## **🔍 What Are Universal Credits?**

Universal Credits (UC) is Search Atlas's unified billing system that consolidates feature usage into a single, flexible credit pool. Instead of managing separate allowances for each tool, your credits are shared across supported features — making it easier to allocate usage where you need it most.

**Important:** HyperDrive Credits are a separate credit type and are **not** drawn from your Universal Credits balance. These two systems operate independently and will never be combined or confused in your billing.

## **📊 How to Understand Your Pre/Post Migration Usage**

If you want to model how your last 30–60 days of activity would look under Universal Credits, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to the **Billing** or **Usage** section of the platform.
2. Review your historical feature usage for the relevant date range. Look for per-tool consumption figures (e.g., Local SEO Heatmaps, content tools, keyword lookups).
3. Apply the UC conversion rate for each feature. Each tool has a defined rate that determines how many Universal Credits one unit of usage costs. These rates are listed in your plan details under **Avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups** (see the *Quota model details* section, which shows per-feature *Total Quota X / Y*).
4. Add the converted credit amounts together to get your estimated total Universal Credits consumption for that period.
5. Compare this total against your plan's Universal Credits allowance to see whether your usage fits comfortably within your quota.

If you are unsure of the conversion rate for a specific tool, your plan documentation will list each feature alongside its UC rate. You can also reach out via the chat widget for a personalised usage summary.

## **⚙️ Universal Credits Conversion Rates — Key Facts**

- Each Search Atlas feature that supports Universal Credits has a fixed conversion rate (e.g., X credits per heatmap scan, Y credits per keyword lookup).
- Conversion rates are defined at the plan level and do not change mid-billing cycle.
- HyperDrive Credits have their own separate rate and quota — they are **never** deducted from your Universal Credits pool.
- Your dashboard will always display your UC balance and HyperDrive balance as two distinct line items so there is no ambiguity.

## **🛠️ LLM Project Quota Limits Explained**

LLM (Large Language Model) features in Search Atlas — such as AI-assisted content tools — operate under a dedicated quota system called **LLM allowed\_projects**. This controls how many active LLM projects you can run within your billing period.

Here is what you need to know:

- **LLM project quotas are being integrated into the billing catalog** as a purchasable resource, meaning you will soon be able to increase your LLM project allowance directly from your plan settings.
- Until that update is fully released, your LLM project limit is tied to your current plan tier.
- LLM project usage is tracked separately from your Universal Credits balance. Running an LLM project does **not** consume Universal Credits unless the specific output action (e.g., publishing content) has a defined UC cost.

## **🚨 "Quota Exhausted" Errors on Local SEO Heatmaps**

Some customers on Universal Credits plans have encountered a **"quota exhausted"** error when attempting to run Local SEO Heatmap scans. This was caused by a missing quota entry in the system's credit configuration — specifically, the `uc.universal_credits` value was absent from the quota record for affected accounts.

This issue has been resolved. If you are still seeing a quota exhausted message on Heatmaps after logging out and back in, please take the following steps:

1. Clear your browser cache and reload the platform.
2. Navigate to **Local → Local SEO Heatmaps** and attempt the scan again.
3. If the error persists, check your Universal Credits balance in the Billing section to confirm you have sufficient credits remaining.
4. If your balance appears healthy but the error continues, contact support immediately via the chat widget.

## **✅ Quick Reference: UC vs. HyperDrive Credits**

- **Universal Credits:** Shared pool used across most Search Atlas features. Replenishes on your billing cycle. Visible in the Billing dashboard as "Universal Credits."
- **HyperDrive Credits:** Separate credit type for HyperDrive-specific features. Has its own balance, quota, and replenishment schedule. Always shown as a distinct line item.
- The two credit types are **never interchangeable** and are billed independently.

## **💬 Need More 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.