🗂️ Overview
If you are on an annual Search Atlas plan and would like to switch to monthly billing, you can request a plan change at any time. Rather than a cash refund, the unused portion of your annual subscription is converted into Hyperdrive Credits (HDC), which you can use across the platform for AI-powered tasks, content generation, and more.
💡 What Are Hyperdrive Credits (HDC)?
Hyperdrive Credits (HDC) are the in-platform currency used to power AI features inside Search Atlas. They can be applied to a wide range of tools, including content writing, keyword research, and site audits. HDC behave differently depending on how they were added to your account.
- Recurring HDC: Included in your plan (and any optional recurring monthly HDC top-up) — these reset at each quota cycle and unused ones do not carry over.
- Purchased / Bonus HDC: One-time top-up credits — these roll over and stay on the account until used completely.
Note: HDC are only granted on paid plans. Free trial accounts do not receive HDC until a paid subscription is activated and rolls over.
🔄 How the Annual-to-Monthly Switch Works
When you request a switch from an annual plan to a monthly plan, here is what happens:
- Your annual subscription is cancelled effective immediately upon confirmation.
- The remaining unused months of your annual term are calculated.
- The monetary value of those unused months is converted into HDC and credited to your account.
- Your account is moved to the equivalent monthly plan, and your next billing date is set accordingly.
This means you will not receive a cash refund to your original payment method. The value is retained inside the platform as HDC, giving you full flexibility to use it across Search Atlas tools.
📊 How the Unused Value Is Calculated
The refund amount converted to HDC is based on the pro-rated value of your remaining subscription period. For example, if you are six months into a twelve-month plan, roughly half the annual fee (minus any promotional discounts already applied) is converted into HDC. The exact credit amount will be confirmed by our team before the switch is finalised.
➕ Topping Up HDC Alongside the Switch
If you would also like to purchase additional HDC at the time of switching plans, you can do so. Once your account is moved to the monthly plan, you will have the option to top up HDC directly from your account dashboard. Any purchased HDC are added on top of the credits already granted from your unused annual balance.
⚙️ How to Request the Switch
Plan changes of this type are handled by our support team to ensure your credits are calculated accurately and applied correctly. To get started:
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform.
- Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.
- Let the agent know you would like to switch from your annual plan to a monthly plan and receive the unused value as HDC.
- The agent will confirm the credit amount and complete the switch on your behalf.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
- Will I lose any features when switching to monthly? As long as you remain on the equivalent monthly tier, your access to tools and limits will stay the same.
- Do the HDC from my unused annual balance expire? No. Credits added to your account do not expire and carry over month to month.
- Can I see my HDC balance in the platform? Yes. Your current HDC balance is visible in your account dashboard. Note that the quota display shows combined recurring and purchased credits — this is expected behaviour and does not mean your credits have been lost.
- Can I switch back to an annual plan later? Yes. You can upgrade back to an annual plan at any time from the billing section of your account.
🆘 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.