💡 How HyperDrive Credits Are Billed
HyperDrive Credits (HDC) power your Cloud Stack generation and publishing inside Search Atlas. According to your dashboard, HDC should be deducted at the moment a Cloud Stack is first published — not when the draft is generated. If you generated Cloud Stack drafts, never published them, and later deleted them, you should not have been charged for those drafts.
Understanding the intended billing behavior helps you spot discrepancies quickly:
- Generation: Creating a Cloud Stack draft should be a preview step and should not consume HDC.
- First publish: This is when your HDC is deducted, and only once per Cloud Stack.
- Deleted drafts: Drafts removed before publishing should never carry a permanent charge.
⚠️ Why Incorrect Charges Can Happen
In some cases, HDC may be deducted at the Cloud Stack generation step instead of at first publish. This is a known billing issue that our engineering team is actively resolving. Common symptoms include:
- HDC deducted immediately after generating a Cloud Stack, before you clicked publish.
- Charges remaining on your balance even after you deleted unpublished drafts.
- Your credit balance not matching the usage shown in your dashboard.
- Purchased HDC disappearing around a subscription renewal date.
If any of these sound familiar, your credits may be eligible for restoration.
🔍 How to Check Your Credit Activity
Before reaching out, gather the details that will help our team verify the incorrect charge:
- Go to the left sidebar and click Authority, then select Cloud Stacks.
- Review your Cloud Stack list and note which stacks were generated but never published, including any you deleted.
- Record the date of generation and the number of HDC deducted for each draft.
- Take a screenshot of your current HDC balance and the relevant Cloud Stack entries.
- Check whether your dashboard states that billing occurs at first publish — a screenshot of this wording is helpful evidence.
🛠️ How to Request a Credit Restoration
Credit restorations are handled manually by our support team so we can audit your account ledger and return the exact amount owed. To start a request:
- Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform.
- Type human teammate to connect with a member of our team.
- Share the number of affected drafts, the HDC amount charged per draft, and the approximate dates.
- Attach your screenshots so we can verify the charges quickly.
Once the audit is complete, incorrectly charged credits are credited back to your account. For example, if 45 HDC was charged for three drafts that were deleted before publishing, those 45 HDC would be restored — or the full amount if the charges should never have occurred at generation.
📊 What Happens After You Report It
Our team reviews your account's credit ledger against your actual Cloud Stack activity. Because credit tracking involves multiple systems, audits can take a short time to complete, but every verified overcharge is refunded in full. You will receive confirmation in the chat once your credits are restored.
🚀 Tips to Avoid Future Billing Confusion
- Only generate Cloud Stacks you intend to publish while the billing fix is being finalized.
- Monitor your HDC balance after each generation and note any immediate deductions.
- Report discrepancies as soon as you spot them — early reports make audits faster.
- Keep an eye on your balance around subscription renewal dates.
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.