🔍 Why Am I Seeing This Charge?
If you signed up for a Search Atlas free trial or accessed the platform through a summit or promotional offer, a subscription may have been activated automatically when your trial period ended. Even if you did not actively log in or use the platform after signing up, the subscription can remain active until it is explicitly cancelled.
Common reasons customers see an unexpected $199 charge include:
- A free trial converted to a paid monthly plan at the end of the trial period.
- A summit or promotional signup that included a trial with automatic billing after the trial window closed.
- A Shopify app connection that triggered a separate billing cycle through Shopify in addition to, or instead of, a direct card charge.
- A duplicate account created under a different email address, meaning the account tied to the charge may not match the email you normally use to log in.
🔑 Can't Log In or Reset Your Password?
If you are unable to reset your password because the platform does not recognise your email, your charge may be linked to a different account. This happens when:
- You signed up with a work email but are trying to recover access using a personal email, or vice versa.
- Your account was created through a partner, summit, or affiliate link and is registered under a slightly different email address.
- A legacy or inactive account exists in our system that is not fully visible through the standard login flow.
Do not create a new account to try to access the charged subscription. Doing so will not stop the charge and may complicate the resolution. Instead, follow the steps below or contact our support team directly.
🛠️ Steps to Resolve the Charge
- Check all email addresses — Search your inbox for any confirmation email from Search Atlas or from Stripe (our payment processor). The email it was sent to is the account email tied to the charge.
- Check your Shopify billing — If you installed a Search Atlas or SearchAtlas-related app through the Shopify App Store, the charge may appear in your Shopify subscription billing rather than directly on your credit card. Log in to your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Billing, and review active app subscriptions.
- Cancel through Stripe (if you have access) — If you can log in to the account, navigate to the account menu (person icon, top-right) > Billing inside the platform and cancel the subscription before the next billing date to stop future charges.
- Request a refund or cancellation via support — If you cannot access the account at all, our support team can locate the subscription using your card details or email and process the cancellation and any eligible refund on your behalf.
💡 Am I Eligible for a Refund?
Refund eligibility depends on the specific circumstances of your signup and how long the subscription has been active. Our team reviews each case individually. Factors that are taken into account include:
- Whether the trial-to-paid conversion terms were clearly presented at signup.
- How many billing cycles have occurred since the trial ended.
- Whether the account shows any usage activity during the billed period.
We aim to resolve billing disputes fairly and quickly. Providing the email address used at signup and the approximate date of the first charge will help our team locate your account and speed up the resolution.
✅ How to Prevent Future Charges
- Always cancel your trial before the trial end date if you decide not to continue.
- Check your Shopify app subscriptions separately, as they are billed through Shopify and will not appear in your Search Atlas billing dashboard.
- Save the confirmation email you receive at signup — it contains your account email, plan details, and trial end date.
- If you are unsure whether your account is still active, contact our support team to verify your subscription status before the next billing date.
🤝 Need Help Right 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.
Please have the following ready to share so we can resolve your case as quickly as possible:
- The email address you believe is linked to the charge.
- The last four digits of the card being charged.
- The approximate date the charge first appeared.
- Whether you signed up through a summit, partner link, or Shopify app.