🔍 Overview
Some customers have noticed an unexpected $199 charge on their credit card or payment method, sometimes alongside a separate Shopify billing charge. This can happen due to a billing migration issue, a duplicate subscription, or a re-checkout on an account that was already active. This article explains what may have caused the charge, how to get a refund, and how to cancel your account(s) if needed.
⚠️ Common Reasons for an Unexpected $199 Charge
- Duplicate billing during migration: If your billing was recently migrated between payment methods (e.g., from Shopify to credit card), a charge may have been applied twice — once on each payment method.
- Re-checkout on an existing account: Attempting to reactivate or re-subscribe to a plan that was in a past-due or pending-cancellation state can trigger a second charge without cancelling the original subscription.
- Add-on billing error: In some cases, an add-on (such as OTTO Google Ads) triggered an unintended charge after a billing system update.
- Two separate accounts: If you or a team member created a second account, both accounts may have been charged independently.
✅ Steps to Take If You Were Charged Incorrectly
- Check for duplicate accounts. Go to your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform, then navigate to Settings → Team Members (URL: /settings). Confirm whether you have more than one active account or subscription linked to your organisation.
- Review your billing history. Check both your credit card statement and any Shopify billing to identify whether charges appear on more than one payment method for the same billing period.
- Note the charge date and amount. Have the exact charge date, amount ($199), and the last four digits of the card ready. This speeds up the investigation significantly.
- Contact support immediately. Our team can locate the duplicate or erroneous charge in our billing system and process a refund directly. Refunds are typically returned to your original payment method within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank.
🚫 How to Cancel One or Both Accounts
You can cancel your subscription yourself from the dashboard: click your Profile avatar → Billing → Services, then open the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on the plan and choose Cancel. A confirmation/retention step will appear before the final confirmation. After cancelling, your access continues until the end of the current billing period — the subscription does not end immediately. If you change your mind, you can reverse a pending cancellation from the same place by clicking Activate.
If you'd prefer, our support team can also action the cancellation on your behalf, but contacting support is optional. If you do reach out, please have ready:
- The email address(es) associated with each account you want cancelled
- Any reference to the unexpected charge so the team can link the refund and cancellation in one step
Important: Cancelling your account does not automatically trigger a refund. You must explicitly request the refund at the same time so both actions are processed together.
⏱️ What to Expect After You Request a Refund
- Our team will investigate the charge in our billing system (Stripe and/or Shopify) to confirm it was applied in error.
- Once confirmed, the refund is issued immediately on our end.
- Your bank or card provider may take 5–10 business days to reflect the credit on your statement.
- You will receive confirmation once the refund has been processed.
🛡️ How We're Preventing This from Happening Again
Our engineering team has identified and resolved the root causes behind duplicate billing during payment migration and re-checkout flows. Hotfixes have been applied to prevent new occurrences. If you believe you are still being affected, please reach out right away so we can investigate your specific account.
💬 Need Help Now?
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.