native card or account. If you regularly pay for USD-denominated SaaS subscriptions, consider using a card or account that natively holds and settles in USD (for example, a multi-currency fintech account).
- Check your invoice. Log in to Search Atlas, navigate to your billing section, and confirm that your invoice currency is listed as USD. If you see a currency other than USD on the invoice itself, that is something our team needs to investigate.
- Review the charge amount. Compare the USD amount on your Search Atlas invoice with the AUD amount on your card statement. If the difference is larger than the standard exchange rate plus your bank's foreign transaction fee, there may be a billing error on our end that we should look into.
📊 What Search Atlas Can and Cannot Change
It is important to understand the boundaries of what our team can adjust:
- We can: Verify the USD amount charged, issue refunds if a billing error occurred on our platform, and provide itemised invoices to help you reconcile charges with your bank.
- We cannot: Change the settlement currency on your bank's side, override your bank's foreign exchange process, or guarantee the AUD equivalent of any USD charge, as exchange rates fluctuate.
🚀 How to Request a Billing Review
If you believe you were charged incorrectly — for example, you were billed twice, charged an unexpected amount, or your invoice currency does not match USD — please get in touch with our team as soon as possible. Have the following ready to speed up the review:
- Your Search Atlas account email address
- The invoice number or date of the charge in question
- A screenshot or statement showing the AUD charge from your bank
- The expected USD amount from your Search Atlas invoice
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.