## 🔍 Why Did This Charge Appear?

We understand how alarming it can be to see an unexpected charge on your account. A $199 charge typically appears for one of the following reasons:

- **Accidental plan activation:** A plan may have been started unintentionally during sign-up or while exploring the platform.
- **Duplicate billing:** In rare cases, a known technical issue caused some accounts to be billed twice due to a checkout error. Our engineering team has since resolved this.
- **Shared account access:** Someone with access to your account may have initiated a subscription.
- **Trial-to-paid conversion:** A free trial may have converted to a paid plan automatically if a payment method was on file.

## ✅ How to Check Your Subscription Status

Before requesting a refund, verify your current subscription so you have all the details ready:

1. Log in to your Search Atlas account.
2. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner.
3. Navigate to **Billing & Subscription**.
4. Review your active plan, billing date, and charge history.
5. Take note of the charge amount, date, and any active plan names — you will need these when contacting support.

## 💡 What Qualifies for a Refund?

Refund eligibility is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Charges are generally eligible for a refund if:

- You did not knowingly activate or authorise the subscription.
- The charge is the result of a verified platform error or duplicate billing.
- The request is submitted promptly after the charge appears.

Charges that were part of an active, intentionally selected plan are not typically eligible for a refund unless a billing error is confirmed.



## 🛠️ How to Request a Refund

To request a refund for an unauthorised $199 charge, follow these steps:

1. Gather your billing details: the exact charge amount, the date it appeared, and the last four digits of the card that was charged.
2. Log in to Search Atlas and open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform.
3. Type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our support team.
4. Explain that you received an unexpected $199 charge and would like to request a refund and cancellation.
5. Share the billing details you gathered in step one so the team can locate your transaction quickly.

Our team will investigate the charge, confirm whether a billing error occurred, and process an eligible refund as quickly as possible.



## ⏱️ How Long Does a Refund Take?

Once our team confirms your refund is approved, the timeline is as follows:

- **Refund initiated:** Within 1–3 business days of confirmation.
- **Funds returned:** Typically within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card provider.

You will receive confirmation from our team once the refund has been processed on our end.



## 🔒 How to Prevent Future Unexpected Charges

To avoid unintended charges going forward, we recommend the following:

- Review your active subscriptions and add-ons regularly in the **Billing & Subscription** section.
- Remove any saved payment methods you no longer wish to use.
- If multiple people have access to your account, review their permissions under account settings.
- Enable billing notifications so you are alerted before any charge is processed.

## 🤝 Need Further 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.