🔍 Overview
Billing questions are among the most common reasons customers reach out to our support team. This article explains the most frequent causes of unexpected charges, clarifies what is and isn't included in each plan, and tells you exactly what to do if you spot a charge that doesn't look right.
📋 What's Included in Each Plan
It's important to understand that not every feature is bundled into every plan tier. Here's a quick breakdown of common points of confusion:
- Google Ads Add-on: The Google Ads integration is a paid add-on and is not included in the Pro plan or any standard annual plan. If you see a persistent in-app message prompting you to enable it, that message will remain until you either subscribe to the add-on or dismiss it. It is not a bug — it is an invitation to upgrade.
- Annual Pro Plan: Your annual Pro plan covers the core Search Atlas feature set. Add-ons such as Google Ads, additional user seats, and certain data integrations are priced separately regardless of your billing cycle.
- Starter Plan Charges: If you purchased an annual Pro plan but later see a $99 charge associated with a Starter plan, this is most likely caused by a billing migration issue or a duplicate subscription record. Do not ignore it — follow the steps below to get it resolved immediately.
⚠️ Common Reasons for Unexpected Charges
Several known scenarios can result in charges that look incorrect on your invoice:
- Post-migration billing errors: If your account was recently migrated to our new billing system, there is a known issue where recurring top-up charges may stack incorrectly on your subscription, resulting in duplicate or inflated charges.
- Subscription upgrade not applied correctly: In some cases, a plan upgrade may fail to process on the subscription side even though your payment method was charged. This results in being billed without receiving the upgraded features.
- Custom pricing not reflected: If you were offered custom or negotiated pricing, it may not have been automatically applied to your self-serve account. You could be billed at the standard rate instead.
- Promo code issues: Promo codes on our platform cannot be stacked — only one promotional code can be active on your account at a time. If a promo code expires, it is automatically removed, your quotas may reset, and any usage beyond your standard plan limits may generate an overage record and charge.
✅ Steps to Take If You See an Unexpected Charge
- Check your plan details: Navigate to the top-right avatar → Billing (Billing: Plans & Top-ups, Services, Invoices, Activity Log) inside the platform. Review your active plan, any listed add-ons, and your next billing date to confirm what you're subscribed to.
- Review your invoice history: In the same Billing section, open your invoice list and compare the charge amounts and descriptions against your expected plan pricing.
- Look for duplicate subscriptions: If you see both a Starter and a Pro plan listed, or multiple recurring line items for the same add-on, this is a sign of a duplicate subscription that needs to be corrected by our team.
- Check your promo code status: Under the top-right avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Redeem Promo Code), confirm whether a promo code is currently applied. If a code has expired and was removed, verify that your plan quota has been restored correctly.
- Contact support right away: Billing discrepancies should be escalated as soon as possible so our team can investigate and issue a refund if applicable.
💡 Promo Codes — Key Rules to Know
To avoid confusion around promotional discounts, keep these rules in mind:
- Only one promo code can be active on your account at any time. Stacking multiple codes is not supported.
- When a promo code expires, it is automatically removed from your account.
- After a code is removed, your plan quotas reset to their standard limits. Any usage that exceeded those limits during the promo period may generate an overage charge.
- Always confirm that a promo code has been successfully applied before completing a purchase. If you do not see a discount reflected at checkout, the code has not been applied.
💰 Refunds and Billing Corrections
Search Atlas will review and refund verified billing errors. To be eligible for a refund investigation, you should report the discrepancy as soon as you notice it. Our billing team will confirm whether the charge was caused by a system error, a migration issue, or an account configuration problem, and will take corrective action accordingly.
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.