🔍 What Is a Website Top-Up Charge?
A Website Top-Up is an add-on charge that applies when the number of websites on your account exceeds the sites included in your current plan. Each additional website beyond your plan's limit is billed as a top-up at a fixed rate per billing cycle.
For example, if your plan includes 2 websites and a third site is detected on your account, a $200 top-up fee may be automatically triggered for that billing period.
⚠️ Common Reasons for an Unexpected $200 Charge
Customers sometimes see this charge without knowingly adding a new site. Here are the most frequent causes:
- Migration or system error: During billing system migrations, some accounts were incorrectly flagged as having additional sites, triggering unintended top-up charges.
- Duplicate billing event: In rare cases, a billing event was fired twice, resulting in a double charge appearing on your invoice.
- Incorrect site count display: A known issue affected how top-up quantities were displayed for certain accounts, making it appear that more sites were active than were actually in use.
- Legacy pricing reversion: Some accounts on updated plans were temporarily reverted to an older pricing structure, causing an unexpected overcharge.
- Sites carried over unintentionally: A website created during a trial or previous billing period may have remained active and counted toward your total without your awareness.
🖥️ How to Check Your Active Websites
Before contacting support, verify how many websites are currently active on your account:
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- In the left sidebar, click Website Studio (or navigate to /website-studio).
- Review the list of sites shown. Any site listed here — even if inactive or unpublished — may count toward your plan's website limit.
- Note the total number of sites and compare it to the number included in your subscription plan.
If you see websites you did not create or no longer need, you can remove them to prevent future top-up charges.
📄 How to Review Your Billing History
To confirm exactly what you were charged and when:
- Click your avatar in the top-right corner.
- Select Billing from the menu.
- Review your invoice history for any line items labeled Website Top-Up.
- Note the date, amount, and quantity shown for the top-up charge.
If the quantity shown does not match the number of websites you actively use, this is a strong indicator of a billing discrepancy.
✅ What to Do If You Were Incorrectly Charged
If you believe the $200 charge was applied in error — for example, you only have the sites included in your plan and never approved an additional site — follow these steps:
- Check your active websites in Website Studio as described above.
- Take a screenshot of your website list and your invoice showing the disputed charge.
- Contact our support team using the live chat widget (see below) and share these details so we can investigate and process a refund if applicable.
Our team has resolved similar billing discrepancies for customers affected by system migrations, duplicate billing events, and incorrect site counts. If the charge was applied in error, we will issue a correction promptly.
🛡️ How to Prevent Future Top-Up Charges
- Regularly audit your sites in Website Studio and remove any you no longer need.
- Before adding a new website, confirm how many sites your current plan includes.
- Review your invoice each billing cycle for any unexpected line items.
- If you plan to manage more sites than your plan allows, contact support to upgrade your plan proactively rather than incurring automatic top-up fees.
💬 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.