## **🔎 Overview**

Seeing a recurring $199 charge you don't recognize can be stressful, especially if it has appeared for several months and you feel you haven't used the service. This article explains how to find out what the charge is, how to stop future billing, and how to ask our team to review a refund request.

## **❓ Why You May See a Recurring Charge**

Search Atlas plans renew automatically each billing period until the subscription is cancelled. A recurring charge usually has one of these causes:

- A subscription was started on your account (for example, after a trial or plan sign-up) and was never cancelled.
- A teammate, colleague, or agency partner signed up using the same payment card.
- You have more than one Search Atlas account, and the charge comes from one you don't use often.
- A plan renewed automatically after a trial or promotional period ended.

Not logging in or not actively using the tools does not pause or cancel a subscription. Billing continues until the plan is cancelled.

## **🧾 Step 1: Confirm the Charge Details**

Before requesting a refund, gather the facts about the charge. This helps our team resolve your case much faster.

1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and open your **Billing** or **Subscription** settings.
2. Check the current plan, the status of the subscription, and the invoice history.
3. Note the date and amount of each charge, starting with the first one you don't recognize.
4. Compare these with the entries on your card or bank statement, including the last four digits of the card used.
5. If you can't log in or can't find a subscription, try any other email addresses you might have used to sign up, since the charge may be tied to a different account.

## **🛑 Step 2: Stop Future Charges**

If you don't want the subscription to continue, cancel it as soon as possible so no further payments are taken.

1. Go to **Billing** or **Subscription** in your account settings.
2. Select the option to cancel your plan.
3. Confirm that the status shows the subscription as cancelled or set to end, and that no future renewal date is listed.

If you can't find the subscription, or the cancel option isn't available, open the chat widget and ask our team to help (see the final section). Please do this promptly, because each new renewal adds to the amount in question.

## **💬 Step 3: Request a Refund Review**

Refund requests are reviewed by our team on a case-by-case basis. Approval depends on your account's history and billing details, so we can't promise a specific outcome in advance. To make the review as smooth as possible, prepare the following:

- The name and sign-up address of the account, if you know them.
- The date of the first charge you don't recognize and the number of charges since then.
- The amount of each charge (for example, $199 per month).
- The last four digits of the card that was charged.
- A short explanation of why you're asking for a refund, such as not recognizing the subscription or not using the service.

If you're requesting a refund for multiple months, list all of the charges in one message. This lets our team review the full billing history at once rather than piece by piece.

## **⏱️ What to Expect After You Ask**

- Our team will look up the subscription and confirm which account the charges belong to.
- They will review the billing history, including when the plan started, any renewals, and any account activity.
- You will be told whether the subscription has been cancelled and what the outcome of your refund request is.
- If a refund is approved, the time it takes to appear depends on your card issuer or bank.

## **🛡️ How to Avoid Unexpected Charges**

- Review your **Billing** page regularly so you know your plan and renewal date.
- If you start a trial or a promotional plan, set a reminder to cancel before the renewal date if you don't plan to continue.
- Agree with teammates or agencies on who manages the subscription, and avoid sharing one payment card across accounts without a record.
- Keep track of the sign-up address for each account you create so you can find it later.
- Check your card statements monthly and act on any charge you don't recognize right away.

## **📌 Quick Answers**

- **Do I get charged if I don't use the platform?** Yes. Subscriptions renew automatically until they are cancelled, whether or not you log in.
- **Will cancelling remove past charges?** No. Cancelling stops future billing only. Past charges need a separate refund review.
- **Can I get a refund for every month charged?** Each request is reviewed individually, so the outcome depends on your billing history.
- **What if I truly never signed up?** Tell our team right away so they can check whether the account was created by someone else using your card details.

## **🙋 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 instantly connected with a member of our team.