Home 🧾 Invoices & Receipts

🧾 Invoices & Receipts

Camilo Aponte
By Camilo Aponte
• 73 articles

💳 Unrecognized Annual Plan Charge — What To Do

🔍 Why You May See an Unrecognized Annual Charge If a charge for your Search Atlas annual plan appeared on your bank or credit card statement but is not visible in your account billing history, this is most likely caused by one of the following known billing issues: - Duplicate Stripe account creation: In some cases, an upgrade to an annual plan created a second Stripe billing profile. Charges processed under this duplicate account do not appear in your in-app billing history. - Subscription re-billing at an old monthly boundary: Customers who switched from a monthly plan to an annual special-offer plan may have been re-billed the full annual amount at the original monthly renewal date instead of the correct new date. - Residual charges from a previous plan: After a plan change, a lingering charge from your prior subscription tier was occasionally processed before the old plan was fully cancelled in our system. All of these root causes have been identified and resolved at the engineering level. If you have been affected, our support team can verify your account and process a correction promptly. ✅ Steps to Resolve the Charge 1. Locate the charge details. Find the exact charge amount, the date it was processed, and the last four digits of the card that was billed. You can find this on your bank statement, credit card portal, or the payment receipt sent to your email by our payment processor (Stripe). 2. Check your in-app billing history. Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to your account settings to review your billing history. If the charge does not appear there, this confirms it may have been processed under a duplicate billing profile. 3. Note your account details. Before contacting support, have the following ready: your registered email address, the charge amount, the charge date, and any transaction or receipt ID shown on the Stripe receipt. 4. Contact our support team immediately. Our team can look up charges across all billing profiles linked to your account, confirm whether the charge was processed in error, and initiate a refund where applicable. 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. ⏱️ What To Expect After Contacting Support Once our team verifies your account and confirms the erroneous charge, here is what happens next: - Verification: Our team will cross-reference your Stripe billing records to identify the duplicate or incorrect charge. - Refund initiation: If a billing error is confirmed, a full or partial refund will be issued to the original payment method. Refunds typically appear within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. - Account correction: Any duplicate Stripe accounts or misaligned subscription records will be resolved so future billing is accurate. - Confirmation: You will receive a Stripe receipt confirming the refund once it has been processed. ⚠️ Important Notes - Do not initiate a chargeback with your bank before contacting us. Chargebacks can freeze your account and delay resolution. Our team can resolve verified billing errors faster through direct refund. - Stripe receipts for charges are sent automatically to the email address on file. If you received a receipt for a charge you do not recognise, save it — this helps our team locate the transaction quickly. - If you are on a plan that includes team members or child accounts, note that child-account cancellations have in some cases triggered unexpected base-plan charges. Our team is aware of this and will check for it during your case review. 💡 How To Prevent This in the Future - After any plan upgrade or change, check your billing history within 48 hours to confirm the correct amount was charged. - Ensure only one payment method is active on your account at a time to avoid processing under multiple billing profiles. - Save Stripe receipts sent to your email as a reference for every transaction.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Golden Loop Upgrade Charges and Refunds Explained

📖 What This Article Covers If you recently upgraded to the Golden Loop plan and noticed that you were charged the full plan price instead of a small prorated amount, or that your refund did not reflect a prepaid credit already applied to your account, this article explains what happened, how the correct amounts are calculated, and exactly what to do next. 💳 How a Golden Loop Upgrade Should Be Billed When you accept a Golden Loop offer partway through a billing cycle, you should not pay the full plan price upfront. Instead, the system calculates a prorated charge, which means you only pay for the time you actually use. Here is how it should work: - Time remaining: you are billed only for the days left in your current cycle, which is roughly one month for most upgrades. - Credits applied: any prepaid credit already on your account, such as a Growth plan credit, is deducted before your card is charged. - Future billing: the full plan price starts on your next normal billing date, not at signup. For example, instead of a full charge of $3,351.60, a typical mid-cycle upgrade should produce a much smaller prorated charge of roughly one month of the plan. ⚠️ The Known Billing Issue Some customers who accepted the Golden Loop offer ran into two related problems: - Full charge instead of a prorated charge: the system charged the entire plan price at signup (for example, $3,351.60) rather than a small prorated amount of about one month. - Refund that ignored prepaid credits: the automatic refund issued afterward (for example, $2,005.24) was calculated without including a prepaid credit — such as a $1,179.75 Growth credit — that had already been applied to an earlier purchase, like a June PRO plan payment. Both problems are billing calculation errors on our side. They do not affect your access to Golden Loop features, and they can be corrected once our team reviews your account. 🔍 How to Check Your Charge and Refund Before reaching out, gather these details from your billing history and invoice emails so our team can resolve your case quickly: 1. The date and amount of the Golden Loop charge (for example, $3,351.60). 2. The date and amount of any refund you received (for example, $2,005.24). 3. Any prepaid credit applied to earlier purchases, including the credit amount (for example, $1,179.75) and the month it was used. 4. The invoice numbers or payment references for each transaction. Then compare the numbers. If your upgrade charge equals the full plan price, or if your refund plus the credit already applied does not add up to the amount you overpaid, your account likely needs a manual correction. 🧮 How the Correct Refund Is Calculated A correct adjustment accounts for every dollar already on your account. In simple terms: - Start with the full amount you were charged. - Subtract the correct prorated price you should have paid. - Include any prepaid credit that was applied to earlier purchases, because that credit was your money and must not be lost or double-counted. - The result is the total that should be returned to you as a refund or account credit. If the refund you received is smaller than this total, the difference is still owed to you, and our team will make it right. ✅ What to Do Next If your charge or refund does not match the amounts described above, follow these steps: 1. Collect the billing details listed in the section above. 2. Send them to our team through the in-platform chat so a billing specialist can recalculate your charge and refund. 3. Our team will confirm the correct prorated amount, verify any prepaid credits, and issue any additional refund or account credit owed to you. - Screenshot or save your invoice emails when you make a purchase, especially when a credit is applied. - Check the amount charged on your card right after any upgrade and compare it to the prorated price you expected. - Keep a record of prepaid credits, including the amount and the month they were used, so they are easy to reference if a refund is ever needed. Refunds typically appear on your bank statement within 5 to 10 business days after they are processed, depending on your bank. If a credit is applied to your Search Atlas account instead, it will be visible immediately in your billing summary. 💡 Tips to Avoid Confusion on Future Upgrades 🙋 Still Need Help? Our billing team can review your transactions, verify every credit, and correct any overcharge or under-refunded amount. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💰 Restoring Incorrectly Charged HyperDrive Credits

💡 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: 1. Go to the left sidebar and click Authority, then select Cloud Stacks. 2. Review your Cloud Stack list and note which stacks were generated but never published, including any you deleted. 3. Record the date of generation and the number of HDC deducted for each draft. 4. Take a screenshot of your current HDC balance and the relevant Cloud Stack entries. 5. 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: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 2. Type human teammate to connect with a member of our team. 3. Share the number of affected drafts, the HDC amount charged per draft, and the approximate dates. 4. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Citation Refunds and Spending Permissions

💡 Overview Citation credits may be used when a campaign submits or maintains listings through a citation network. Refund eligibility depends on the campaign activity, the credits consumed, and whether the charge can be reversed. 💰 Request a citation refund Search Atlas support must review refund requests individually. Include the campaign number, the number of credits in question, and the reason for the request. For example, a request for a 120-credit refund on campaign 7940 should include: - Campaign ID: 7940 - Requested refund: 120 credits - A short explanation of why the charge should be reviewed - Any relevant dates, screenshots, or campaign details Refunds are not guaranteed. If approved, the final amount may differ from the amount requested because refunds are based on eligible usage and the actual cost of the completed work. Refund activity is recorded for account review. 🔒 Prevent unapproved credit spending To reduce unexpected spending, the account owner or administrator should: 1. Review all users with access to the workspace. 2. Remove users who no longer need access. 3. Limit campaign creation, launch, and purchasing access to trusted team members. 4. Require internal approval before a campaign is launched or credits are committed. 5. Review campaign activity and credit usage regularly. Keep in mind that restricting access after a campaign has started may not reverse credits already spent. Confirm who can launch campaigns before inviting new users or changing their permissions. 🧾 Review unexpected usage When you see unexpected spending, note the campaign ID, service involved, credit amount, and approximate time of the activity. This information helps the team compare the charge with campaign records and usage history. Some refunds may appear separately from the original usage entry. Allow time for the account balance and usage records to update after a refund is approved. 💬 Get help with a refund or permissions 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding and Disputing OTTO Usage Charges

🔍 What Are OTTO Top-Up Charges? Your Search Atlas plan includes a set number of OTTO sites — for example, some plans include four sites as standard. If OTTO is activated on more sites than your plan allows, the system automatically applies a top-up charge to cover the additional sites. These charges appear as line items on your invoice alongside your regular subscription fee. Top-up charges are designed to give you flexibility to scale, but they should never appear if you have not exceeded your plan's included site limit. If you see a charge you did not expect, it is important to review your OTTO usage and verify your plan details before assuming the charge is correct. 📋 Common Reasons for Unexpected OTTO Charges - Exceeding your plan's included OTTO sites: OTTO was activated on more sites than your plan covers, triggering automatic top-up billing. - Migration or account repair issues: A known issue affected a number of customers during account migrations. In some cases, the coupon or credit that grants included OTTO sites was not correctly applied after migration, causing the system to bill for sites that should have been covered. - Quota display mismatch: In some instances, the OTTO quota shown in the platform did not accurately reflect the number of sites included in the plan, leading to incorrect top-up calculations. - Repeated erroneous charges: A small number of customers experienced a billing error where an incorrect top-up charge was applied every month. If you have received a refund for this charge before but see it appear again, this is a known issue that our team can resolve. 🛠️ How to Review Your OTTO Usage and Plan 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing from the menu. 3. Open the Plans & Top-ups tab to confirm how many OTTO sites are included in your current plan. 4. Open the Invoices tab to locate the specific charge in question and note the date and amount. 5. Open the Activity Log tab to review a detailed record of usage events and any top-up activity on your account. If the number of OTTO sites shown in Plans & Top-ups does not match what you were told when you signed up, or if you are being charged for sites you have not activated, this confirms a billing discrepancy that needs to be corrected by our team. ✅ What to Do If You Are Charged Incorrectly If your review confirms that you have been charged for OTTO sites that should be included in your plan, or that a top-up charge has been applied in error, our team can investigate and issue a correction or refund. To get this resolved as quickly as possible, have the following information ready before contacting support: - The invoice date and the charge amount in question. - The number of OTTO sites you believe are included in your plan. - Whether this charge has appeared on previous invoices. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Manage Plan Upgrades and Duplicate Charge Credits

🔍 Understanding What's Included in Each Plan Some Search Atlas features are available as standalone add-ons on lower-tier plans but are bundled into higher-tier plans. If you have been paying for these features separately and then upgrade to a plan that already includes them, you may be eligible for credits or refunds on those overlapping charges. Before requesting a credit, it helps to understand exactly what your current plan includes versus what the new plan covers. This ensures our team can identify any duplicate charges quickly and accurately. 📋 Before You Contact Support: What to Prepare Gathering the following information in advance will make the upgrade and credit review process much faster: - Your current plan name and monthly cost - A list of all active add-ons you are paying for - The billing dates and amounts for those add-ons — you can find these in your invoices within your account's billing settings - The date you want the upgrade to take effect 🚀 How to Request a Plan Upgrade To upgrade your plan and have duplicate or overlapping charges reviewed, please reach out to our support team directly. When you contact us, have your current plan details, active add-ons, and relevant billing dates ready so the team can process your upgrade and review any charges as efficiently as possible. Once the upgrade is complete, any add-ons that are now included in your new plan will be automatically removed from your bill going forward. However, past charges for those add-ons require a manual review by our team. 💡 How Credits and Refunds Work Search Atlas reviews duplicate or overlapping charges on a case-by-case basis. Here is what you can generally expect: - Future billing: Add-ons included in your new plan are removed automatically — no further action needed. - Current and past billing cycles: If you were charged for an add-on that should have been covered by your plan, our support team will review your account and advise on eligibility for credits or refunds. Our team will confirm the outcome of your credit review and any next steps once your account has been assessed. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understand Your Bill, Refunds, and OTTO Downgrades

🧾 Why Did I See a Charge After My Trial? When your free trial ends, Search Atlas automatically converts your account to a paid plan. The charge you see reflects the full monthly (or annual) cost of the plan you selected when you signed up — including any add-ons such as additional OTTO-managed sites. For example, if your plan includes features that total $513/month, that is the amount billed at the start of your first paid billing cycle. This is expected behaviour and is not a duplicate or error charge. 💰 Where Is My Refund Credit? If you requested a plan change, downgrade, or cancellation shortly after being billed, our team may have issued a prorated refund credit to your account. Here is how credits work: - Credits are applied directly to your Search Atlas account balance — they are not returned to your original payment method unless specifically requested. - Your credit will automatically offset your next invoice, reducing the amount you owe. - You can verify your current credit balance by going to your Billing page inside the platform. - If a credit of $503 was issued, for instance, it means the difference between your original charge and your adjusted plan cost has been calculated and reserved for your next billing cycle. Credits typically appear within 1–3 business days of the adjustment being processed. ⬇️ How to Downgrade Your Number of OTTO-Managed Sites OTTO site slots are a billable add-on attached to your plan. Reducing the number of active OTTO sites requires a plan modification. Follow these steps: 1. Navigate to OTTO SEO in the left sidebar, then open SEO Automation inside it (or go to /seo-automation-v3). 2. Review which OTTO sites are currently active. Identify the site(s) you want to remove from active management. 3. To deactivate OTTO on a site, open that site's OTTO dashboard and select Deactivate OTTO. This stops automated SEO actions for that site. 4. Once you have deactivated the sites you no longer need, go to your Billing page and select Manage Plan to adjust your OTTO site count to match your active sites (for example, reducing from 3 to 1). 5. Save your changes. Your next invoice will reflect the lower site count. Important: Deactivating OTTO on a site does not automatically reduce your billed site count. You must also update the quantity under Billing → Plans & Top-ups (via Change Plan / Manage Subscription) to stop being charged for unused slots. 📅 When Will My Lower Rate Take Effect? Plan downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle. You will continue to have access to your current plan features until the cycle ends. Any prorated credit for unused time may be applied to your account balance depending on when the change was made. 🔍 How to Check Your Billing History and Credits To review all charges, credits, and invoices on your account: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing from the dropdown menu (Billing page). 3. Review the Invoice History section for itemised charges and the Credits section for any balance applied to your account. ⚠️ Common Billing Misconceptions - A large charge after a trial is not a mistake — it reflects your chosen plan activating at full price. - Refund credits are not instant card refunds — they live on your account and reduce future invoices. - Deactivating OTTO ≠ removing a billed slot — always confirm your plan quantities in Billing after deactivating a site. - Downgrades are not retroactive — you will not receive a refund for the current billing period; changes apply going forward. 🛠️ Still Have Questions? 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Requesting Credits for Long-Outstanding OTTO SEO Issues

🔍 Overview If you have open OTTO SEO issues that have remained unresolved for an extended period — particularly 30 days or more — you may be eligible to request a credit adjustment for the impact those issues have had on your account. This article explains what qualifies, how to document your case, and how to submit a credit request effectively. ⚠️ What Counts as a Long-Outstanding Issue A long-outstanding issue is one that has been actively affecting your OTTO SEO deployment or credit usage for a significant period without a confirmed resolution. Common examples that may qualify include: - Unresolved deployment errors that prevent OTTO from applying recommendations correctly. - Credit drain caused by known platform behaviour, such as OTTO flagging its own injected elements as audit errors or repeatedly processing image alt tags despite no changes. - Recommendation generation failures where OTTO is unable to produce suggestions even when sufficient credits are available. - Any issue open for 30 days or more that has measurably limited your ability to use the product as intended. 📋 Before You Submit a Credit Request To help our team assess your case quickly, gather the following information before reaching out: 1. Issue description: A brief summary of each problem you experienced, including when it first appeared. 2. Duration: The approximate start date for each issue and whether it is still ongoing. 3. Impact on credits: Estimate how many credits were consumed or wasted as a direct result of the issue. You can review your credit usage history inside the platform by clicking your Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Activity Log. 4. Affected sites or projects: List the domain(s) or OTTO projects impacted. 5. Any previous support interactions: Reference any earlier conversations where the issue was reported so our team can locate the history quickly. 🛠️ Known Issues That Have Affected Accounts The following platform-level issues have been identified and may have impacted your OTTO SEO usage. If any of these apply to your account, mention them specifically in your credit request: - Site Audit flagging OTTO-injected elements as errors: This caused some accounts to see inflated audit error counts. The only available resolution at the time was removing the OTTO pixel. If this affected your workflow or credit usage, note it in your request. - Image alt tag re-processing: Some accounts experienced repeated credit consumption as OTTO continued to process image alt tags. If you observed unusual credit drain related to alt tags, include an estimate of the credits affected. - Recommendation generation failures: A known issue prevented OTTO from generating recommendations for some projects even when credits were available. If this blocked your deployment strategy, document the period it occurred and the projects involved. Our team will cross-reference your account data against these known issues to validate your request. 📊 How Credits Are Evaluated Credit requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Our team considers: - Whether the issue was a confirmed platform bug or limitation. - The length of time the issue was active on your account. - The measurable credit or workflow impact directly tied to the issue. - Whether the issue has since been resolved or a workaround was available. Credits are not automatically applied — you must submit a request through the live chat support channel described below. Submitting a clear, documented case significantly speeds up the review process. ✅ How to Submit Your Credit Request 1. Open the Search Atlas platform and navigate to any page. 2. Click the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the screen. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a support team member. 4. Provide your prepared information: the issues experienced, their duration, the domains affected, and your credit impact estimate. 5. Our team will review your account history and respond with a decision or follow-up questions. If you have multiple issues to report, list all of them in your initial message so they can be reviewed together in a single case. 💡 Tips for a Faster Resolution - Be specific about dates and credit amounts — vague requests take longer to process. - If you have screenshots of error messages or unusual audit results, be ready to share them during the chat session. - Reference this article when you open the chat so the agent has immediate context for your request type. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🛠️ Fix OTTO Slot Overcharges and Adjust Quotas

🔍 Overview Some customers have noticed discrepancies between the number of OTTO slots they actively use and the number they are billed for. This can happen when slots are cancelled but not immediately removed from your quota, or when account migrations result in incorrect slot counts. This article explains why this happens and what steps to take to resolve it. 📊 Understanding OTTO Slot Billing Your OTTO SEO quota determines how many websites you can activate OTTO on at the same time. Billing is based on the number of slots assigned to your account, not just the ones actively in use. This means: - Unused slots still count toward your quota if they have not been formally removed from your account. - Cancelled add-ons may not immediately reduce your slot count, which can lead to being billed for slots you no longer need. - Account migrations from earlier versions of OTTO may have introduced quota mismatches for some customers. If you believe you are being billed for more slots than you are using or have requested, the steps below will help you identify the issue and get it corrected. ⚙️ How to Check Your Current OTTO Slot Usage 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. In the left sidebar, click OTTO SEO → SEO Automation (or navigate to /seo-automation-v3). 3. Review the list of sites with OTTO activated. Count the number of active projects. 4. Compare this number to the total slots shown in your account quota or billing summary. If the number of billed slots is higher than the number of active OTTO projects, you likely have unused slots that should be removed. 💡 Common Reasons for Slot Discrepancies - Cancelled quota add-ons not yet reflected: When you cancel an OTTO slot add-on, there can be a delay before the slot count is updated in the product. In some cases this requires a manual correction by our team. - Legacy migration issues: Customers migrated from earlier OTTO versions may have had their quotas set incorrectly during the transition. - Slots added during promotions: Promotional quota boosts that were later removed may not have been fully reconciled on all accounts. 🚀 How to Request a Slot Reduction or Billing Adjustment If you have identified unused OTTO slots or believe you have been overcharged, our team can review your account and apply the necessary corrections. To get this resolved quickly, please have the following information ready before reaching out: - The total number of OTTO slots currently billed to your account. - The number of slots you are actively using. - The number of slots you want removed. - The approximate date range during which the overcharge occurred (for example, the past three months). Our team will audit your quota allocation, remove any unused slots, and review whether a billing credit is applicable for the period in question. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Will removing unused slots affect my active OTTO projects? No. Our team will only remove slots that are not linked to any active OTTO project. Your live sites will not be affected. Can I receive a refund for months I was overcharged? Billing credits or refunds for overcharged periods are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. When you contact us, provide the billing dates in question so our team can investigate and advise on eligibility. How long does it take to correct my quota? Most quota adjustments are completed within one to two business days once our team has reviewed your account. What if my slot count looks correct in the app but my invoice shows a higher number? This can indicate a sync issue between the billing system and the product. Contact us via live chat and our team will reconcile both systems. 🆘 Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💰 Request a Renewal Discount for Reliability Issues

🔍 Overview If you experienced significant disruptions — such as billing errors, lost dashboard access, or bugs that required extensive troubleshooting — you may be eligible to request a discounted renewal as a goodwill gesture. This article explains what qualifies, what to expect, and how to submit your request. ⚠️ Common Issues That May Qualify Search Atlas has identified and resolved several billing and platform reliability issues. If you were affected by any of the following, your account may be considered for a renewal discount: - Loss of dashboard access immediately after cancelling, even though your paid period had not yet expired. - Reactivation button not working when your subscription was in a pending cancellation state. - OTTO quotas or base subscription showing incorrect cancellation status after a page refresh. - Child subscription sync errors or quota resets that caused unexpected service interruptions. - Excessive time spent troubleshooting bugs that have since been confirmed and fixed by our engineering team. ✅ What Has Been Fixed Our engineering team has resolved the most critical billing and subscription bugs, including: - Child subscription sync issues between parent and child accounts. - The reactivation button failing for subscriptions in a pending cancellation state. - Users losing dashboard access before the end of their paid billing period. - OTTO quotas and subscription status not updating correctly after a page refresh. These fixes are now live. If you are still experiencing any of the above issues, please report them immediately so our team can investigate. 📋 How to Request a Renewal Discount Discount requests are handled on a case-by-case basis by our support and billing team. To submit a request, follow these steps: 1. Open the live chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the Search Atlas platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 3. Explain the specific issues you encountered, including approximate dates and how the problems affected your workflow. 4. Mention any tickets, error messages, or screenshots you have available — these help our team verify the impact and process your request faster. Our team will review your account history, confirm the impact of any known bugs on your subscription, and respond with an appropriate resolution, which may include a renewal discount, account credit, or an extended billing period. 💡 Tips for a Faster Resolution - Be specific: Describe the exact features or workflows that were affected and for how long. - Reference known bugs: If the issue matches one of the known problems listed above, mention it by name. - Provide context: Let our team know if the disruption affected your team, client work, or business operations — this helps us assess the appropriate goodwill offer. 📌 Important Notes Discount requests are not automatically applied. Each request is reviewed individually based on the nature and duration of the disruption. Submitting a request does not guarantee a discount, but our team is committed to finding a fair resolution for customers who were genuinely impacted by platform issues. If your renewal date is approaching and you are concerned about timing, mention this when you contact support so our team can prioritize your case. 🙋 Need Further 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding and Managing Credit Top-Up Charges

💡 What Are Credit Top-Ups? Search Atlas allows you to purchase additional credits beyond your plan's monthly allowance through a feature called credit top-ups. These top-ups can be triggered automatically when your credit balance falls below a set threshold, ensuring uninterrupted access to tools like content generation, audits, and keyword research. Automatic top-up is off by default and can only be turned on or changed by an account admin from the Billing dashboard (Plans & Top-ups tab). Once an admin enables auto top-up, it is configured as a recurring automatic charge — meaning it will continue to trigger each time your balance drops below the admin-set threshold, not just once. This article explains how to manage this setting and what to do if you were charged unexpectedly. ⚙️ How Automatic Top-Ups Are Triggered Automatic top-ups activate when both of the following conditions are met: - You have previously enabled the auto top-up feature in your billing settings. - Your available credit balance drops below the minimum threshold you configured. Each time these conditions are met, your saved payment method is charged and credits are added to your account. This can result in multiple charges within the same billing period if you consume credits quickly. 🛠️ How to Disable Automatic Top-Ups To prevent future automatic top-up charges, an account admin should log in to Search Atlas and navigate to the Billing dashboard. From there, go to the Plans & Top-ups tab and turn it off. Once disabled, your account will no longer be charged automatically when credits run low. You can still purchase credits manually at any time from your Billing settings. 💰 Requesting a Refund for Unexpected Charges If you were charged for recurring top-ups you did not intend and the credits have not been used, you may be eligible for a partial or full refund. Here is what to keep in mind: - Unused credits are generally eligible for a refund review. - Used credits may not be refundable, as they have already been applied to tool usage within the platform. - Refund eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis by our billing team. To request a refund, please have the following information ready before contacting support: - The date(s) of the charges you are disputing. - The amount(s) charged. - Confirmation of whether the credits were used or remain in your balance. 🚫 How to Avoid This in the Future To make sure you stay in full control of your credit spending, we recommend the following: - Review your Billing settings after your initial setup to confirm whether auto top-ups are enabled. - Monitor your credit balance regularly so you are aware of consumption patterns before a top-up is triggered. - Disable automatic top-ups if you prefer to purchase credits manually on your own schedule. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🛠️ OTTO Sites Top-Up Reduction and Partial Refund

📋 Overview Your Search Atlas plan includes a set number of OTTO Sites by default. If you need more, you can purchase additional sites through a top-up. However, it is easy to end up with a top-up that covers more sites than you actually need — resulting in unexpected charges. This article explains how OTTO Sites billing works, why you may see an error when trying to reduce your top-up, and how to get a billing adjustment. 🔢 How OTTO Sites Top-Up Pricing Works Your base plan includes a fixed number of OTTO Sites at no extra cost. Any sites beyond that number require a paid top-up. A few important things to know: - Your plan's included sites count toward your total. For example, if your plan includes 4 OTTO Sites and you have 8 live sites, you only need a top-up for the 4 additional sites — not all 8. - Per-site price decreases with larger top-ups. Purchasing a larger block of additional sites lowers the unit price, but you only pay less per site, not less in total — so over-provisioning still costs more overall. - Top-up quantity and active sites are separate. You can have a top-up quantity that is higher than the number of sites you actually have live. This is a common source of overcharging. ⚠️ Why You May See a Reduction Error If you try to reduce your OTTO Sites top-up and see an error similar to "You cannot reduce your OTTO sites below the minimum included in your current plan," this does not always mean your requested reduction is invalid. In some cases, this error appears even when your requested number is correct and the reduction should be technically allowed. This is a known billing system limitation that requires the support team to resolve manually. ✅ What to Do If You Are Over-Provisioned 1. Confirm how many OTTO Sites your plan includes. Check your plan details to find the number of OTTO Sites bundled at no extra cost. 2. Count your active OTTO Sites. Review the sites currently active under your account in your Search Atlas dashboard. 3. Calculate the top-up you actually need. Subtract your plan's included sites from the total number of active sites. The result is the top-up quantity you should be paying for. 4. Attempt to adjust your top-up. Try to reduce the top-up to the correct number. If the change goes through without an error, you are done. 5. If you see an error, contact support immediately. Do not try to work around the error yourself. The billing team can manually adjust your top-up quantity and issue a partial refund for any amount you were overcharged. 💰 Partial Refunds for Overcharges If your top-up was set higher than needed and you were charged accordingly, you may be eligible for a partial refund covering the difference. The billin

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🛠️ Request Credits or Compensation for Unusable Services

🔍 Overview If you are unable to use core Search Atlas features such as OTTO, Content Genius, or Digital PR services, and this is impacting the value you receive from your subscription, you may be eligible for account compensation in the form of Hyperdrive Credits (HDC). This article explains what to expect and how to request a review. ⚙️ What Compensation May Look Like Search Atlas does not offer automatic refunds, but our support team can review your account on a case-by-case basis. Where a genuine service disruption or usability issue is confirmed, the team may offer: - Non-recurring Hyperdrive Credits added to your account — these do not expire and are applied as a one-time exception. - Reversal of charges for misconfigured features — for example, if a Cloud Stack was changed or created by mistake, no credits will be deducted once the issue is confirmed and corrected. Compensation decisions are made individually and depend on the nature of the issue, how long it has been ongoing, and what services were affected. 📋 Before You Contact Support To help our team review your situation quickly, gather the following information in advance: - Which specific features you cannot access or use (for example: OTTO, Content Genius, Digital PR campaigns). - How long the issue has been affecting your account. - Any error messages or unusual behaviour you have noticed. - The names or IDs of any projects or campaigns that may have been misconfigured. 🚀 Steps to Request a Compensation Review 1. Check your current feature access. Log in to Search Atlas and attempt to use the affected feature. Note any error messages or restrictions you see. 2. Review your active projects. If you believe a Cloud Stack or other configuration was set up incorrectly, identify the project name or ID so you can reference it clearly. 3. Delete any misconfigured items if instructed. If a support agent confirms a Cloud Stack or campaign was created in error, delete it from your account as directed. No credits will be deducted for confirmed mistakes once the issue is reviewed. 4. Contact the support team via live chat. Open the chat widget and describe your situation. Include the details you gathered above so the agent can investigate without delays. 💡 Digital PR Campaign Discovery and Indexation Metrics Notice - Compensation such as non-recurring Hyperdrive Credits is granted as an exception, not a standard policy. Not every request will result in credits. - If you are experiencing issues with Digital PR campaign discovery returning no opportunities, this is a known area the engineering team has been actively working on. Mention this specifically when you contact support so the agent can check the latest status for your account. - Indexation metrics in some accounts may have shown inflated results due to a resolved platform issue. If your ranking or indexation data looks inconsistent, flag this during your support conversation. - Our AI chat assistant is not able to approve compensation or access your billing details. To receive a credit decision, you must speak with a human teammate. 🤝 Need Further 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Billing History, Refunds, and Credit Requests

📋 Overview This article explains how to request a multi-month billing history, dispute where a refund is sent, and claim credits for services that were canceled or never delivered — such as unpublished press releases or unused cloud stacks. 🗂️ How to Request a Detailed Billing History Search Atlas can provide a detailed charge-by-charge billing summary for any account. If you need up to 13 months of billing history — including charges across multiple email addresses linked to your account — follow these steps: 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 2. Type human teammate to connect with a member of our team. 3. Provide the following information: - All email addresses associated with the accounts in question. - The date range you need (up to 13 months). - Any specific charge types you want itemized (e.g., press releases, cloud stacks, recurring top-ups). 4. Our team will compile and send you a complete, itemized billing summary. Note: If your account was migrated to a new billing system, some legacy line items may appear under different labels (for example, "Recurring Topups"). Our team can clarify every charge and confirm whether duplicates or stacked charges were applied in error. 💸 How to Request a Refund to Your Card By default, eligible refunds are issued to your original payment method. If you prefer account credit instead, you may request this explicitly. 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate. 2. State clearly that you want the refund processed to your card on file, not as platform credits. 3. Provide the charge amount, approximate charge date, and the last four digits of the card if available. Our billing team will review your request and confirm the refund method before processing. Refunds to a card typically take 5–10 business days to appear, depending on your bank. Important: Refunds cannot be split between a card and credits after processing has begun. Confirm your preferred method before our team initiates the refund. 🎁 How to Request Credits for Unused or Unpublished Services If you were charged for a service that was canceled, never published, or not delivered — such as press releases that remain unpublished or cloud stacks that were not activated — you may be eligible for account credits or a reversal of those charges. 1. Identify the specific services you believe should be credited. Common examples include: - Press releases that were ordered but never published. - Cloud stack orders that were not fulfilled. - OTTO top-up charges that continued after cancellation. 2. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate. 3. Share the service name, the charge amount, and the date(s) the charges appeared. 4. Our team will verify the service status in your account and apply the appropriate credit or refund. Credits are applied to your Search Atlas account balance and will automatically offset your next billing cycle charge. ❌ How to Cancel a Publication or Service To cancel a press release, cloud stack, or any other recurring service before it is published or renewed: 1. Navigate to the relevant section in your Search Atlas dashboard (e.g., Press Release Manager or Cloud Stacks). 2. Locate the item you want to cancel and select Cancel or Remove. 3. If the cancellation option is not visible — or if the service has already been charged — contact support immediately via the chat widget so our team can stop the service before it processes further. Tip: Cancel a service as early as possible in your billing cycle. Charges for services already in production may not be fully reversible. ⚠️ Common Billing Issues to Be Aware Of Our team is actively working to resolve several known billing edge cases. Here is what to watch for on your statements: - Stacked recurring top-up charges: Some accounts that were migrated between billing systems may show duplicate or stacked "Recurring Topup" line items. These are being investigated and eligible overcharges will be reversed. - OTTO top-up charges after cancellation: In some cases, OTTO top-up fees continued to bill after a cancellation was requested. If you see this on your account, contact our team and the charges will be reviewed for reversal. - Immediate charges during free trials: Plan upgrade charges should now be deferred until the end of your 7-day free trial. If you were charged immediately during a trial period, our team can review this for a correction. 🙋 Still Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Understanding Your OTTO Site Top-Up Charge

📋 What Is an OTTO Site Top-Up? An OTTO site top-up is an optional recurring add-on that gives you extra OTTO-managed sites beyond the number included in your base plan. It is not an automatic overage fee — it is only added when you (or an admin on your behalf) purchase additional sites at checkout. Once purchased, the top-up renews monthly and appears as its own line item on your Stripe invoice each billing cycle until it is downgraded or cancelled. 💡 Why Did This Charge Appear? The most common reasons you see an OTTO site top-up line on your invoice are: - You reached your OTTO site quota and purchased extra sites to continue creating new sites. - An account admin purchased additional OTTO sites on your behalf. - The add-on was purchased in a previous billing period and is now renewing automatically each month. If none of these scenarios apply to you, there are a small number of known platform issues that may affect how charges appear. See the section below for details. 🔍 How to Check Your Active Add-Ons To review your current OTTO site top-up and other active add-ons, log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your account's billing or subscription settings. Look for a section listing your active subscriptions and add-ons. If you cannot locate an OTTO site top-up entry in your billing settings, this may be related to a known display issue. The charge can still be active on your account even if it does not appear in this view. ⚠️ Known Issues to Be Aware Of There are a few platform limitations that can cause confusion around OTTO top-up charges: - Missing from the Billing page: Your billing settings may not display an active OTTO top-up row due to a known issue with how certain add-ons are retrieved. The charge remains active on your account even if the row is not visible. - Top-up not activated after payment: In some cases involving subscription schedules, a successfully paid top-up may not provision correctly, meaning the extra sites are not immediately available after purchase. - Failed payment not removed automatically: If a top-up payment fails, the add-on is not automatically removed from your account. You may still see it referenced on your invoice or receive alerts related to it. Our support team can investigate any of these scenarios for your specific account and resolve them directly. 🛠️ How to Cancel or Downgrade a Top-Up If you no longer need the extra OTTO sites and want to stop the recurring charge, you can request a downgrade or cancellation of the top-up add-on. Because this involves changes to your billing subscription, we recommend reaching out to our team directly to ensure it is processed correctly without disrupting your account. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understand Your Search Atlas Bill

🧾 Why Your Total Charge May Be Higher Than Expected If your bill looks significantly higher than your base plan price, it is almost always the result of add-ons purchased separately from your core subscription. Your Search Atlas account can include several independent billing items: - Base plan – your monthly or annual subscription (e.g. the $99 Starter plan) - Additional AI credits – purchased on top of the credits included in your plan - Extra OTTO SEO slots – each activated OTTO slot is billed separately beyond your plan's included slots - Other add-ons – such as additional projects, users, or data exports All of these line items are billed together on the same invoice, which is why a $99 plan can result in a total charge that is significantly higher. To review every item on your bill, go to Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing → Invoices and expand your most recent invoice. 🤖 Why Am I Being Charged for AI Credits I Already Paid For? Seeing a separate AI credits charge does not mean you were billed twice for the same credits. There are two distinct ways AI credits appear on your account: - Included credits – a set number of AI credits that come bundled with your plan and reset each billing cycle - Purchased credits – additional credits you or someone on your team bought manually, or that were triggered by an automatic top-up setting If an account admin has turned on Automatic top-up, the platform automatically purchases more credits when your balance drops below the threshold you set. This generates a new charge even if you recently paid for credits. To check or turn it off, an account admin can open the Automatic top-up card in Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing. If you believe a credit charge was applied in error and you did not receive the corresponding credits, please contact our support team using the instructions at the bottom of this article. 📍 What Are OTTO SEO Slots and Why Do They Cost Extra? OTTO SEO is Search Atlas's AI-powered on-page automation tool, accessible from the left sidebar under OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation). Each website you activate OTTO on consumes one OTTO slot. Your plan includes a fixed number of slots, and any slots you add beyond that limit are billed as add-ons. Common reasons customers see unexpected OTTO charges include: - Activating OTTO on multiple domains without realising each one uses a slot - Previously adding extra slots and forgetting they remain active on the next billing cycle - A team member activating OTTO on additional sites To see how many OTTO slots are active on your account, navigate to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) in the left sidebar and review the list of activated sites. ❌ How to Cancel Extra OTTO Slots Releasing an OTTO slot and cancelling the recurring OTTO top-up charge are two separate actions. You need to do both to stop being billed. 1. In the left sidebar, go to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation), locate the site, click the three-dot menu (⋯), and remove/deactivate the project to release the slot. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) → Billing → Services. 3. Find the OTTO top-up (add-on) subscription, click its ⋮ menu, and select Cancel. Important: Simply deleting or deactivating an OTTO project does not cancel the recurring top-up charge — the top-up is a customer-level billing subscription that keeps billing until it is cancelled separately. Deep Freeze also does not cancel the top-up. The top-up will, however, be cancelled automatically if your main plan's cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing period. Charges already processed for the current billing cycle are non-refundable under standard policy, but if you believe a charge was made in error, our team can review it. ✅ How to Audit Your Full Bill in Under Two Minutes 1. Go to Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing → Invoices. 2. Click the most recent invoice to expand the line items. 3. Identify each charge: base plan, AI credit packs, and OTTO slot add-ons. 4. Cross-reference the AI credits total against Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups to verify your purchase history. 5. Cross-reference OTTO slots against the active sites listed under OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) in the left sidebar. This audit will account for every dollar on your invoice. If any line item still appears unexplained after completing these steps, reach out to our support team. 💬 Still Have Questions About Your Charges? 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Billing Proration and Credit Application

🧾 What Is Proration and How Does It Work? When you upgrade your Search Atlas subscription mid-cycle, you are charged only for the remaining days in your billing period on the new plan. At the same time, any unused value from your current plan is calculated as a credit and applied toward your new plan cost. This process is called proration. Understanding how proration credits are calculated — and how they interact with your total payment — is key to verifying that your billing is correct. 📊 How Your Upgrade Credit Is Calculated Your proration credit is based on the unused portion of your current plan at the moment you upgrade. Here is how the calculation works: 1. Identify your current plan's daily rate. Divide your plan's billing amount by the number of days in your billing cycle. 2. Count the remaining days left in your current billing period at the time of upgrade. 3. Multiply the daily rate by the remaining days. This is your proration credit. 4. That credit is then applied toward the cost of your new plan, reducing the amount you owe at checkout. For example: if you were on a Growth plan and had unused value remaining, that unused amount becomes a credit. The credit reduces the net charge on your invoice — but it does not increase the gross amount you paid out of pocket. 💡 Why Your Credit May Look Different From What You Paid A common source of confusion arises when customers compare the total amount charged on their card to the credit amount shown on an invoice. These two numbers represent different things: - Total card charge: This is the full amount debited from your payment method for the new plan (e.g. $3,351.60). It may include a credit that was applied at checkout, meaning the gross plan cost was higher and the credit reduced what you actually paid. - Proration credit: This is the unused value credited from your previous plan (e.g. $1,179.75). It was applied before your card was charged, not added on top of what you paid. - Net charge: The amount actually billed to your card after the credit was applied. This is the figure our system uses for refund or adjustment calculations. In short: a $1,179.75 credit applied at upgrade means you paid less at checkout — not that $1,179.75 was added to the amount you owe back. 🔄 How Refunds Are Calculated on Upgraded Plans If you downgrade, cancel, or are eligible for a refund after upgrading, the refund amount is based on the net payment actually charged to your card — not the gross plan value or the credit amount from a prior plan. Here is the general process: 1. Our billing system identifies the net charge for your current plan period. 2. Any unused days on that plan are calculated at the daily rate. 3. The refund is issued for those unused days based on the net amount paid. This means that a previously applied credit from a prior plan does not compound into a second refund — it was already used to reduce your earlier charge. ⚠️ Known Billing Issues We Have Fixed Our engineering team has identified and resolved several billing bugs that could affect proration accuracy. If your account was impacted by any of the following, your billing may have been corrected automatically or may require manual review: - Annual subscriptions with monthly add-ons were under-credited during upgrades due to a calculation error. This has been fixed. - Retained wrong billing dates on agency upgrades caused incorrect proration windows. This has been resolved. - Accounts provisioned at the wrong plan level after a paid upgrade have been corrected. - Subscription state errors following billing migrations have been resolved. If you upgraded during a period when these bugs were active, your account may be eligible for a manual credit adjustment. Please reach out so our team can review your specific billing history. ✅ How to Verify Your Own Billing You can review your invoices and payment history directly inside the platform. To check your billing details: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right (Avatar Menu (👤)) and select Billing. 3. Review your invoice history, applied credits, and charge amounts. 4. Compare the net charge on each invoice to confirm proration was applied correctly. If the numbers do not match your expectations, note the invoice dates, plan names, and amounts before contacting support — this will help our team resolve your case faster. 🛠️ Still Have Questions About Your Specific Bill? Billing calculations can vary based on your plan type, billing cycle, add-ons, and the exact date of your upgrade. If you believe your proration credit or refund amount is incorrect, our billing team can walk through the full calculation with you line by line. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Recurring Top-Up Charges on Your Account

🔍 Why You See More Than One Charge If your monthly statement shows a charge of $99 alongside one or more additional charges, you are most likely seeing a combination of your base subscription fee and one or more recurring top-up charges. These are separate line items and are both expected and intentional based on your account settings. Your base plan and any active top-ups are billed independently, so it is normal to see multiple charges from Search Atlas on the same billing date. 📦 What Is a Recurring Top-Up? A top-up is an add-on purchase that extends your usage limits beyond what is included in your base plan. Common examples include additional AI content credits, extra keyword tracking slots, or increased report generation limits. When you purchase a top-up, it is set to renew automatically every month by default. This means the charge repeats on the same date each billing cycle until you cancel it. Top-ups are designed this way so your workflow is never interrupted when you reach a usage limit. 🧾 How Top-Up Charges Appear on Your Bill On your invoice or bank statement, recurring top-up charges appear as separate line items from your base subscription. Here is what a typical billing breakdown looks like: - Search Atlas Base Plan — $99.00 - Search Atlas Top-Up: AI Credits Pack — $29.00 - Search Atlas Top-Up: Keyword Tracking Add-On — $19.00 Each charge will reference Search Atlas as the merchant. The description will usually include the specific top-up name so you can identify exactly what each charge covers. 📅 When Are Top-Up Charges Billed? Recurring top-ups are billed on the same date each month, aligned with your original purchase date for that top-up. This date may differ slightly from your base plan renewal date, which can sometimes cause charges to appear in the same week but on different days. If you purchased a top-up mid-cycle, your first charge is prorated to cover the remainder of that billing period. From the following month onward, the full top-up amount is charged on the anniversary date of your original purchase. 🔎 How to Identify Your Active Top-Ups To see a full list of your active recurring top-ups, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) (avatar) in the top-right corner and select Billing. 3. Navigate to the Plans & Top-ups section. 4. Review the list of active items. Each recurring top-up will display its name, monthly cost, and next renewal date. This view gives you a complete picture of every charge that will appear on your next invoice. ❌ How to Cancel a Recurring Top-Up You can cancel any recurring top-up at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period, so you retain access to the add-on until it expires. 1. Go to Billing from your Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar → Billing). 2. Open the Plans & Top-ups section. 3. Locate the top-up you want to cancel and click Manage. 4. Select Cancel Add-On and confirm your choice. After cancellation, you will receive a confirmation email. The top-up will no longer renew, and no further charges will be applied for that item after the current period ends. 💡 Tips to Avoid Unexpected Charges - Review your active add-ons after any one-time top-up purchase to confirm whether auto-renewal was enabled. - Check your Billing page before each renewal date to see a preview of upcoming charges. - If you only need a top-up once, cancel it immediately after purchase so it does not renew next month. You keep full access through the end of the billing period. 🙋 Still Have Questions About Your Bill? If you have reviewed your active top-ups and the charges still do not match what you expect, our team can pull up your full billing history and walk you through each line item. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Canceled Invoice Pay Button Now Disabled

As of the July 20, 2026 billing release, the Pay button is disabled on canceled invoices. This improvement prevents unintended payment attempts on invoices that are no longer valid. ✨ What Changed Previously, the Pay button could remain active on canceled invoices, which could cause confusion. With this improvement, the Pay button is disabled on any invoice that has been canceled, making the invoice status clearer and reducing the chance of errors. 🛠️ What to Do If You Can't Pay an Invoice 1. Check the status of the invoice — if it is marked as canceled, the Pay button will be disabled by design and payment cannot be submitted on that invoice. 2. If you believe the invoice has been canceled in error and should still be payable, make a note of the invoice number, the date it was issued, and any relevant order or account details. 3. Contact our support team and type human teammate — have your invoice number and account details ready so the team can investigate and correct the invoice status if needed. 📋 What to Expect This change is part of the QPB-936 improvement shipped in the July 20, 2026 billing release. If your invoice is active or outstanding, the Pay button will remain available as normal. If you believe an invoice has been incorrectly marked as canceled, our team can review and update the status on your behalf — please have your invoice number ready when you reach out. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your Search Atlas Invoice Charges

📄 Why Your Invoice May Show Multiple Charges If you've noticed two or more separate charges on your invoice — such as $187 and $256 — this is expected behaviour and not a billing error. Search Atlas invoices can include multiple line items depending on your subscription plan, add-ons, and billing cycle. This article explains what each charge represents so you have full clarity on your bill. 🧩 Common Invoice Line Items Explained Your invoice may include any combination of the following charge types: - Base Subscription Plan: The recurring monthly or annual fee for your chosen Search Atlas plan (e.g. Starter, Growth, or Pro). This is your core platform access charge. - Add-On Features: Optional tools or expanded limits purchased on top of your base plan — for example, additional OTTO SEO activations, extra GSC projects, or increased keyword tracking limits. - Usage-Based Overages: If your account exceeded the included limits for a given billing period (such as API calls, report exports, or site audits), an overage charge is applied at the start of the next billing cycle. - Mid-Cycle Upgrades: If you upgraded your plan or added a feature part-way through a billing period, you may see a prorated charge for the remaining days in that cycle alongside your usual renewal charge. - One-Time Purchases: Certain features or credits purchased as a one-off rather than a recurring subscription will appear as a separate line item on the invoice they were billed in. 🔍 How to View a Full Breakdown of Your Invoice 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner and select Billing & Subscription. 3. Under the Invoices section, locate the invoice you want to review and click View Invoice. 4. The invoice detail page lists every line item, the date range it covers, the unit price, and the quantity or proration applied. 5. To save or share the invoice, click Download PDF in the top-right corner of the invoice detail page. 📅 Understanding Prorated Charges Prorated charges are partial amounts calculated when a change is made to your subscription before the end of a billing period. For example, if your billing cycle renews on the 1st of the month and you upgrade on the 15th, you will be charged only for the remaining half of the month at the new plan rate. This prorated amount will appear as a separate line item and is not a duplicate charge — it reflects the difference in plan cost for the days already used. ⚠️ When a Charge Looks Unexpected Before contacting support, check the following common reasons for unfamiliar charges: - A team member made a change: If multiple users have admin access, a colleague may have added an add-on or upgraded the plan without notifying you. Review recent account activity under Settings > Team Members. - Annual plan renewal: Annual subscriptions renew as a single lump-sum charge once per year. If you signed up annually, this larger charge appears once rather than being spread monthly. - Currency conversion: If your payment method is in a currency other than USD, your bank or card provider may apply a conversion rate that results in a slightly different amount on your statement. - Tax or VAT: Depending on your billing country, applicable taxes may be added to your invoice total. These are listed as a separate line item labelled Tax or VAT. 💡 Tips to Keep Your Billing Clear - Review your plan and active add-ons monthly under Billing & Subscription to avoid surprise charges. - Set up billing notifications so you receive an email receipt each time a charge is processed. - Remove unused add-ons before your next renewal date to avoid being charged for features you no longer need. - Ensure your billing contact details are up to date so invoices reach the right person on your team. 🙋 Still Have Questions About a Specific Charge? If you've reviewed your invoice and still can't identify a particular charge, our team can pull up your full billing history and walk you through every item in detail. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your $200 Website Top-Up Charge

🔍 What Is a Website Top-Up Charge? A Website Top-Up is an add-on charge that applies when the number of websites on your account exceeds the sites included in your current plan. Each additional website beyond your plan's limit is billed as a top-up at a fixed rate per billing cycle. For example, if your plan includes 2 websites and a third site is detected on your account, a $200 top-up fee may be automatically triggered for that billing period. ⚠️ Common Reasons for an Unexpected $200 Charge Customers sometimes see this charge without knowingly adding a new site. Here are the most frequent causes: - Migration or system error: During billing system migrations, some accounts were incorrectly flagged as having additional sites, triggering unintended top-up charges. - Duplicate billing event: In rare cases, a billing event was fired twice, resulting in a double charge appearing on your invoice. - Incorrect site count display: A known issue affected how top-up quantities were displayed for certain accounts, making it appear that more sites were active than were actually in use. - Legacy pricing reversion: Some accounts on updated plans were temporarily reverted to an older pricing structure, causing an unexpected overcharge. - Sites carried over unintentionally: A website created during a trial or previous billing period may have remained active and counted toward your total without your awareness. 🖥️ How to Check Your Active Websites Before contacting support, verify how many websites are currently active on your account: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. In the left sidebar, click Website Studio (or navigate to /website-studio). 3. Review the list of sites shown. Any site listed here — even if inactive or unpublished — may count toward your plan's website limit. 4. Note the total number of sites and compare it to the number included in your subscription plan. If you see websites you did not create or no longer need, you can remove them to prevent future top-up charges. 📄 How to Review Your Billing History To confirm exactly what you were charged and when: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner. 2. Select Billing from the menu. 3. Review your invoice history for any line items labeled Website Top-Up. 4. Note the date, amount, and quantity shown for the top-up charge. If the quantity shown does not match the number of websites you actively use, this is a strong indicator of a billing discrepancy. ✅ What to Do If You Were Incorrectly Charged If you believe the $200 charge was applied in error — for example, you only have the sites included in your plan and never approved an additional site — follow these steps: 1. Check your active websites in Website Studio as described above. 2. Take a screenshot of your website list and your invoice showing the disputed charge. 3. Contact our support team using the live chat widget (see below) and share these details so we can investigate and process a refund if applicable. Our team has resolved similar billing discrepancies for customers affected by system migrations, duplicate billing events, and incorrect site counts. If the charge was applied in error, we will issue a correction promptly. 🛡️ How to Prevent Future Top-Up Charges - Regularly audit your sites in Website Studio and remove any you no longer need. - Before adding a new website, confirm how many sites your current plan includes. - Review your invoice each billing cycle for any unexpected line items. - If you plan to manage more sites than your plan allows, contact support to upgrade your plan proactively rather than incurring automatic top-up fees. 💬 Still Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Request a Temporary Billing Date Delay

📋 Overview If you need extra time before your next payment is processed, Search Atlas can postpone your billing date by up to two weeks while keeping your account and all features fully active. This is handled on a case-by-case basis by our billing team and requires a short review process. This article explains what to expect, what information to have ready, and how the process works from start to finish. ✅ What This Option Covers - A one-time postponement of your next renewal date by up to two weeks - Continued, uninterrupted access to all features on your current plan during the delay period - No penalty or downgrade applied to your account while the extension is active ⚠️ Important Things to Know Before You Request - This option is not available through your account settings — it must be submitted through the live chat widget and reviewed by the billing team - Approval is not automatic; requests are reviewed internally and confirmed before any change is applied - This is intended for short-term financial hardship situations, not as a recurring billing adjustment - Your account will not be paused or restricted during the review period while a request is pending 🛠️ How to Submit Your Request 1. Open the live chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the Search Atlas platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected directly with a member of our support team. 3. Clearly explain that you would like to request a two-week delay on your billing renewal date and briefly describe your situation. 4. Confirm the email address associated with your account so the agent can locate your subscription quickly. 5. Wait for confirmation — the agent will escalate your request to the billing team for internal review and approval. 📅 What Happens After You Submit Once your request is received, our team escalates it internally for approval. You do not need to take any further action. When the billing team confirms the change, the agent will notify you directly in the same chat conversation with your new payment date. Your account access remains fully intact throughout this entire process. In a recent example, a customer submitted this request and received confirmation that their next payment date had been moved forward by two weeks, with no interruption to their account features. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions - Will my account be downgraded or restricted while I wait for approval? No. Your account remains active and fully functional during the review period and throughout the delay window once approved. - Can I request this more than once? This is evaluated individually each time. There is no guaranteed repeat availability, but you are welcome to contact support to discuss your situation. - How will I know my billing date has actually changed? The support agent will confirm the new payment date in your chat conversation once the billing team applies the change. - Does this affect my subscription plan or pricing? No. A billing date delay does not change your plan, pricing, or any features included in your subscription. 💬 Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 How to Read Your Search Atlas Invoice

🧾 What Your Invoice Includes Your Search Atlas invoice is generated automatically at the start of each billing cycle. It summarises all charges applied to your account for that period. Knowing what each section means will help you quickly verify that everything looks correct. - Invoice Number: A unique reference code for this specific billing document. - Billing Period: The date range the invoice covers (e.g., 1 Jun – 30 Jun). - Plan Name: The subscription tier you are currently on. - Subtotal: The cost of your plan before any taxes or discounts. - Discounts / Credits: Any promotional codes or account credits applied to this cycle. - Tax: Sales tax or VAT applied based on your billing country. - Total Due: The final amount charged to your payment method. 💡 Common Reasons Invoices Look Unexpected Most billing confusion is caused by one of the following situations. Review each scenario to see if it matches what you are seeing. - Mid-cycle plan upgrade: If you upgraded your plan partway through a billing period, the invoice will show a prorated charge. This is a partial amount that covers only the remaining days of the cycle at the new plan rate. - Annual plan shown as one charge: Annual subscribers are billed for 12 months upfront. The total may appear larger than expected if you are used to seeing monthly amounts. - Add-on features: Certain features such as additional workspaces, extra users, or boosted credits are billed separately and appear as line items below your base plan cost. - Currency display: All Search Atlas invoices are issued in USD. If your bank or card provider converts the charge, the amount shown on your bank statement may differ slightly due to exchange rates. - Free trial end: If your trial period ended, the first invoice reflects a full billing cycle charge rather than a trial amount. 📄 How to Access Your Invoices 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner. 3. Select Billing from the dropdown menu. 4. Navigate to the Invoices tab. 5. Click Download next to any invoice to save a PDF copy. 🔍 How to Double-Check a Charge If a charge looks unfamiliar, follow these steps before reaching out to support. 1. Compare the Billing Period on the invoice to your plan's renewal date in the Billing section of your account. 2. Check whether you made any plan changes — upgrades, downgrades, or add-on purchases — during that period. These will each appear as a separate line item. 3. Verify the Plan Name listed on the invoice matches the plan shown in your account settings. 4. If you see a discount or credit applied, confirm it matches any promotional offer you redeemed. 5. Review the Total Due and compare it against the charge on your bank or card statement, keeping in mind any currency conversion your bank may have applied. ✅ When Everything Is Actually Correct Many customers find that after reviewing the steps above, the invoice is accurate and the confusion was caused by a prorated charge, an annual billing cycle, or a currency conversion. If this is the case, no further action is needed. Your account and payment status remain in good standing. 🛠️ Still Have Questions? If after reviewing your invoice you still believe there is an error, or if something is unclear, our team is ready to 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

Fix a Past-Due Invoice and Retry Payment

🔍 Overview If your account has a past-due invoice and you do not see a way to retry the charge yourself, our support team can trigger a manual charge on the payment card already on file. This article explains what to expect and how to get it resolved as quickly as possible. ⚠️ What Happens When an Invoice Is Past Due When a payment fails and an invoice becomes past due, your account may be temporarily restricted until the outstanding balance is cleared. Our billing system includes protections that prevent repeated failed charges, which is why a manual retry by our team is sometimes required. - Your existing subscription and any active add-ons are preserved during this period. - A manual charge can only be applied to the payment card currently saved on your account. - You do not lose your plan features or project data while the issue is being resolved. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve a Past-Due Invoice 1. Verify your payment card is up to date. Check that a valid card is saved to your account. If your card has expired or changed, update your payment method in your account's billing settings before requesting a retry. Keeping the card current is the most important step you can take to unblock the charge. 2. Review your invoice status. Navigate to your account's billing section to confirm which invoice is outstanding and note the amount due. 3. Confirm what should be retained on your account. Before contacting support, make a note of the payment card you want charged and whether any add-ons or extra projects on your account should be kept. Having this information ready speeds up the resolution significantly. 4. Contact support to trigger the manual retry. Because there is no self-serve retry option for past-due invoices, reach out to our support team and request a manual charge on the card currently on file. Let the agent know the invoice amount and confirm the card and plan details. The agent will escalate to the billing team and confirm once the invoice has been successfully charged. 5. Check your billing section after the charge is processed. Once the support agent confirms the retry was completed, navigate back to your account's billing section to verify the invoice status shows as paid. Your account access should be restored automatically after the payment clears. 💡 Tips to Avoid Future Payment Issues - Keep your payment card details current, especially before your renewal date. - Monitor your billing history periodically to spot any failed transactions early. - If you need to update your card, do so before a scheduled charge to avoid a failed payment cycle. 🙋 Still Need Help? If you need further assistance, contact our support team directly and request a manual charge retry on the card saved to your account. Be ready to confirm your invoice amount, payment card details, and any add-ons or projects you want retained so the billing team can process the charge without delay.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💸 How to Check Your Unpaid Remittances Release Timing

This article explains how unpaid remittance release timing works, what factors affect when a payment is processed, and how to verify the current status of a pending payout. If you've seen an unpaid remittance in your account and aren't sure when it will clear, the steps below will help you understand the process and confirm next steps. 🔍 Common Causes of Delayed Remittance Release - Billing cycle timing: Remittances are typically processed on a fixed schedule tied to your billing period. A payment that falls just after a cycle cutoff will not release until the next scheduled run. - Verification holds: New accounts or accounts with recently updated payment details may have a short verification hold applied before the first payout clears. - Minimum threshold not met: Some remittance types require a minimum earned balance before a release is triggered. If the balance hasn't crossed that threshold, the payment will accumulate until it does. - Outstanding account issues: Unpaid invoices, disputed charges, or incomplete account information can pause remittance processing until resolved. 🛠️ Step-by-Step 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account, then click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing (Plans & Top-ups, Services, Invoices, Activity Log). 2. Look for a Remittances, Payouts, or Earnings panel within that area. The unpaid remittance entry will typically display a status label such as Pending, Processing, or Scheduled. 3. Check the scheduled release date or next payout date shown alongside the unpaid remittance. If a specific date is displayed, that is the earliest the payment will be initiated. 4. If no date is shown, review whether your account meets the minimum payout threshold. Confirm your payment method is active and that no account alerts or holds are flagged on the page. 5. If an alert or hold notice is present, follow the on-screen instructions to resolve it (for example, re-confirming payment details or clearing an outstanding balance) before the release can proceed. ✅ How to Confirm It Worked Once a remittance has been successfully released, you should see the status change from Unpaid or Pending to Paid, Processed, or Completed in your payments or remittances panel. A confirmation timestamp or transaction reference number is typically displayed alongside the updated status. If you also receive email notifications for billing events, look for a payout confirmation message in your inbox as a secondary confirmation. If the status has not updated within 2–3 business days after the expected release date, that is the right moment to contact support. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🔍 How to Check a Pending Publisher Payment

This article helps you locate your pending payment in the Publisher Exchange dashboard, understand what a pending status means, and confirm when the payment has been processed. Follow the steps below to check your specific account status rather than relying on general troubleshooting. 📍 Where to Find It Your Publisher Exchange dashboard — where payment statuses are displayed — is accessed through the Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner of the platform. Full path: Authority → Link Building Exchange (Publisher Exchange) 🛠️ Step-by-Step 1. Click the apps-grid icon in the header at the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select More Features from the menu. 3. Click the Publisher Exchange tab to open your publisher dashboard. 4. Locate the Payments or Earnings section within the Publisher Exchange dashboard. Look for any entries marked as Pending. 5. Click on a pending payment entry (if clickable) to view its details, including the expected processing date, payment amount, and any associated order or link information. 6. If a payment shows as pending and you believe it should have already been processed, note the payment date and amount — you will need these details if you contact support. ✅ How to Confirm It Worked A pending payment has been successfully processed when its status changes from Pending to Paid or Completed in the Publisher Exchange tab. You can verify this by returning to Header apps-grid icon → More Features → Publisher Exchange tab and confirming the payment entry no longer shows a pending label. If the status has not changed after the expected processing window, this is the information to share with our support team. 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. Additional Notes Click 'Go to Link Laboratory' to open your Publisher Exchange dashboard. Check whether your payout details — such as your connected payment method or minimum threshold requirement — are fully configured. Incomplete payout settings are the most common reason a payment remains in a pending state.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Resolve Legacy Add-On Billing Charges Explained

🔍 What Is a Legacy Add-On Charge? A legacy add-on is a feature or service bundle that was attached to your original Search Atlas subscription before you switched to a new plan. When you upgrade or migrate to an annual plan, your core subscription changes — but certain add-ons that were purchased separately may remain active on their own independent billing cycle. This means you could see a recurring charge (for example, $200/month) that appears separate from your annual plan payment. This is not a duplicate charge — it reflects an add-on that is still active and has not yet been cancelled or merged into your new plan. 📦 What Are You Getting for This Charge? Legacy add-ons typically include one or more of the following premium features that were purchased in addition to your base plan: - Extra user seats beyond your plan's default allowance - Additional workspace or project slots for managing more client sites - Expanded keyword tracking limits above your standard quota - White-label reporting or branded dashboard access - Priority support or onboarding packages purchased at signup If you are unsure exactly which add-on is generating the charge, you can review your active subscriptions in your account billing settings before contacting support. ⚙️ How to Review Your Active Add-Ons 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Navigate to Billing — it's a separate item in the avatar dropdown (not nested under Settings). 3. Look for any line items listed separately from your annual plan — these are your active add-ons. 4. Note the name, price, and renewal date of each add-on so you have full context before taking action. 💡 Common Reasons This Charge Continues After Switching Plans - Add-ons are independent subscriptions. Switching your base plan does not automatically cancel separately purchased add-ons. - Billing cycles do not always align. Your annual plan and your legacy add-on may renew on different dates, causing them to appear as separate charges. - The add-on may duplicate a feature now included in your new plan. If your annual plan already includes a feature previously purchased as an add-on, you may be paying for it twice — this is something our team can correct with an account credit. 🛠️ How to Request a Credit or Cancel a Legacy Add-On If you believe you have been charged for a legacy add-on that is no longer needed, duplicates a feature in your current plan, or was not cancelled during your plan migration, our billing team can review your account and issue a credit where applicable. Follow these steps: 1. Gather your billing details: the charge amount, the approximate date it first appeared, and the name of the add-on if visible in your settings. 2. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 4. Share your billing details and explain that you are disputing a legacy add-on charge. 5. Our team will review your account history, confirm what the add-on covers, and process a credit or cancellation as appropriate. ✅ What to Expect After Submitting Your Request Once our team reviews your case, one of the following outcomes will apply: - Credit issued: If the charge overlaps with your current annual plan, a prorated credit will be applied to your account and reflected on your next invoice. - Add-on cancelled: If you no longer need the feature, the add-on will be cancelled and future charges will stop at the end of the current billing period. - Clarification provided: If the add-on covers a feature not included in your annual plan, our team will explain exactly what you are receiving so you can make an informed decision. Credits are typically applied within 1–3 business days and will appear on your next billing statement. 💬 Need Immediate 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

Invoice Breakdown, AI Credits & Cost Optimization

What Makes Up Your Search Atlas Invoice? Your invoice reflects charges for your base plan and any add-ons active on your account. Reviewing each line item helps you verify accuracy and spot potential savings. What Are AI Credit Charges on Your Invoice? AI credit charges appear on your Search Atlas invoice to represent consumption of AI-assisted features within the platform. AI credits are used when you generate AI-assisted content or suggestions. If you see an AI credit line item and are unsure what triggered the charge, check your recent usage of AI-powered features in your account and note the dates and feature names involved before reaching out to support. Steps to Review and Understand Your Invoice 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your billing or account settings section. 2. Locate the invoice in question and identify each line item listed. 3. For each charge, note the label, the amount, and the billing period it covers. 4. Cross-reference the charge dates with your usage history — specifically, look at which AI features you ran during that period. 5. If a charge appears unexpected or does not match your usage, note the exact line item label, amount, and invoice date to share with the support team. Cost Optimization Tips - Monitor your AI credit usage regularly through your account dashboard to avoid unexpected charges. - Limit or batch AI-generation tasks to stay within your plan's included credits before additional usage accrues. - Review which add-ons are active on your account and disable any you are not actively using. - If you consistently exceed your plan's included AI credits, contact the support team to discuss whether a higher plan tier would reduce your overall cost. When to Escalate If after reviewing your invoice you cannot identify the source of a charge, please have the following ready before contacting the support team: your account email, the exact line item label and amount in question, the invoice date, and a brief description of the AI features you used during the billing period. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Overdue Balance and Billing Date Not Updating

🔍 What This Issue Looks Like Some customers see an overdue balance on their account — for example, a past-due amount on their PRO subscription — but find that no Retry Payment option appears in the platform. At the same time, the renewal date shown inside Search Atlas may not match the actual billing date recorded in the payment system. This is a known billing display issue that has been resolved at the platform level for most affected accounts. If you are still experiencing it, the steps below explain what is happening and how to get it fixed quickly. ⚙️ Why This Happens A billing system discrepancy can cause your account to be incorrectly flagged as past-due before your actual renewal date has arrived, or to display a renewal date that does not match what is recorded in the payment processor. When this mismatch occurs, the platform may not surface a self-serve retry option because it is waiting on an outdated or incorrect date to trigger the renewal cycle. Engineering has resolved the underlying causes for the majority of affected accounts, including accounts stuck in a past-due state due to incorrect billing date backfills and subscriptions incorrectly flagged before their first renewal date. However, individual accounts can still be affected if the correction has not yet been applied to your specific subscription. ✅ What the Fix Involves There is no self-serve action you can take to correct the billing date yourself — this requires the billing team to update the renewal date on your account directly. Once the date is corrected, your subscription will renew automatically, typically within the same day. Here is what happens when the fix is applied: - The billing team resets your renewal date to the correct date (usually today). - Your subscription renews automatically later that day. - Your overdue balance is cleared once the payment processes successfully. - Normal billing cycles resume from the corrected date. 🛠️ How to Get This Resolved 1. Check your account to confirm the symptoms: an overdue balance is displayed, no Retry Payment option is available, and the renewal date shown in the platform does not seem correct. 2. Contact support using the chat widget (see below) and share the following details: - Your account email address. - The overdue balance amount shown on your account. - The renewal date currently displayed in the platform. 3. The billing team will investigate the date discrepancy and apply the correction to your account. 4. Once confirmed, monitor your account — the subscription renewal should process automatically within the same business day. 📋 What to Expect After the Fix After the billing team corrects your renewal date, your subscription will renew and your access will continue without interruption. You do not need to manually retry the payment or re-enter any payment details, provided your payment method on file is valid. If your payment method has expired or needs updating, you should update it via the top-right avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Add Payment Method / Manage Subscription) before or immediately after contacting support, so that the renewal can process successfully once the date correction is applied. 💬 Still Seeing the Issue? 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🛠️ Fix OTTO Sites Quota Reduction Billing Error

🔍 Overview Some customers encounter an error when trying to reduce their OTTO Sites quota — for example, attempting to downgrade to a lower site count — even when fewer sites are actively in use. This is a known billing system issue currently being investigated by our engineering team. This article explains why it happens and what to do next. ⚙️ Why This Happens The OTTO Sites quota is managed through our billing system, which can prevent self-service reductions in certain situations. This means the system may block a downgrade request that should otherwise be valid. The issue is a billing engine limitation and is not necessarily related to how many sites you currently have active. 🚀 How to Get This Resolved Because the self-service quota reduction may be blocked, you will need to contact our support team to apply the change manually. When you reach out, please have the following details ready: - Your account or project name. - Your current OTTO Sites quota. - The quota level you are trying to reduce to. - The exact error message you are seeing, including any error codes if shown. - The approximate date and time when you encountered the issue. Having this information ready will allow our team to investigate and apply the quota adjustment on your behalf as quickly as possible. 🔧 Permanent Fix Status Our engineering team is actively working on a fix for this billing system limitation. Once resolved, self-service quota reductions will work as expected without requiring manual intervention. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

Resolve OTTO Billing Discrepancies and Account Escalations

🔍 Overview Some Search Atlas customers on legacy or Founder plans have experienced billing discrepancies related to OTTO SEO charges, including unexpected price increases, duplicate charges, or custom pricing not appearing correctly after platform migrations. This article explains what happened and how to get your account reviewed if you are still affected. ⚠️ Known OTTO Billing Issues Our engineering team has identified and worked to resolve billing issues that affected a subset of customers. Common issues include: - Unexpected price increases: Some customers saw their OTTO charges increase without making any plan changes, which may be connected to migration or billing configuration errors. - Duplicate or incorrect charges: Some accounts were charged incorrectly for OTTO site activations or add-ons due to billing errors. - Custom or negotiated pricing not reflected: Customers with custom OTTO pricing may have seen incorrect amounts displayed after account or platform changes. - Canceled add-ons continuing to charge: In some cases, canceled OTTO add-ons continued to generate charges past the expected end date. If your account was affected by any of these issues, our team can review your billing history and apply corrections or eligible credits where appropriate. 📋 How to Review Your Current Billing To check whether your billing matches your expected pricing, locate your invoices and billing history within your account settings. Compare the amounts charged against the pricing you originally agreed to, noting any invoice dates and amounts that appear incorrect before contacting support. 💰 Legacy and Founder Rate Pricing Customers on legacy plans retain their original pricing as long as their subscription remains active and unmodified. Pricing changes should only occur if you voluntarily upgraded, downgraded, or made changes to your plan. If your legacy or Founder rate was altered without your request, this may be connected to one of the billing issues described above. Our team can review your account history and restore the correct rate where applicable. 📞 How to Escalate Your Account If you believe your account has been incorrectly billed or your legacy pricing has not been restored, please escalate directly to our support team. When reaching out, have the following ready: - Your account email and project or site name - The specific charge amount and date in question - A description of the pricing you originally agreed to - Any relevant invoices or screenshots showing the discrepancy Having this information ready will allow our team to locate your account records and resolve the issue efficiently. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your Search Atlas Billing Charges

🧾 Overview of Your Search Atlas Bill Your Search Atlas invoice may show more than one charge per billing cycle. This is normal. Different features and add-ons are billed as separate line items, so seeing two or more charges does not automatically mean there is a billing error. Before raising a billing concern, it helps to understand what each charge represents. The two most common line items customers ask about are their base subscription fee and their AI credit top-up fee. 📦 What Is the Base Subscription Charge? Your base subscription charge covers access to the core Search Atlas platform, including your selected plan features, user seats, and standard toolset. This charge recurs on the same date each billing cycle and reflects the plan tier you enrolled in when you signed up or last upgraded. 🤖 What Is the AI Credit Top-Up Charge? The AI credit top-up is a separate, recurring charge that funds the credits used by OTTO, the Search Atlas AI automation engine. OTTO consumes credits each time it runs optimizations on your behalf, such as publishing on-page SEO recommendations, generating structured data, or executing automated tasks across your connected sites. This charge is not a duplicate of your base subscription. It is a distinct add-on billed independently to keep your OTTO optimizations running without interruption. Common AI credit top-up amounts include $38 per cycle, though the amount may vary depending on your selected credit package. If you see a charge like $99 alongside a separate $38 charge, this typically means: - The $99 is your base plan subscription fee. - The $38 is your recurring AI credit top-up for OTTO optimizations. Both charges are legitimate and expected if you have OTTO features active on your account. 🔍 How to Verify What Each Charge Is For 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Avatar Menu (👤). 3. Select Billing to open your billing dashboard. 4. Review your Invoice History to see a full breakdown of each charge, including the line item description and the date it was billed. 5. Match each charge to a plan or add-on listed under your active subscriptions. If every charge on your invoice corresponds to a named plan, add-on, or credit package, your billing is working as intended. ⚠️ What Actually Counts as a Duplicate Billing Error A true duplicate billing error occurs when the exact same charge appears more than once on the same invoice or within the same billing cycle with no corresponding difference in service. Signs of a genuine duplicate include: - The same charge description and amount appearing twice on one invoice. - Your plan being billed twice in a single cycle with no plan change or upgrade between them. - A one-time fee charged on multiple occasions without any action taken on your account. Seeing two different amounts, such as $99 and $38, for two different services is not a duplicate. It is a multi-line invoice reflecting multiple active services. ❓ Was a Correction Promised on My Account? If you were told by a team member that a billing correction would be applied to your account, that correction would appear as a credit or refund in your billing history. You can verify this by checking your invoice history for any credit notes or adjusted invoices. If you do not see the expected correction reflected after the promised timeframe, this is worth escalating to our team directly so they can review your account history and confirm what was communicated. ✅ Quick Reference: Charge Identification Summary - Base subscription fee (e.g., $99): Your monthly or annual plan cost. Covers core platform access. - AI credit top-up (e.g., $38): Recurring add-on that funds OTTO optimization credits. This is a separate and legitimate charge. - True duplicate: The identical charge and description appearing more than once in the same cycle with no service difference. - Pending correction: Should appear as a credit note in your invoice history within the agreed timeframe. 💬 Still Have Questions About Your Bill? If you have reviewed your invoices and still cannot identify a charge, or if you believe a genuine billing error or a previously promised correction has not been applied, our team is ready to help you investigate. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Reissue Invoices with Updated Tax and VAT Details

📋 Overview If you need your Search Atlas invoices to display your company's VAT or CIF number, full registered address, or other tax-compliance details, our support team can reissue or update those invoices for you. This is a common requirement for businesses registered in the EU — including Spain, where invoices must show the recipient's CIF/VAT number and legal address to be valid for tax deduction purposes. 📄 What Information Can Be Added to Your Invoices When you contact support, we can update your invoices to include: - VAT / CIF number (e.g. ESB70939459 for Spanish entities) - Full company name as registered with your tax authority - Registered business address including street, city, postal code, and country - Any other billing details required by your local tax regulations 🗂️ Which Invoices Can Be Updated Our team can reissue invoices for any billing period that is accessible in your account. If you need invoices updated for a specific date range, please have those dates ready when you reach out. The more specific you are, the faster we can process your request. 📬 How to Request a Corrected Invoice To have existing invoices reissued with updated tax details, contact our support team directly through the platform. When you reach out, please provide the following information so we can process your request quickly: - Date range of the invoices you need updated - VAT / CIF number to be added (e.g. ESB70939459) - Full company name as it should appear on the invoice - Registered business address including all required fields for your country Our team will reissue the corrected PDF invoices and confirm once they are available in your account. ⏱️ What to Expect Once you provide the required details, our team will process your request and reissue the corrected invoices. You will be notified when the updated invoices are ready. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Custom Billing Address on Your Invoice PDF

📋 Overview If your accounting team needs invoices that include your full company billing address alongside Search Atlas's company address, this is now supported on the platform. A previous engineering update (Invoice V2) added the ability to display your customer billing address and VAT number directly on generated invoice PDFs. ✅ What Is Now Supported - Your customer billing address displayed on invoice PDFs - Your VAT number displayed on invoice PDFs (where applicable) - Invoice customization features including client ID, invoice and due dates, campaign details, and payment instructions ⚙️ How to Ensure Your Billing Address Appears on Invoices To have your company address reflected on your invoice PDFs, your billing address must be correctly saved in your account. Follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing from the Avatar Menu (👤). 3. Locate your billing information and ensure your full company name and address are entered and saved. 4. If a VAT number applies to your business, enter it in the VAT field provided. 5. Once your billing details are saved, your next generated invoice PDF will display your address alongside Search Atlas's company address. 📄 Downloading Your Invoice PDFs After confirming your billing details are up to date, you can access and download your invoice PDFs from the billing section of your account. Each invoice will reflect the billing address on file at the time it was generated. 🔄 Monthly Automatic Invoices Invoices are generated automatically each billing cycle. As long as your billing address is saved correctly in your account, every monthly invoice PDF will include your full address without any manual action required. 💡 Tips for Accounting Teams - Make sure your billing address is updated before your next billing date so it appears on the upcoming invoice. - If you need a VAT number on the invoice, add it to your billing profile as early as possible. - Previously generated invoices may not retroactively show an address that was added later — contact support if you need a corrected copy of a past invoice. 🛠️ Still Need Help? If your billing address is not appearing on your invoice PDFs after updating your account details, or if you need a corrected invoice for a past billing period, our team can assist you. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Finding Invoices for Summit VIP Event Charges

🔍 Overview If you were charged as part of the Summit VIP event (for example, two charges of $220.01 AUD on June 26, 2026) and cannot find the matching invoices in your billing section, you are not alone. This is a known issue related to how Summit VIP Special Offer pricing was processed during the event period. This article explains why it happens and what steps to take. 💡 Why These Charges May Not Show an Invoice During the Summit VIP event, a special promotional pricing flow was used to enrol qualifying customers. In some cases, this flow created charges in our payment system (Stripe) that were not fully reflected in the Search Atlas Customer Dashboard or billing section. As a result: - You may see one or more charges on your bank or card statement with no matching invoice inside the platform. - The billing section may show a different amount or an older plan price rather than the Summit VIP rate. - Duplicate charges could appear if a double-subscription edge case was triggered during the sign-up process for the event. These gaps were caused by a temporary mismatch between the Summit Special Offer pricing system and the billing records shown in your dashboard. The underlying issues have since been resolved by our engineering team. 📋 How to Check Your Billing Section 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) or Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner. 3. Select Billing or Subscription from the menu. 4. Review the Invoice History or Payment History tab for all recent transactions. 5. If the charge does not appear here, check whether it is listed under a different billing date or plan name. If the invoice is still missing after following the steps above, this confirms your account was affected by the Summit VIP billing sync issue. ⚠️ What to Do If You Were Charged Twice A small number of customers were charged twice due to a double-subscription edge case that occurred during the Summit VIP event sign-up window. If you believe you have been double-charged: - Note the exact dates, amounts, and currency of both charges from your bank or card statement. - Check whether your account shows two active subscriptions or an unexpected plan upgrade in the billing section. - Do not cancel your subscription before speaking with our team, as this could affect your access and any VIP benefits you are entitled to. 🔄 VIP Benefits and Plan Transfers If your Summit VIP benefits — such as special pricing or upgraded features — are not visible on your account, or if you need your VIP entitlements transferred to a different email address, our support team can apply these manually. Please have the following information ready when you contact us: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account. - The email address you would like the VIP benefits transferred to (if different). - The charge amount(s), date(s), and currency from your statement. ✅ What Has Been Fixed Our engineering team has resolved the core issues that caused these billing discrepancies, including: - Summit Special Offer pricing not appearing correctly in the dashboard or upcoming invoice preview. - VIP upgrade prompts continuing to appear after a customer had already enrolled. - Double-subscription edge cases triggered during the event sign-up flow. Going forward, new charges related to Summit VIP pricing will be reflected accurately in your billing section. However, historical invoices from the event period may need to be manually retrieved or issued by our team on a case-by-case basis. 🛠️ Get Help From Our Team If your invoice is still missing, you believe you were charged incorrectly, or you need your VIP benefits adjusted, our team can investigate and resolve this for you directly. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Reissue Past Invoices with Updated Legal Details

🔍 Overview If you need a past invoice updated with your company's legal details — such as your registered business name, address, company registration number, or VAT ID — our team can reissue it for you. This is a manual process handled by our billing team and cannot be completed directly from within the platform at this time. 📋 What Information You Will Need Before reaching out, gather the following details to help us process your request as quickly as possible: - Invoice number(s) — You can find these on any invoice previously issued to your account. - Registered company name — the full legal name as it should appear on the invoice. - Registered business address — including street, city, postcode, and country. - Company registration number — issued by your national business registry. - VAT ID or tax identification number — if applicable in your country. 📝 How to Request a Reissued Invoice Because this is a backend process, you will need to contact our team directly. Have your invoice number(s) and all the legal details listed above ready before reaching out. Our team will reissue the invoice(s) and send the updated copies to the email address on your account. If you need the invoices sent to a different email address, let our team know when you submit your request. 🆘 Need Further 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💸 Update Your PayPal Address for Pending Payouts

🔍 Overview When you update your PayPal address inside the platform, the change applies to future payouts only. Any payment that was already submitted to PayPal and is in a pending state remains linked to the PayPal address that was on file when the payout was initiated. A pending payout cannot be rerouted — not through the dashboard and not by support. Once PayPal has created the payout, the recipient is fixed. If the original payout fails or reaches a final state, support can update the payout record so a retry uses your new PayPal address. ✅ What You Should Do First 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your publisher or billing profile. 2. Confirm that your new PayPal address is already saved and displayed correctly in your account settings. If it is not, update it and save the change before contacting support. 3. Make a note of both your old PayPal address (the one the pending payout is currently linked to) and your new PayPal address (where you want the funds sent). You will need to provide both when you contact us. ⚠️ Why This Happens Payouts are locked to the PayPal address recorded at the moment the payment cycle is triggered. This prevents funds from being automatically redirected if an address change is made mid-cycle, protecting both publishers and the platform from fraudulent redirection attempts. Because of this, our team must verify your identity and manually update the destination before releasing a pending payment. 🛠️ What Support Can and Cannot Do - Cannot: reroute a pending payout that has already been submitted to PayPal. The recipient of that specific payout is fixed. - Can: update the payout record so that any retry or future payout uses your new PayPal address, once the original payout reaches a final state (for example, if it fails or is returned). If a pending payout is tied to an old address, contact the team with: - Your registered account email address - The old PayPal address currently linked to the payout - The new PayPal address saved in your account settings - The approximate payout amount or the publication name associated with the payment ⏱️ What to Expect After You Request the Update Once our team verifies your request, the payout record will be updated so future or retried payments go to your new PayPal address. Processing time depends on the current payout cycle, but our team will keep you informed of the status through the chat. No additional action is needed on your end after the request is submitted and confirmed. 💡 Tips to Avoid This Issue in the Future - Update your PayPal address before a payout cycle begins. If you know a payment is coming, make the change as early as possible so the new address is captured when the cycle triggers. - Double-check your PayPal address after saving. A typo in your PayPal email can cause delays or failed payments. - Keep your PayPal account active. If your PayPal account is closed or restricted, payouts may be held even if the address is correct. 💬 Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your Publisher Media Pending Amount

📋 Overview If you notice a Publisher Media Amount listed as pending in your Search Atlas account, this article explains what it is, why it appears, and what steps to take if you have questions about it. 💡 What Is the Publisher Media Amount? The Publisher Media Amount is a charge related to the Publisher Exchange — Search Atlas's network that connects customers with publishers for press releases and sponsored content placements. When you place an order through the Publisher Exchange, the associated cost is recorded as a Publisher Media Amount in your billing history. This charge covers the fee paid to the publisher for distributing or hosting your content across their media network. ⏳ Why Does It Show as Pending? A pending status on your Publisher Media Amount can appear for a few common reasons: - Order in progress: Your press release or media placement has been submitted but the publisher has not yet confirmed completion. The charge remains pending until the work is verified. - Processing delay: Payment processing between Search Atlas and the publisher network can take a short period to finalise, causing a temporary pending state. - Recent submission: Orders placed very recently may show as pending while the system logs the transaction and routes it to the appropriate publisher. 🔍 Where to Find Your Billing Details To review your Publisher Media Amount and overall billing history, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to Billing from your Avatar Menu (👤) (top-right avatar / Avatar Menu (👤)). 3. Look for the Invoices or Billing History section to see all charges, including any Publisher Media Amounts. Please note: Publisher Exchange invoices may not always appear immediately in the invoices section due to the way publisher transactions are processed. If you do not see an invoice for a Publisher Media Amount, this is a known behaviour and the record will be updated once the transaction is fully confirmed. ✅ What to Do If the Amount Looks Incorrect If the pending amount does not match what you expected, or if it has remained in a pending state for an unusually long time, take these steps: 1. Double-check the order details for the press release or media placement you submitted to confirm the expected cost. 2. Allow 2–3 business days for the charge to move from pending to confirmed, especially for recently placed orders. 3. If the amount still looks incorrect or the pending status has not resolved after 3 business days, contact our support team for assistance. 🔄 Refunds Related to Publisher Media If a press release or publisher placement was cancelled or did not go live, you may be eligible for a refund. Refund visibility in the billing section has been improved so that any approved refunds for press release orders will appear directly in your billing history. If you believe you are owed a refund and do not see it reflected, please reach out to our team. 🛠️ 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix Unexpected Duplicate or Double Billing Charges

🔍 Why Am I Being Charged More Than My Plan Price? If your subscription plan shows one price (for example, £199/month) but your invoices or payment attempts reflect a higher amount (for example, £398 or £399), this is almost always caused by one of the following issues: - A recurring add-on that was not intentionally activated — certain features, such as OTTO Google Ads or top-up credits, can create a separate recurring charge in addition to your base plan. - Duplicate subscriptions in our billing system — in some cases, reactivating an add-on or changing a plan creates a second subscription record in Stripe, resulting in two charges for what should be one. - Stacked recurring top-ups — after a recent platform migration, some accounts ended up with multiple "Recurring Top-Up" line items that stack on top of each other instead of replacing the previous one. - Proration charges applied unexpectedly — mid-cycle plan or add-on changes can trigger a one-time proration charge that appears alongside your regular invoice, making the total look doubled. 📋 How to Identify the Source of the Extra Charge 1. Log in to Search Atlas and click your avatar (top-right) and select Billing. 2. Review your current plan and any active add-ons listed on the page. Look for add-ons you do not recognise or did not intentionally enable. 3. Check your invoice history for line items labelled Top-Up, Recurring Top-Up, or any add-on name that appears more than once. 4. If you see the same item listed twice, or an add-on you never requested, note the charge amount and date — you will need this when contacting support. ⚙️ What Causes This to Happen? Our engineering team has identified several technical root causes that are actively being investigated and fixed: - OTTO Google Ads reactivation bug — reactivating the OTTO Google Ads add-on in certain account states previously created multiple Stripe subscription records, leading to duplicate billing. - Idempotency key issue — a technical defect in our billing integration caused some add-on charges to be processed as new transactions instead of updating the existing one, resulting in duplicate proration charges. - Post-migration top-up stacking — following a recent infrastructure migration, some accounts had unconsolidated recurring top-up entries that accumulated rather than replacing each other. Our engineering team is actively working to resolve these issues and prevent them from recurring. If your account has been affected, any overcharge will be corrected and refunded. 🛠️ What You Should Do Right Now 1. Do not retry failed payments repeatedly — if a payment is failing because the amount looks incorrect, wait until the issue is investigated to avoid being charged multiple times. 2. Take a screenshot of your Billing page showing your plan price and any add-ons, as well as the invoice or payment attempt showing the higher amount. 3. Contact our support team immediately using the live chat widget (see below). Our team can review your Stripe records, identify any duplicate subscriptions, remove unauthorised add-ons, and process a refund where applicable. 💡 How We Will Fix It Once you reach our support team, here is what will happen: - A teammate will audit your account in Stripe to identify any duplicate subscription records or stacked add-on charges. - Any add-ons you did not request will be removed from your subscription. - Duplicate subscriptions will be cancelled, leaving only the correct active one. - A refund will be issued for any amounts charged in error. Refund processing times depend on your bank but typically take 5–10 business days. - Your billing will be corrected going forward so no further unexpected charges occur. 🚨 Frequently Asked Questions - Will my service be interrupted while this is fixed? No. Our team will make corrections on the billing side without affecting your access to the platform. - What if my payment already went through at the higher amount? You will receive a full refund for the overcharged portion once the duplicate or erroneous charge is confirmed. - What if my payment is failing because of the wrong amount? Let our support team resolve the billing discrepancy first. Once the correct amount is set, you can safely complete payment. - How do I avoid this happening again? After any plan change or add-on activation, always check your Billing page to confirm only the expected items are listed. If anything looks unfamiliar, contact support straight away. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Update Company Legal Details for Invoice Compliance

🔍 Overview Invoices issued by Search Atlas can include your company's legal details — such as your registered business name, billing address, and VAT ID. Keeping these details accurate ensures your invoices are compliant with local tax and accounting requirements. This article explains where to update these details and what to do if you cannot find the option in your account. ⚙️ Where to Update Your Billing Details Your legal billing information is managed in the Billing section of your account. Follow these steps: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Settings from the dropdown menu. 3. Navigate to the Profile tab (Settings). 4. Scroll to the billing or company information section. 5. Enter or update the following fields as needed: - Company name — your registered legal business name - Billing address — street, city, postcode, and country - VAT ID / Tax number — your official tax registration number 6. Click Save changes to apply your updates. Once saved, your updated details will appear on all future invoices generated by the platform. 📄 What Appears on Your Invoices Search Atlas invoices display the billing details associated with your account at the time each invoice is generated. To ensure compliance, make sure your legal details are correct before your next billing cycle. Please note the following: - Changes apply to future invoices only. Previously issued invoices cannot be retroactively updated. - Your VAT ID must be entered in the correct format for your country (for example, GB123456789 for UK businesses or DE123456789 for German businesses). - The billing address should match the address registered with your tax authority. 💡 Tips for Invoice Compliance - Double-check your VAT ID format before saving — an incorrect format may not be recognised by your accounting software. - If your business operates under a trading name different from its legal name, enter the legal registered name in the company name field. - If you need a corrected invoice for a past billing period, contact our support team (see below) and provide the correct details along with the invoice date. 🛠️ Troubleshooting If you cannot locate the billing detail fields, or if the fields are greyed out and not editable, this may be because: - Your account role does not have admin permissions. Only Admin users can edit billing details. Ask your account administrator to make the change or to upgrade your permissions. - Your account is managed under an agency or reseller plan, where billing is handled centrally. In this case, your agency administrator controls invoice details. If you have confirmed you are an Admin and the fields are still unavailable, please reach out to our team for assistance. 💬 Need Further 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix OTTO Site Quota and Billing Mismatches

🔍 Overview After purchasing additional OTTO sites, your account quota should update automatically. In some cases, there may be a short delay or a sync issue between the billing system and your account. This article explains why this happens and walks you through the steps to resolve it. ⚙️ Why Your Quota May Not Match Your Purchase There are a few common reasons your active site count may not reflect a recent payment: - Processing delay: Billing systems and account databases sync periodically. A purchase made moments ago may take some time to reflect in your quota. - Payment pending: If your payment is still being processed or requires additional verification, the quota will not increase until the transaction is fully confirmed. - Cache or display issue: Your browser may be showing an outdated view of your account. A refresh or re-login can resolve this. - Plan upgrade not fully applied: In rare cases, a quota change tied to a plan upgrade may require a manual trigger on the backend. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve the Mismatch 1. Wait a few minutes after completing your purchase. Most quota updates apply automatically after a short processing period. 2. Hard-refresh your browser or clear your browser cache to ensure you are not viewing a cached version of your account. 3. Log out and log back in to force a fresh sync of your account data. 4. Check your OTTO dashboard and review your active site count to confirm whether the new quota is now visible. 5. Verify the payment was successful: Go to your account billing section and confirm the transaction shows a completed status — not pending or failed. 📊 How to Check Your Current OTTO Site Usage To see how many OTTO sites are currently active on your account: 1. Navigate to the OTTO section of the platform. 2. Review your site counts to see how many sites are currently active and how many are available under your quota. 3. If your active count is lower than expected, check whether any sites may still be counted against your quota due to your plan settings. 💡 What to Do If the Issue Persists If your quota still does not reflect your purchase after following the steps above, do not attempt a second payment. Our support team can manually reconcile your billing record and apply the correct quota to your account without any additional charge. When reaching out, please have the following ready: your account name, the date and amount of the purchase, and a screenshot of your current quota and billing status. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your Recurring Top-Up Charges

💡 Why You Might See More Than One Charge If you notice multiple charges on your bank or card statement from Search Atlas, this can feel surprising — especially if you expect to see only your standard monthly subscription fee. The good news is that extra charges are not errors. They are most likely automatic top-up charges triggered by your credit usage within the platform. 📊 What Is a Top-Up Charge? Search Atlas uses a credit-based system for many of its tools and features. When your available credits run low or reach zero, the platform can automatically purchase an additional block of credits so your work is never interrupted. This automatic purchase is called a top-up, and it appears as a separate charge on your statement alongside your regular subscription fee. For example, if your monthly plan costs $99 and you consume your included credits before the next billing cycle, a top-up charge will be applied automatically. This means you may see: - One charge for your monthly subscription (e.g. $99) - One or more additional charges for credit top-ups purchased during the month Both charges are legitimate and reflect your actual usage of the platform. ⚙️ How Automatic Top-Ups Are Triggered Top-up charges occur when the following conditions are met: 1. You have the automatic top-up setting enabled in your account. 2. Your credit balance drops to the threshold that triggers a refill. 3. The platform purchases a predefined block of credits to restore your balance. This process can happen more than once in a single billing cycle if your usage is high, which is why some customers see two or more charges in the same month. 🔍 How to Check Your Billing History You can review all charges — including top-ups — directly inside the platform: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to Settings in the main menu. 3. Select Billing or Subscription. 4. Review the Billing History section, where each charge is listed with a date, amount, and description. This log will clearly show your subscription renewals separated from any top-up transactions so you can account for every charge. 🛠️ How to Manage or Disable Automatic Top-Ups If you would prefer to control top-up purchases manually rather than having them applied automatically, you can adjust your settings: 1. Go to the Billing dashboard (Plans & Top-ups tab) inside the platform. 2. Locate the automatic top-up setting. 3. Turn it off to disable automatic refills. Note that only an account admin can change this setting. Important: If you disable automatic top-ups, your tools and reports may be paused when your credits run out. You will need to manually purchase credits to continue using credit-dependent features. 🚀 Tips to Avoid Unexpected Charges - Monitor your credit balance regularly from the Dashboard or Billing section. - Set a reminder before your billing cycle ends to review usage. - Consider upgrading your plan if you consistently exhaust your included credits — a higher-tier plan may offer better value than frequent top-ups. - Review your top-up threshold and block size in Avatar > Billing (Billing page) to make sure the amounts align with your budget. 💬 Still Have Questions? If you have reviewed your billing history and still believe a charge was applied in error, or if you need a detailed breakdown of a specific transaction, we are here to 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Resolving Unexpected Quota Charges on Your Bill

🔍 What Are Quota Charges? Quota charges are additional fees applied when your account's usage exceeds the limits included in your current plan. These charges cover resources such as keyword tracking slots, content generation credits, backlink data pulls, and other metered features within Search Atlas. In most cases, these charges are applied automatically based on your usage — but if you were given a specific pricing commitment by a member of our team before or during your purchase, that promise should be honored. 📋 Common Reasons a Quota Charge May Appear Unexpectedly - Your account exceeded plan limits during the billing cycle without a usage alert being set up. - A promotional deal or manager-approved pricing arrangement was not yet applied to your account at the time of billing. - A miscommunication occurred between the sales or support team and the billing system. - Your plan was upgraded or modified and the quota thresholds changed accordingly. ✅ What Counts as a Valid Pricing Promise If a Search Atlas manager or team member explicitly told you — verbally, via chat, or in writing — that a specific deal would be applied to your account, that commitment is valid and our team will work to honor it. Common examples include: - A discount or waived quota fee offered during the sales process. - A custom plan shown to you before purchase that differed from the standard pricing page. - A written or verbal agreement to lock in a specific price tier regardless of usage. To resolve the dispute efficiently, it helps to have any supporting evidence ready, such as screenshots of the offer, chat transcripts, or the name of the team member who made the commitment. 🛠️ Steps to Dispute an Unauthorized Quota Charge 1. Review your invoice: Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to the Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing page to view your most recent invoice. Identify the specific line item for the quota charge and note the amount and date. 2. Gather your evidence: Collect any proof of the pricing promise made to you — screenshots, emails forwarded to chat, or notes on who made the commitment and when. 3. Check your usage: In the same Billing section, review the Plans & Top-ups tab for that billing cycle. This helps confirm whether the charge was triggered by genuine overage or applied in error. 4. Contact our support team: Open the live chat widget and request a billing review. Provide the invoice date, the charge amount, and your supporting evidence so the team can investigate quickly. 5. Await confirmation: Our billing team will verify the pricing commitment against internal records. If confirmed, you will receive either a refund for the disputed amount or a credit applied to your next invoice — whichever is appropriate. ⏱️ What to Expect During the Review Process Once you submit your dispute through the chat widget, a member of our team will acknowledge your request. Billing reviews typically take 1–3 business days to complete, depending on the complexity of the case. You will be updated via the chat thread throughout the process. If a refund is approved, it is generally processed within 5–10 business days and returned to the original payment method on file. Credits are applied immediately to your account balance. 🚫 How to Prevent Unexpected Quota Charges in the Future - Set up usage alerts: In Settings > Billing, enable quota threshold notifications so you are warned before your account reaches its limit. - Confirm deals in writing: Before completing a purchase based on a verbal offer, ask the team member to confirm the pricing arrangement in the chat transcript or have it noted on your account. - Review your plan limits: Periodically check Top-right Avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing) to ensure your current plan matches your actual usage needs. - Request a plan review: If you regularly approach your quota limits, ask our team about upgrading to a plan that better fits your usage pattern and avoids overage fees altogether. 💬 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Unexpected or Incorrect Billing Charge Explained

🔍 Overview If you've noticed a charge on your account that doesn't match your current plan, you're not alone. Billing discrepancies can occur during plan changes, downgrades, upgrades, or account migrations. This article explains the most common reasons for unexpected charges and what to do next. ⚠️ Common Reasons for an Unexpected Charge - Charged for a previous plan after downgrading: If you recently switched from a higher-tier plan (e.g., Pro at $399) to a lower-tier plan (e.g., Growth at $199), the timing of your billing cycle may mean your old plan rate was applied one final time before the change took effect. - Charged at the wrong plan rate: In some cases, a system error during a plan upgrade or downgrade can apply an incorrect price. For example, a Pro Plan upgrade may occasionally process at an unexpected amount. - Add-ons not carried over after migration: If your account was moved to a new billing system, certain add-ons (such as the OTTO Business add-on) may have been dropped or re-billed incorrectly. - Seat top-up overcharge: If your account uses seat-based billing, an error in how used versus purchased seats are counted can result in being charged for more seats than you actually use. - Charged after cancellation: In rare cases, a charge may process after a cancellation request was submitted if the request was not fully completed before the next billing date. ✅ What to Check First 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to the top-right avatar (Avatar Menu (👤)) > Billing. 2. Confirm which plan is currently active on your account and the date your last payment was processed. 3. Review your billing history to identify whether the charge matches a previous plan, an add-on, or a seat top-up. 4. Check your email for any confirmation messages related to plan changes, cancellations, or upgrades around the time of the charge. 🛠️ How to Get a Billing Correction If you've confirmed the charge is incorrect, our support team can investigate and process a correction or refund where applicable. Here's how to escalate quickly: 1. Take a screenshot of the incorrect charge from your billing history or bank statement. 2. Note the date of the charge, the amount, and the plan you believe you should have been billed for. 3. Open the chat widget in the platform and connect with the support team (see below). Having this information ready will help our team resolve your case as fast as possible. 💡 Tips to Avoid Future Billing Issues - When downgrading or upgrading your plan, confirm the change is reflected immediately in the top-right avatar (Avatar Menu (👤)) > Billing before your next billing date. - If you cancel your subscription, save the cancellation confirmation for your records. - After any account migration or plan change, review your next invoice to verify the correct amount was charged. - If you manage multiple seats, periodically review your seat usage under Avatar (top-right) > Settings > Team Members to ensure you are not being billed for unused seats. 💬 Still Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Prorated Charges and OTTO Google Ads Billing

🔍 Overview If you recently upgraded your Search Atlas plan or activated the OTTO Google Ads add-on, you may notice a charge on your invoice that wasn't part of your original subscription cost. This article explains what prorated charges are, why the OTTO Google Ads add-on generates its own billing line, and what to do if something looks incorrect. 💡 What Is a Prorated Charge? A prorated charge is a partial billing amount calculated based on the number of days remaining in your current billing cycle. When you upgrade your plan mid-cycle, you are charged only for the portion of the new plan you will use before your next renewal date — not the full monthly or annual amount. For example, if you upgrade from a Pro plan to an Agency plan partway through the month, you will be charged a prorated amount covering the remaining days of that billing period at the Agency plan rate. This charge appears as a separate line item on your invoice alongside your regular subscription. 📋 What Is the OTTO Google Ads Add-On? The OTTO Google Ads add-on is an optional feature that extends OTTO SEO automation to include Google Ads management. It is billed separately from your base Search Atlas plan and has its own pricing. This means: - The add-on can be activated independently of a plan upgrade. - It generates its own invoice line item or, in some cases, a separate invoice entirely. - If activated mid-cycle, the add-on charge is also prorated for the remaining days in your billing period. 🧾 Why Does My Invoice Show an Unexpected Charge? Customers most commonly see an unexpected charge in the following situations: - Plan upgrade mid-cycle: Upgrading from Pro to Agency (or any higher-tier plan) generates an immediate prorated charge for the difference in plan cost. - OTTO Google Ads add-on activation: Enabling the Google Ads add-on at any point in your billing cycle triggers a prorated charge for the remainder of that period. - Billing migration: If your account was recently moved to a new billing system, a pending add-on charge may appear on your first invoice after migration. - Annual plan with add-on: Annual plan subscribers who activate the Google Ads add-on are charged for the add-on on a separate schedule, which can make the charge appear unrelated to your main plan invoice. 📊 How to Check Your Invoices and Charges 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to your Account Settings by clicking your Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner. 3. Select Billing from the settings menu. 4. Review your invoice list. Each invoice will show the plan, add-ons, proration period, and the exact dates the charge covers. 5. Click any invoice number to view a full itemised breakdown, including the daily rate used to calculate the prorated amount. ⚠️ When to Contact Support Most prorated charges are expected and correct. However, you should reach out to our team if you notice any of the following: - You were charged for the OTTO Google Ads add-on but never activated it. - Your invoice shows a prorated charge for a plan upgrade, but your account still reflects the lower-tier plan. - You see two identical prorated charges for the same period (duplicate charge). - The prorated amount appears to cover only one day rather than the full remaining billing period. - Your annual plan was charged at an incorrect base price. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Proration Charges When Upgrading Plans

🔍 Overview When you upgrade from the Growth plan to the Pro plan mid-cycle on an annual subscription, you may notice the charge looks higher than expected. This article explains how proration works, why the numbers may seem off, and what to do if your upgrade did not apply correctly. 💡 How Proration Works on Annual Plans Proration is the process of crediting the unused portion of your current plan and applying it toward the cost of your new plan. Here is how the calculation works in practice: 1. Unused credit: Search Atlas calculates the remaining value of your current annual plan based on how many days are left in your billing cycle. 2. New plan cost: The full annual price of the Pro plan is calculated from the upgrade date. 3. Amount charged: The unused credit is subtracted from the new plan cost, and only the difference is charged to your payment method. For example, if you have approximately 6 months remaining on your Growth annual plan, you should receive a credit for roughly half the annual Growth price. That credit is then applied to reduce what you owe for the Pro plan. ⚠️ Why Your Charge May Look Higher Than Expected In some cases, customers upgrading from Growth to Pro on an annual plan have seen a charge of approximately $1,735 when they expected to pay closer to $835 after their unused credit was applied. This discrepancy can occur for a few reasons: - Credit not applied at checkout: A known issue affected some accounts where the proration credit was calculated but not correctly deducted before the charge was processed. - Plan upgrade not fully applied: In some instances, the system processed the payment but did not switch the account to the Pro plan, leaving the customer on Growth while being charged for Pro. - Special offer interactions: Customers purchasing a promotional or summit special offer on top of an existing annual plan occasionally experienced billing calculation errors. - Multi-step upgrade timing: Accounts that went through a multi-step upgrade process (for example, adding quota top-ups alongside a plan change) sometimes saw credits applied incorrectly or not at all. These issues have been investigated and resolved in recent platform updates. However, if your account was affected before the fix was deployed, your billing may still reflect the incorrect charge. ✅ What You Should Expect When upgrading from Growth to Pro on an annual plan, here is what a correct upgrade looks like: - Your account immediately switches to the Pro plan upon successful payment. - Your unused Growth plan credit is automatically applied to reduce the Pro plan charge. - Your new annual billing cycle starts from the upgrade date. - Activity logs in your account reflect the plan change and the credit applied. 🛠️ Steps to Take If Your Charge Seems Incorrect If you believe you were charged incorrectly or your plan did not upgrade as expected, follow these steps: 1. Check your current plan: Click your Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing (Plans & Top-ups) and confirm whether your account now shows the Pro plan. If it still shows Growth, your upgrade may not have been applied. 2. Review your invoice: Open your most recent invoice and look for a proration credit line item. If no credit appears, the system may not have applied it. 3. Note the amounts: Write down the charge you received, the date of upgrade, and the date your current annual plan started. This will help our team resolve the issue quickly. 4. Contact support: If your plan was not upgraded or you were overcharged, reach out via the live chat widget so our team can review your account and issue a correction if needed. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Will I lose my unused Growth plan days when I upgrade? No. Those days are converted into a credit and applied toward your Pro plan. You should never be charged for both plans simultaneously for the same period. My plan still shows Growth after I was charged. What should I do? This is a known issue that affected a small number of accounts. Contact support immediately so our team can manually apply the upgrade and review your billing. How long does the upgrade take to reflect in my account? Plan upgrades typically apply instantly. If your plan has not updated within a few minutes of payment, something may have gone wrong and you should contact support. Can I get a refund if I was overcharged? Yes. If our team confirms that the proration credit was not applied correctly, we will issue a credit or refund for the difference. Please contact support with your invoice details. 💬 Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Unexpected OTTO Google Ads Addon Charges

🔍 Overview If you recently signed up for an annual plan — such as the Summit special offer — and noticed an unexpected OTTO Google Ads addon charge of $199/month on your bill, you are not alone. This article explains why this charge can appear and what steps to take to get it resolved quickly. ⚙️ Why This Charge Appears In some cases, a known provisioning issue causes the OTTO Google Ads addon to be created as a separate subscription rather than being included as part of your base annual plan. This can happen when: - You sign up using a special promotional or discounted offer (such as the Summit plan). - Your account is migrated or set up during a billing system transition. - A configuration error causes the addon to be applied independently instead of bundled into your plan. The result is that Stripe (our payment processor) may attempt to bill you for the OTTO Google Ads addon as a standalone monthly charge, even though it should be covered by your annual plan. 🛠️ What You Should Do If you see an unexpected OTTO Google Ads addon charge on your account, follow these steps: 1. Do not cancel your plan. Cancelling may complicate the correction process. 2. Check your billing details by navigating to Avatar (top-right) → Billing and reviewing active subscriptions and addons. 3. Contact our support team immediately using the live chat widget (see below). Our team can identify whether this is a provisioning error and issue a correction or refund as appropriate. ✅ What Our Team Will Do Once you reach out, a member of our team will: - Review your account configuration and billing records. - Confirm whether the OTTO Google Ads addon charge was applied in error. - Remove the duplicate or incorrectly provisioned addon subscription. - Process a refund for any incorrect charges that were collected. - Ensure your annual plan is correctly configured going forward. 💡 Frequently Asked Questions Will I lose access to OTTO Google Ads features while this is being corrected? No. Our team will ensure your access is maintained throughout the correction process. How long does it take to receive a refund? Refunds typically appear within 5–10 business days depending on your bank or card provider, once our team has processed the correction. Could this happen again after it is fixed? Once our team corrects your account configuration, the issue will not recur. The fix involves restructuring the addon as part of your base plan rather than as a separate subscription. 📞 Need Further 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your Search Atlas Bill

📋 Overview of Your Monthly Bill Your Search Atlas bill is made up of several components depending on your plan and the add-ons you have active. Understanding each charge helps you confirm you are getting full value from your subscription and gives you the information you need if something looks incorrect. A typical bill on the Growth plan may include: - Base plan fee — covers your core Search Atlas features, including Site Explorer, Rank Tracker, Keyword Magic, Keyword Gap analysis, and access to the content tools. - OTTO Site activations — a per-site charge applied to each domain where you have activated OTTO SEO automation. - AI Quota — usage-based or bundled credits for AI-generated content, briefs, and on-page recommendations. These three components are billed together each month, which is why your total can appear higher than the base plan price alone. 🤖 What Are OTTO Site Charges? OTTO is Search Atlas's AI-powered SEO automation engine. When you activate OTTO on a website, that site occupies one OTTO Site slot. Each slot carries an additional monthly fee on top of your base plan. Key things to know about OTTO site charges: - Charges are per activated site, not per action OTTO takes. If OTTO is switched on for a domain, the slot fee applies for that billing period. - Your Growth plan includes a set number of OTTO Site slots. Sites within that included allowance are covered by your base plan fee. Any sites beyond your included slots are billed as add-ons. - To see which sites currently have OTTO active, go to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO (OTTO SEO Projects). Each connected site is listed there with its activation status. - If you no longer need OTTO on a specific domain, deactivating it will stop the slot charge from the next billing cycle onward. 📊 What Does My Growth Plan Actually Cover? The Growth plan is designed for agencies and businesses managing multiple sites. Here is a summary of what is included in the base plan fee: - Access to Site Explorer for tracking domain performance — navigate via Left sidebar → Site Metrics (Site Explorer). - Rank Tracker for monitoring keyword positions — navigate via Left sidebar → Keywords → Rank Tracker. - Keyword Magic for keyword research — navigate via Left sidebar → Keywords → Keyword Magic. - Keyword Gap for competitive analysis — navigate via Left sidebar → Keywords → Keyword Gap. - A bundled AI Quota allowance for AI-assisted content and SEO tasks. - A defined number of OTTO Site slots included at no extra charge. Any usage above these included limits — such as extra OTTO sites or additional AI credits — is billed as an add-on and will appear as a separate line item on your invoice. 💡 How to Review Your Current Charges To get a clear picture of exactly what you are paying for, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your account name or avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing or Subscription. 3. Review your current plan, active OTTO site slots, and any add-ons listed on your subscription page. 4. Cross-reference your active OTTO sites by navigating to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO (OTTO SEO Projects) to confirm which domains are currently activated. 5. If your invoice shows charges you do not recognise, note the specific line items before contacting support. 🔄 Can I Get a Refund for Months I Couldn't Use the Platform? If you experienced a technical issue that prevented you from accessing or using Search Atlas, you may be eligible for a credit or adjustment. Search Atlas does not offer automatic refunds for unused time, but our team reviews documented technical access issues on a case-by-case basis. To request a billing review or discuss a potential credit, you will need to: - Provide the dates during which access was impacted. - Describe the technical issue you experienced (error messages, features unavailable, etc.). - Confirm whether you contacted support at the time the issue occurred, as this helps our team verify the incident. Our billing team can then assess whether a credit applies to your account. General non-usage — such as not logging in due to personal scheduling — is not typically eligible for a refund, so it is important to clearly distinguish a platform-side technical issue from personal inactivity. 🛠️ Managing Your Plan to Avoid Unexpected Charges A few simple habits can help you keep your bill predictable each month: - Audit your OTTO sites regularly. Deactivate OTTO on any domain you are no longer optimising to free up slots and reduce costs. - Monitor your AI Quota usage. If you are consistently hitting your quota limit, consider whether upgrading your quota add-on or adjusting your workflow is more cost-effective. - Review your invoice each cycle. Catching an unexpected charge early makes resolution faster and easier. 🙋 Need Help With Your Bill? 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix Hyperdrive Credits Billing Discrepancies

🔍 What Is a Hyperdrive Credits Discrepancy? A billing discrepancy occurs when your account shows more Hyperdrive Credits consumed than the number of citations successfully submitted. This gap is sometimes called a credit overage or reconciliation issue. Understanding why this happens — and how to resolve it — will help you get any missing credits returned to your account quickly. ⚙️ Why This Can Happen Hyperdrive Credits can sometimes show a mismatch between credits consumed and citations successfully completed. This may result in credits appearing to be deducted without a corresponding confirmed citation submission. 📋 What to Have Ready Before Escalating Because credit reconciliation requires a manual review by our billing team, you cannot resolve a discrepancy directly through the platform on your own. To help our team investigate and restore any credits as quickly as possible, please gather the following information before reaching out: - Your account name or email address associated with the affected Search Atlas account. - The total credits shown as consumed in your account at the time of the discrepancy. - The number of citations confirmed as successfully submitted during the same period. - The name of the citation campaign or batch affected, if applicable. - Any screenshots of your credit balance and citation status list — these will speed up the review process. Having these details ready will allow our team to locate the affected records and process a reconciliation as efficiently as possible. 🛠️ How to Request a Credit Reconciliation Once you have gathered the details above, our support team can investigate and restore any credits that were consumed without a corresponding successful citation. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💡 AI Generation Quota Credits Missing After Payment

🔍 Overview Some customers on paid plans have found their AI generation quota showing zero credits even though their subscription includes a credit allowance. This is a known account configuration issue that requires manual correction by the Search Atlas team. This article explains what to check and how to get your credits restored quickly. ⚙️ What Causes This Issue In some cases, AI generation quota credits are not automatically applied to an account after a payment is processed or a plan is activated. This is an account-level provisioning issue — it does not mean your payment failed or that your plan is incorrect. Your credits are simply not reflected in your account balance yet. ✅ What to Check First 1. Confirm your subscription is active by navigating to your account's Billing section and verifying that your current plan is shown as active. 2. Review your billing history in your account to confirm your most recent payment was successfully processed. 3. Try logging out of your Search Atlas account completely and logging back in. In some cases, a fresh session causes the platform to re-sync your account entitlements and your correct quota balance will appear after you sign back in. 4. If you have recently upgraded your plan, wait a few minutes and then refresh the page — provisioning can occasionally take a short time to propagate. 5. If your plan is active, payment is confirmed, you have logged out and back in, and your AI generation quota still shows zero, contact support as described below so a team member can update the quota manually on your behalf. 🛠️ How the Issue Is Resolved When this issue is reported, the Search Atlas specialized team manually corrects the account by updating the AI generation quota balance to match the allowance included in your plan. Once corrected, your credits will be immediately available and you can begin generating content normally across the platform's AI generation features. 📋 What to Include When You Contact Support To help the team resolve this as quickly as possible, have the following ready before reaching out: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - Your current plan name (visible in your account's Billing section) - A brief description of the issue, for example: "My AI generation quota shows 0 credits but my plan should include [X] credits." - Confirmation that your payment has been processed (invoice number if available) 💬 Contact Support Because this issue requires a manual quota correction by the Search Atlas team, it cannot be resolved through account settings alone. If the self-service steps above did not restore your credits, please reach out to our support team through the chat option available in the platform. Please share your account email, plan name, and confirmation that your payment was processed — our team will apply the correct quota to your account immediately so you can get back to generating content without delay.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💸 Why You're Being Billed by Both Shopify and Search Atlas

🤔 Why you have two bills This happens when a customer signed up for Search Atlas in two different ways: 1. Through the Shopify App Store — creates a Shopify-managed account; Shopify handles billing 2. Directly on searchatlas.com — creates a separate Search Atlas account; Search Atlas handles billing These are two independent accounts and you may be charged by both. Two separate accounts each paying for their own plan is expected. However, being charged twice for the same plan and period — for example a Shopify charge and a Search Atlas credit-card charge that both cover the same subscription — is not expected and should be treated as a billing error. If you see this, contact Search Atlas support so it can be investigated and corrected. ⚠️ Important: Search Atlas cannot manage your Shopify billing If you subscribed through Shopify, Search Atlas does not control or have access to your Shopify billing. Any refund, cancellation, or plan change for the Shopify subscription must be handled directly through your Shopify admin panel. 🔄 Charged through Shopify but can't access the app? If your Shopify payment went through but Search Atlas keeps redirecting you to the pricing/subscribe page, your subscription may not have been provisioned on the Search Atlas side. A known issue caused some Shopify App Store purchases to be charged without activating the account; this has been fixed. If you're affected: - Contact Search Atlas support so your subscription can be provisioned manually and your access restored. - Have your Shopify store domain and a copy of the Shopify charge/invoice ready — support uses these to locate and reconcile the charge. - If you were billed without ever receiving access, ask support about a refund for the affected Shopify charge(s). ✅ How to resolve duplicate billing 1. Decide which account you want to keep 2. Cancel the account you don't want: - For Shopify: go to your Shopify admin > Apps > Search Atlas > Uninstall - For direct Search Atlas: go to Billing > Services > Cancel 3. Contact Search Atlas support if you need help migrating data before canceling If Shopify keeps charging you after you uninstall the app, contact Search Atlas support. A recently fixed issue could leave a Shopify-sourced subscription active even after cancellation, and support can confirm the charge has actually stopped.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix Duplicate Charges and Growth Plan Upgrades

🔍 Overview Sometimes a payment can process successfully on your card but your account does not immediately reflect the new plan. In other cases, a technical issue can result in your card being charged more than once for the same subscription. This article explains why these situations happen and exactly what steps to take. ⚠️ Why Your Plan May Not Have Activated After a successful payment, your Growth plan upgrade should activate within a few minutes. If it has not, the most common reasons are: - Payment processing delay: Your bank authorised the charge, but the confirmation signal back to Search Atlas was delayed or interrupted. - Duplicate checkout attempt: Submitting payment more than once (for example, by clicking the upgrade button multiple times or reloading the page) can create two separate subscription records, leaving neither one in an active state. - Card type mismatch: Some debit cards require additional verification steps that can cause the transaction to appear successful on your bank statement while still pending on our end. - Past-due account state: If your previous subscription had an unpaid balance, the new payment may have been applied to that balance instead of upgrading your plan. ✅ Steps to Take Right Now 1. Check your bank or card statement first. Confirm exactly how many charges from Search Atlas appear and note the amounts and dates. 2. Refresh your Search Atlas account. Log out completely, clear your browser cache, then log back in. Wait up to 10 minutes after a successful payment before concluding the plan has not activated. 3. Navigate to your Billing page. Go to the Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing and confirm which plan is shown as active. If the Growth plan is listed there, your upgrade worked and any display delay elsewhere in the platform will resolve shortly. 4. Do not attempt a second payment if you can already see at least one charge on your statement. Submitting another payment is the most common cause of duplicate charges and refund requests. 5. Contact our team if anything looks wrong. If you see duplicate charges, your plan still shows as inactive after 15 minutes, or your billing page shows an unexpected amount, reach out immediately using the instructions in the section below. 💰 How Duplicate Charge Refunds Work If you were charged more than once for the same plan upgrade, you are entitled to a full refund of the duplicate amount. Here is what to expect: - Our team will verify both charges against our payment records and Stripe logs. - The duplicate charge is voided or refunded directly to your original payment method. - Refunds typically appear on your statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. - You will not lose access to your Growth plan during this process — the valid charge keeps your subscription active. 🛠️ What to Have Ready When You Contact Support To resolve your issue as quickly as possible, have the following information available before opening the chat: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The date(s) of the charges you see on your statement - The exact amounts charged (e.g. two charges of the same value) - A screenshot of your bank or card statement showing the duplicate transactions (optional but speeds up verification) - A screenshot of your Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing page showing your current plan status 🙋 Get Help From Our Team 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. Our team can confirm whether a duplicate charge occurred, process your refund, and manually activate your Growth plan if the upgrade did not apply correctly — all in a single conversation.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💡 Understanding Your Invoice, AI Credits, and Billing

📄 What Does My Invoice Cover? Your Search Atlas invoice reflects all platform usage charges accumulated within your current billing cycle. A large invoice balance typically means your workspace has consumed a significant volume of AI credits in addition to your base subscription fee. Each line item on the invoice corresponds to a specific feature or usage category, so you can see exactly what drove the total. 🤖 What Are AI Credit Charges? AI credit charges cover AI-generated content and recommendations produced across the platform. This includes outputs from tools such as: - AI Writer and content generation - OTTO SEO automated suggestions - Keyword and topic AI recommendations - On-page optimization AI actions - Bulk AI content workflows Every time the platform generates an AI output on behalf of your workspace — whether triggered manually or automatically — it consumes AI credits, which are then billed accordingly. 📅 Is My Invoice Monthly or Yearly? Search Atlas offers both monthly and annual billing cycles. To confirm which cycle applies to your account, log in to Search Atlas and navigate to your account Settings, then look for the Billing or Subscription section. Your current billing cycle and next renewal date should be listed there. If your invoice is unexpectedly high, it may reflect overage charges from exceeding your plan's included AI credit allowance during the billing period — regardless of whether you are on a monthly or annual plan. 📊 Why Is My Balance So High? A balance significantly above your base subscription cost is almost always the result of one or more of the following: - Bulk AI content generation: Running large batches of AI-written articles or briefs consumes credits rapidly. - Automated OTTO SEO actions: OTTO can trigger AI suggestions at scale across many pages simultaneously. - Multiple team members: Several users generating AI content at the same time multiplies credit consumption quickly. - No usage limits configured: If no credit limit is in place, consumption can grow unchecked until the invoice is issued. 💰 How Can I Reduce My AI Credit Costs? You do not need to disable AI features to reduce your bill. Consider the following approaches to control costs: - Review your usage regularly: Check your billing or usage section within your account settings to monitor how many AI credits have been consumed and by which features. - Limit bulk operations: Avoid running large-scale AI content or OTTO SEO workflows unless necessary, as these consume credits quickly. - Manage team access: Restrict AI feature access to team members who actively need it to prevent unintentional consumption. - Contact support to discuss limits: If you would like to explore whether credit caps or usage controls are available on your plan, reach out to our team for guidance specific to your account. If you are unsure what drove a specific charge or need help interpreting a line item on your invoice, our team can review your account and walk you through the details. When reaching out, please have your account name, the invoice date, and any specific line items or amounts you have questions about ready so we can assist you efficiently. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Double Billed on Your Annual Subscription? Here's What to Do

🔍 What Is This Issue? Some customers on an annual subscription have reported being charged additional monthly fees alongside their yearly plan. These duplicate charges are not intentional and can be refunded. This article explains what to check and how to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible. 📋 Common Signs You Have Been Double Billed - You paid for a full annual subscription but see one or more separate monthly charges on your card or bank statement. - You have multiple invoices from Search Atlas within the same billing period. - Your payment method was charged more than once in a single month after your annual plan was activated. 🔎 How to Check Your Invoices and Billing Activity 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing from the menu. 3. Open the Invoices tab to review all charges associated with your account. 4. Open the Activity Log tab to see a detailed record of billing changes, sorted by timestamp if needed. 5. Look for any charges that do not match your expected annual plan amount. Note the invoice numbers, amounts, and dates — you will need these when contacting support. ⚠️ Can You Self-Resolve a Duplicate Charge? Unfortunately, refunds for duplicate or erroneous charges cannot be processed directly from within the platform. This must be handled by the Search Atlas billing team. However, you can speed up the process significantly by gathering the right information before reaching out. Have the following ready when you contact support: - The invoice numbers and amounts for each charge you believe is incorrect. - The date each charge appeared on your account or bank statement. - Confirmation of your annual plan start date. ⏱️ What Happens After You Report the Issue? Once the billing team confirms the duplicate charges, refunds are processed promptly. Based on resolved cases, the typical outcome is: - All duplicate charges are identified and refunded in full. - Refunds take 5–10 working days to appear in your account, depending on your bank or card provider. - You will receive confirmation once the refunds have been processed. 💬 How to Contact Support If you suspect you have been double billed, do not wait. Reach out to the team right away with your invoice details so the billing team can investigate and process your refund. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Get a Full Invoice for Top-Up Charges

🔍 Overview When you purchase a top-up (for example, additional OTTO AI credits or other add-ons), the system may initially generate a receipt rather than a full invoice. A full invoice includes your company name, billing address, and VAT number — details that are required for business accounting and tax purposes. This article explains why this can happen, what information is captured on a full invoice, and how to get the correct document for your records. 📄 Receipt vs. Full Invoice — What Is the Difference? - Receipt: Confirms that a payment was received. It shows the charge amount, date, and a transaction reference, but it does not include recipient or company details. - Full Invoice: A formal billing document that includes your company name, billing address, VAT number (if applicable), and a sequential invoice number. This is the format required for most business expense claims and tax filings. Plan charges (your regular monthly or annual subscription) are issued as full invoices by default. Top-up charges — one-time purchases made outside your regular billing cycle — have historically been issued as receipts in some cases. This is a known limitation that our engineering team has addressed in a recent platform update. ⚙️ Why Your Top-Up May Show as a Receipt Top-up charges are processed differently from subscription charges. In some cases, the billing system did not automatically attach your saved company details to the top-up document. As a result, the PDF available in your billing history appeared as a simple receipt without recipient information. Following a platform update, new top-up invoices now display your billing address and VAT number in the PDF, matching the format used for plan charges. If you have an older top-up charge that still shows as a receipt, our support team can issue the correct document manually. ✅ How to Check Your Current Invoice Details 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing. 3. Locate the top-up charge in your invoice or payment history. 4. Click the download or view icon next to the charge to open the PDF. 5. Check whether your company name, billing address, and VAT number appear on the document. If those details are present, your invoice is complete and ready for use. If the document still appears as a plain receipt, follow the steps in the next section. 🛠️ How to Request a Full Invoice for a Top-Up Charge 1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. 3. Provide the following information so we can locate and correct your document quickly: - Your account email address - The invoice or charge number (for example, Invoice #42785) - The charge amount and approximate date - Your company name, billing address, and VAT number as they should appear on the invoice 4. Our team will verify the charge and issue a corrected full invoice to you directly. 💡 How to Make Sure Future Top-Up Invoices Are Complete To ensure your company details appear automatically on all future invoices — including top-ups — keep your billing information up to date in the platform: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner, select Billing, then go to Billing Information. 2. Confirm that your company name, billing address, and VAT number are saved correctly. 3. Save any changes. Once your billing profile is complete, the platform will attach these details to every new invoice generated, including one-time top-up charges. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions - Can I get a full invoice for multiple past top-up charges at once? Yes. When you contact support, you can request corrections for more than one charge in the same conversation. Please provide all relevant invoice numbers. - Will the invoice number change if a corrected document is issued? No. The original invoice number is retained. Only the recipient and company details are added to the document. - My VAT number is not showing even though I saved it. What should I do? Contact support via the chat widget. Our team can verify that your VAT number is correctly stored and applied to your account. 💬 Need Further 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💸 How to Check Your Payment Release Status

This article explains what determines when your payment is released, what to do if a remittance appears unpaid, and how to verify that a payout has been processed successfully. If you have been waiting on a payment or received a remittance that hasn't cleared yet, the steps below will help you take the right action. 🔍 Common Causes of Payment Delays - Pending remittance: A remittance may show as unpaid if it has been generated but not yet processed within the current payment cycle. - Quota or threshold not met: Some accounts require a minimum earning threshold before a payout is triggered. If your balance has not reached that threshold, the release will be held until the next eligible cycle. - Account or billing details incomplete: Missing or unverified payment information can put a release on hold. - Processing window: Payments are typically released on a set schedule (for example, weekly or monthly). A remittance generated near the end of a cycle may not be paid out until the following cycle opens. 🛠️ Step-by-Step 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account, click your Avatar (top-right), and select Billing. 2. Navigate to the payments or remittances section to view your current payout history and any outstanding remittances. 3. Check the status column next to each remittance — look for labels such as Pending, Processing, or Paid. 4. If a remittance shows as Pending, note the date it was generated and compare it to your account's standard payment cycle window. 5. Confirm that your payment method and billing details are complete and verified. If any information is missing or flagged, update it before the next cycle closes. 6. If your remittance status has not changed after the expected cycle end date, proceed to the confirmation step below before contacting support. ✅ How to Confirm It Worked Once a payment has been successfully released, you should see the remittance status update to Paid in your Billing → Invoices / Activity Log section. The corresponding amount should also appear in your connected payment account (such as your bank or payment provider) within any processing time stated on that record. If the status still shows Pending or Processing beyond your expected cycle end date, or if no status update appears after you have corrected any account details, that is the right moment to reach out to our team with the specific remittance ID and date for fastest resolution. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix Billing Errors and Restore Account Access

🔍 What This Article Covers If your AI points are not increasing, you cannot add new companies to OTTO, or you were charged without receiving full service access, this guide will help you understand what happened and how to get it resolved quickly. ⚠️ Common Signs of a Billing or Access Problem - AI points balance is frozen or not refreshing after your billing cycle - You are unable to add new companies or projects inside OTTO - You were charged for one or more billing periods but features remained locked or inaccessible - Your account shows an active subscription but behaves as if it is on a free or restricted plan 💡 Why These Issues Happen Billing and access issues on Search Atlas accounts are typically caused by one of the following: - Payment processing delays: A charge may be collected by your bank before the platform has fully confirmed and activated the associated entitlements on your account. - Subscription sync errors: Occasionally, a plan upgrade or renewal does not correctly sync with the features tied to your account, leaving credits and permissions in a locked state. - Duplicate charges: If a payment method was updated or a retry was triggered, you may see multiple charges for the same billing period without a corresponding double allocation of credits or access. - Account-level configuration issues: In some cases, a backend setting tied to your subscription tier fails to apply correctly after a charge is processed. 🛠️ Steps to Take Before Contacting Support 1. Check your billing history: Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing (Billing page with Plans & Top-ups, Services, Invoices, Activity Log tabs). Confirm the dates and amounts of recent charges. 2. Note the exact features affected: Write down which tools are not working — for example, AI points not increasing, OTTO company slots unavailable, or dashboard features locked. This speeds up the resolution process. 3. Check for any account notifications: Look for any banners or alerts inside the platform that reference a payment failure, pending renewal, or account restriction. 4. Try a hard refresh: Sometimes a browser cache issue can make features appear unavailable. Press Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac) to force a full refresh. 5. Confirm you are logged into the correct account: If you manage multiple workspaces or team accounts, make sure you are viewing the account associated with the subscription in question. 💰 If You Were Charged Without Receiving Service Access If you were billed for two or more months and did not have access to the features included in your plan, you are entitled to a review and potential credit or refund for the affected period. To initiate this, you will need to provide the following information to our support team: - The billing dates and amounts you were charged - A description of which features were unavailable and for how long - Any error messages or screenshots you captured during that time Our team will investigate the payment records and account logs, then apply any applicable service credits or process a refund for the period in which service was not delivered. 🤖 AI Points Not Increasing After a Billing Cycle AI points are refreshed automatically at the start of each new billing cycle. If your points did not increase after your renewal date, this is most likely caused by a sync error between the payment confirmation and the credit allocation system. This is not resolved by waiting — it requires a manual correction by our support team. Please contact us as soon as you notice the issue so we can apply the correct balance retroactively. 🏢 Unable to Add New Companies to OTTO The number of companies you can manage inside OTTO is determined by your active subscription tier. If you are unable to add a new company and believe your plan allows for it, this may indicate that your subscription entitlements did not update correctly after your last payment. Our support team can verify your plan limits and unlock the correct number of company slots for your account. 📋 What to Have Ready When You Contact Support - Your account email address - The dates and amounts of any disputed charges - A clear description of which features are not working - Any screenshots or error messages (attach them in the chat if possible) 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Unexpected Monthly Charges on Duplicate Account

🔍 Identify Duplicate Accounts You may have two separate Search Atlas accounts if you signed up with different email addresses. Check both inboxes for welcome or billing emails from Search Atlas. Common scenarios include using a personal email for one account and a work email for another. 📋 Verify Your Active Subscription 1. Log in to each account using the different email addresses. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner, select Billing, and then Plans & Top-ups. 3. Review the subscription details shown on the Billing page (Plans & Top-ups) to confirm which account has an active plan. ⚙️ Cancel the Unwanted Account Once you identify the duplicate account with unwanted charges, contact our team. 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. Provide both email addresses — our Support team will identify and cancel the duplicate subscription for you; you do not need to cancel it yourself. 📄 Understand Refund Policy Confirmed duplicate charges are always refunded. We issue a full refund of the extra/duplicate charge only — the original valid charge is not refunded. The refund is returned to your original payment method. 🛡️ Prevent Future Duplicate Accounts - Use a single email address for all Search Atlas sign-ups and purchases. - Save your login credentials in a password manager. - Before creating a new account, search your email for existing Search Atlas communications. Additional Notes After canceling the duplicate account, contact the Billing team to request a refund. Provide the invoice number and amount charged. Refunds are usually processed within 5–10 business days. You will receive a confirmation once the refund is granted, appearing on your original payment method within the standard processing window. Charges may continue after cancellation if: the request wasn't fully processed, the duplicate account has its own independent subscription not linked to the original, or a payment was retried on a previously issued invoice. If charged after a cancellation request, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate immediately for a refund investigation. Duplicate account created via email typo at sign-up (e.g., swapped letter or misspelled domain). Cancelling primary account does NOT stop charges on the duplicate. Invoices go to misspelled inbox. Diagnose if: cancelled but charges continued + no invoices received + amount matches a Search Atlas plan.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your Bill and Unexpected Charges

🔍 Overview Billing questions are among the most common reasons customers reach out to our support team. This article explains the most frequent causes of unexpected charges, clarifies what is and isn't included in each plan, and tells you exactly what to do if you spot a charge that doesn't look right. 📋 What's Included in Each Plan It's important to understand that not every feature is bundled into every plan tier. Here's a quick breakdown of common points of confusion: - Google Ads Add-on: The Google Ads integration is a paid add-on and is not included in the Pro plan or any standard annual plan. If you see a persistent in-app message prompting you to enable it, that message will remain until you either subscribe to the add-on or dismiss it. It is not a bug — it is an invitation to upgrade. - Annual Pro Plan: Your annual Pro plan covers the core Search Atlas feature set. Add-ons such as Google Ads, additional user seats, and certain data integrations are priced separately regardless of your billing cycle. - Starter Plan Charges: If you purchased an annual Pro plan but later see a $99 charge associated with a Starter plan, this is most likely caused by a billing migration issue or a duplicate subscription record. Do not ignore it — follow the steps below to get it resolved immediately. ⚠️ Common Reasons for Unexpected Charges Several known scenarios can result in charges that look incorrect on your invoice: - Post-migration billing errors: If your account was recently migrated to our new billing system, there is a known issue where recurring top-up charges may stack incorrectly on your subscription, resulting in duplicate or inflated charges. - Subscription upgrade not applied correctly: In some cases, a plan upgrade may fail to process on the subscription side even though your payment method was charged. This results in being billed without receiving the upgraded features. - Custom pricing not reflected: If you were offered custom or negotiated pricing, it may not have been automatically applied to your self-serve account. You could be billed at the standard rate instead. - Promo code issues: Promo codes on our platform cannot be stacked — only one promotional code can be active on your account at a time. If a promo code expires, it is automatically removed, your quotas may reset, and any usage beyond your standard plan limits may generate an overage record and charge. ✅ Steps to Take If You See an Unexpected Charge 1. Check your plan details: Navigate to the top-right avatar → Billing (Billing: Plans & Top-ups, Services, Invoices, Activity Log) inside the platform. Review your active plan, any listed add-ons, and your next billing date to confirm what you're subscribed to. 2. Review your invoice history: In the same Billing section, open your invoice list and compare the charge amounts and descriptions against your expected plan pricing. 3. Look for duplicate subscriptions: If you see both a Starter and a Pro plan listed, or multiple recurring line items for the same add-on, this is a sign of a duplicate subscription that needs to be corrected by our team. 4. Check your promo code status: Under the top-right avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Redeem Promo Code), confirm whether a promo code is currently applied. If a code has expired and was removed, verify that your plan quota has been restored correctly. 5. Contact support right away: Billing discrepancies should be escalated as soon as possible so our team can investigate and issue a refund if applicable. 💡 Promo Codes — Key Rules to Know To avoid confusion around promotional discounts, keep these rules in mind: - Only one promo code can be active on your account at any time. Stacking multiple codes is not supported. - When a promo code expires, it is automatically removed from your account. - After a code is removed, your plan quotas reset to their standard limits. Any usage that exceeded those limits during the promo period may generate an overage charge. - Always confirm that a promo code has been successfully applied before completing a purchase. If you do not see a discount reflected at checkout, the code has not been applied. 💰 Refunds and Billing Corrections Search Atlas will review and refund verified billing errors. To be eligible for a refund investigation, you should report the discrepancy as soon as you notice it. Our billing team will confirm whether the charge was caused by a system error, a migration issue, or an account configuration problem, and will take corrective action accordingly. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix Erroneous Non-Payment Emails and Duplicate Charges

🔍 What Is Happening? Some customers with active, paid subscriptions are experiencing one or both of the following issues: - Receiving non-payment or failed payment email notifications even though their account is up to date. - Seeing repeated charge attempts on their bank statement, which may trigger additional bank fees. These issues are caused by known billing system inconsistencies currently being investigated and resolved by our engineering team. You do not need to take action to fix the underlying cause — but this article explains what is happening and what you should do in the meantime. ⚙️ Why This Happens Several related billing system issues can trigger erroneous emails and duplicate charge attempts: - Canceled invoice charges: In some cases, the system allows a payment action to run on an already-canceled invoice, causing Stripe to attempt an additional charge. - Retry loops: Failed payment retry logic can re-trigger even after a successful payment has been recorded, sending unnecessary notification emails. - Duplicate proration charges: When adding a top-up or upgrading a plan, a billing conflict can result in the same charge being attempted more than once. - Stripe account sync issues: In rare cases, your account data between our platform and Stripe becomes out of sync, leading to mismatched payment states. Our engineering team is actively working on fixes for all of these scenarios. Several have already been resolved, and the remaining items are in active development or review. ✅ What You Should Do Right Now 1. Do not attempt to pay again. If your subscription is active and your account shows no balance due, do not click any payment links in the emails you received. Doing so may trigger an additional charge attempt. 2. Check your account status. Log in to Search Atlas, click your Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing (Plans & Top-ups, Services, Invoices, Activity Log). If your plan shows as active and no outstanding balance is listed, your account is in good standing. 3. Review your bank statement. If you see more than one charge from Search Atlas for the same billing period, note the dates and amounts — you will need this information when contacting support. 4. Contact our team immediately if you were charged more than once. We will investigate and issue a refund for any confirmed duplicate charges. 🛠️ How We Are Fixing This Our engineering team has identified the root causes and is implementing targeted fixes, including: - Disabling the payment action on canceled invoices to prevent Stripe from processing them again. - Improving retry logic so that payment emails and retry attempts stop automatically once a successful payment is confirmed. - Fixing the idempotency key issue that allowed duplicate proration charges during top-up additions. - Resolving Stripe account sync discrepancies so that payment states are accurately reflected across both systems. Several of these fixes are already live. The remaining items are currently in review or development and will be deployed in upcoming releases. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions - Will I be refunded for duplicate charges? Yes. If our team confirms a duplicate charge occurred on your account, a full refund for the extra amount will be issued promptly. - Should I update my payment method? Only if your bank or card details have genuinely changed. Do not update your payment method in response to a non-payment email if your account is already active. - Can I ignore the non-payment emails for now? If your billing page confirms your account is active and paid, yes — the emails are erroneous and no action is required on your part. - Will this happen again? Once all engineering fixes are fully deployed, these issues will be resolved. We are prioritizing this work to prevent further occurrences. 💬 Still Experiencing Issues? If you are still receiving non-payment emails, seeing unexpected charges, or have any billing concerns not covered here, please reach out to us directly. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

Fix an Overdue Invoice Payment Error

🔍 What This Article Covers If you received a late payment notice and tried to pay an overdue invoice but saw the error message "Please try subscribing from billing section", this article explains why it happens and the fastest way to get your payment collected so your account stays active. ⚠️ Why This Error Happens This error appears when the platform cannot process a manual payment on an overdue invoice through the standard self-serve flow. It is a known billing issue that has been identified and addressed by our engineering team. In some cases, the payment system cannot complete the transaction automatically, and a manual collection by the Billing team is required to clear the balance. ✅ What You Should Do Because this error cannot be resolved by retrying the payment yourself, the Billing team will need to manually collect the payment on your behalf. Follow these steps to get this resolved as quickly as possible: 1. Gather your details before reaching out — have your invoice amount, the card you want to authorise (card type and last four digits), and the email address on your account ready. This will speed up the process significantly. 2. Open the chat widget inside the Search Atlas platform and let the agent know you have an overdue invoice you cannot pay due to the error message and that you need the Billing team to manually collect the payment. 3. Provide authorisation to the agent — confirm the following details so the agent can pass them to the Billing team: - The exact invoice amount - The card you authorise to be charged (card type and last four digits so the agent can confirm the correct saved card) - Your explicit verbal authorisation to charge that card 4. The agent will escalate to the Billing team, who will manually collect the payment using the card already saved on your account. You do not need to re-enter any card details. 5. You will receive confirmation once the payment has been successfully collected and your account status has been updated. 💡 Before You Reach Out — Gather Your Details Having the right information ready before you open the chat will speed up the manual collection process. Before contacting support, locate the following: - Invoice amount: Find the exact amount owed on the late payment notice or overdue invoice email you received. - Payment method: Identify which card you want to authorise for the charge — note the card type and last four digits from any previous receipts or your bank app. - Account email: Have the email address associated with your Search Atlas account ready so the agent can locate your billing record quickly. 🛠️ Important Notes - Do not attempt to add a new card or re-subscribe through the Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing — this can create duplicate charges. The agent will use the card already on file. - Once you provide authorisation in chat, the Billing team typically processes the manual collection promptly. You will receive an email receipt confirming the charge. - If your account has been restricted due to the overdue balance, access is restored automatically once the payment is confirmed. If you are unsure which card is saved on your account or need to update your payment method before the manual collection, let the agent know at the start of the chat so they can guide you. For any billing questions, contact our support team via the chat widget in the platform and we will be happy to help.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Automatic Charges and Subscription Billing

💡 Why Did I See an Unexpected Charge? Search Atlas offers an optional automatic top-up for Universal Credits to help ensure your workflows are never interrupted when you run low. Automatic top-up is off by default and can only be enabled or changed by an account admin. When enabled, if your Universal Credits balance drops below the admin-set trigger threshold (default 5,000 credits), the system charges your saved payment method the admin-set top-up amount and adds the credits. This can happen even if you still have some credits remaining. The top-up is triggered whenever your balance falls below the configured threshold, not just at zero. Auto top-up turns itself off after 3 consecutive failed charges. 🔍 What Triggers an Automatic Top-Up? - Low-balance threshold: A top-up fires when your Universal Credits balance falls below the admin-set trigger threshold (default 5,000). - Scheduled or bulk tasks: Running large jobs can rapidly deplete credits and trigger a top-up. - Note: OTTO site top-ups are never added automatically — they must be purchased manually by the customer. ⚙️ How to View All Active Subscriptions on Your Account 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner. 3. Select Billing from the dropdown menu, then open Plans & Top-ups. 4. Review the Plans & Top-ups page to see your plan, renewal date, and the Add-on button. 5. Check the Activity Log tab (Avatar → Billing → Activity Log) to see a full log of past charges, including automatic top-ups. Each line item will show the charge amount, date, and the specific quota or feature it was applied to. This gives you a clear picture of what is active and what is driving costs. 🛠️ How to Prevent Automatic Charges You have full control over automatic top-up behaviour. Follow these steps to adjust or disable it: 1. An account admin should go to the Billing dashboard. 2. Locate the Plans & Top-ups tab. 3. Toggle the setting off to disable automatic charges entirely, or adjust the trigger threshold (1,000 to 20,000 credits) so top-ups fire less frequently. 4. You can also change the top-up amount charged each time. 5. Save your changes to apply them immediately. Important: If you disable auto top-up, some features may pause or fail when your credits are exhausted. Make sure you monitor your balance manually or set calendar reminders to add credits before they run out. 📊 Tips for Managing Your Credit Balance - Set your auto top-up threshold lower than your typical daily usage to avoid surprise charges mid-task. - Review your Billing History monthly to spot any unexpected patterns. - If you use bulk tools or scheduled reports regularly, consider purchasing a larger credit bundle upfront to reduce the frequency of automatic top-ups. - Check whether any add-on subscriptions or feature-specific quotas have their own separate top-up settings — each may need to be configured independently. 🔒 Is My Payment Information Secure? Yes. Search Atlas processes all payments through a PCI-compliant payment provider. Your card details are never stored directly on our servers. All automatic charges use the payment method you have on file, which you can update at any time in the Billing section of your account. 🙋 Still Have Questions? 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your AI Credits Billing Charges

🔍 Overview If you have noticed two separate charges on your statement — such as $95 and $99 — appearing each month, this article explains exactly what those charges are, why they occur, and how your AI credits billing is structured. 💡 Why You See Two Separate Charges Search Atlas bills for AI credits in two distinct ways, which can result in two line items appearing on your monthly statement: - Your base plan subscription: This is the recurring monthly fee tied to your Search Atlas plan (for example, $99/month). It covers your core platform access and the AI credits included with your plan tier. - AI credits top-up or add-on charge: If you purchase additional AI credits on top of your plan — either manually or through an auto-refill setting — this appears as a separate charge (for example, $95). This charge renews or recurs whenever your credits are topped up. These are two separate billing items, not a duplicate charge. Together they reflect your plan subscription plus your AI credits usage or add-on purchase. 📊 How AI Credits Billing Works AI credits power features such as AI-generated content, keyword research assistance, and other AI-driven tools within Search Atlas. Here is how the billing cycle works: 1. Included credits: Every plan includes a set number of AI credits per billing cycle. These reset automatically at the start of each new billing period. 2. Add-on credits: If you purchase an AI credits add-on pack, that charge is billed separately from your plan subscription and recurs on its own schedule or when your credit balance runs low. 3. Auto-refill: If you have auto-refill enabled, your account will automatically purchase more credits when your balance drops below a threshold. This triggers an additional charge outside your normal billing date. 🗓️ Why the Charges May Fall on Different Dates Because your plan subscription and your AI credits add-on are billed independently, their renewal dates may not align. For example, your plan may renew on the 1st of the month while your AI credits add-on renews on the 15th. This is normal and expected behaviour — it does not mean you have been charged incorrectly. 🛠️ How to Review Your Charges You can review all active subscriptions and billing history directly inside Search Atlas: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Avatar Menu (👤). 3. Select Billing to view your current plan, any active add-ons, and your full payment history. 4. Check the AI Credits section to see your current balance, usage, and any auto-refill settings that are enabled. If you want to stop the recurring AI credits charge, you can cancel or disable the add-on or auto-refill from the same Billing page. ⚙️ Managing or Cancelling AI Credits Add-Ons To adjust or remove an AI credits add-on: - Go to the top-right avatar (Avatar Menu (👤)) → Billing and locate the Automatic top-up card (only an account admin can change this setting). - Turn off Automatic top-up if you do not want automatic top-ups. - To remove a recurring credits pack entirely, select the add-on and choose Cancel Add-On. Changes take effect at the end of your current billing period unless you cancel immediately. 🙋 Still Have Questions? If your charges do not match the descriptions above, or if you believe you have been billed incorrectly, our team is ready to 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix Summit Platinum Billing and Plan Mismatches

🔍 Overview Some customers who purchased the Summit Platinum plan through the special offer experienced one or more of the following issues: - Their account was billed $199/month for a Growth plan instead of reflecting the Platinum upgrade - The 30-day unlimited quota and associated Platinum benefits were not applied - Promo codes or HDC (HyperDrive Credits) allocations were missing from their account - Multiple active subscriptions appeared on their account simultaneously - Duplicate or unexpected charges appeared on their billing statement These issues were caused by a known technical conflict in how the Summit offer interacted with certain legacy and annual plan configurations during checkout. All related issues have been identified and resolved on our end. If your account is still affected, follow the steps below. ✅ What Was Causing This The Summit Platinum offer used a dual-tier checkout system that stacked on top of existing subscriptions. For customers on White Label Legacy plans or annual billing cycles, this process could trigger unintended outcomes: - Multiple active subscriptions were created instead of upgrading the existing one - The migration add-on cleanup that runs after purchase fired incorrectly, causing billing events to be recorded as cancellations rather than upgrades - Customers on an annual plan who purchased the same annual Summit offer were not handled correctly by the checkout flow, resulting in plan mismatches - Promo codes and HDC allocations were not automatically applied when duplicate subscriptions were detected Our engineering team has shipped fixes for all of the above scenarios. No further action is required on your part to prevent this from happening again. 🛠️ How to Check Your Account Status Before contacting support, verify the following in your Search Atlas account: 1. Go to Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing and confirm your current active plan displays Platinum 2. Check that your 30-day unlimited quota is reflected under Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Total Quota values, with a 'Quota model details' button) 3. Navigate to Billing → Plans & Top-ups to confirm any HDC allocations or promo credits have been applied 4. Review your billing history to identify any duplicate or unexpected charges If everything looks correct, no further action is needed. If you still see a mismatch or missing benefits, continue to the next section. 📋 What Information to Have Ready To resolve your issue as quickly as possible, gather the following before reaching out: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The date of your Summit Platinum purchase - A screenshot of your current plan shown in Avatar Menu (👤) (Avatar Menu (👤), top-right) → Billing - A screenshot or description of any duplicate charges, including the amounts and dates - Any promo codes you received but were unable to apply ⚡ What Our Team Will Do When you contact support with the information above, a teammate will: 1. Verify your purchase and confirm the correct Platinum entitlements 2. Manually apply any missing HDC credits or promo code benefits to your account 3. Remove any duplicate or incorrect subscriptions from your account 4. Coordinate a refund for any duplicate charges if applicable, processed back to your original payment method 5. Confirm your 30-day unlimited quota is active and correctly attributed Refunds, when applicable, are typically processed within 5–10 business days depending on your payment provider. 💬 Still Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Golden Loop Upgrade Prorated Billing

🔍 Overview When you upgrade your Search Atlas plan mid-billing cycle, the system calculates a prorated charge based on the remaining days in your current period. Occasionally, customers upgrading to the Golden Loop plan have reported charges that appear higher than expected. This article explains how proration works, why discrepancies can occur, and how to get a resolution quickly. 📊 How Prorated Billing Works Proration ensures you only pay for the portion of a billing cycle you use on a new plan. The standard calculation is: 1. Identify the daily rate of your new plan (annual plan price ÷ 365 days, or monthly plan price ÷ days in the billing month). 2. Multiply the daily rate by the number of days remaining in your current billing cycle. 3. Subtract any unused credit from your previous plan for the same remaining period. 4. The result is your prorated upgrade charge. Example: If the Golden Loop annual plan costs $3,351.60 per year, the monthly equivalent is approximately $279.30 ($3,351.60 ÷ 12). A prorated charge for roughly half a month would therefore be around $139.65 — not a full monthly amount or a lump-sum figure approaching the full plan price. ⚠️ Why Your Charge May Look Higher Than Expected Several billing scenarios can produce a charge that seems disproportionate to the time remaining in your cycle: - Monthly vs. annual rate mismatch: If the system applies a monthly plan rate instead of the annual rate when calculating proration, the daily rate used is higher, resulting in a larger charge. - Unused credit not applied: Credits from your previous plan should offset the upgrade charge. If these are not deducted correctly, you are effectively charged twice for the same period. - Quota or seat accounting errors: Known billing integrity issues have been identified and resolved on our platform. In some cases, quota top-ups or seat changes during an upgrade triggered duplicate or incorrect invoice line items. - Trial-to-paid conversion timing: Upgrades made at the exact moment a trial ends can occasionally cause the proration invoice to be processed incorrectly, resulting in a higher-than-expected amount. 🧮 How to Verify Your Charge Is Correct Before contacting support, you can do a quick manual check: 1. Note the date of your upgrade and the next billing date from your account settings. 2. Calculate the number of days remaining in your cycle at the time of upgrade. 3. Divide your annual Golden Loop plan price by 365 to get the daily rate (or divide the monthly price by the number of days in that month). 4. Multiply the daily rate by the days remaining — this is your expected prorated charge before credits. 5. Check your previous plan's unused credit for the same period and subtract it from the amount above. 6. Compare this figure to the charge on your invoice. If there is a meaningful difference, a billing error may have occurred. 💡 What to Do If You Were Overcharged If your calculated prorated amount is significantly lower than what you were charged, our billing team can review the invoice and issue a correction or credit where applicable. To get this resolved: - Have your invoice number and upgrade date ready. - Note the charge amount and your own calculated expected amount. - Contact our team via the live chat widget (see below) — do not wait, as billing reviews are easier to process close to the charge date. Our team will audit your invoice against the plan rates, proration logic, and any credits owed, then apply a corrective credit or refund as appropriate. 🛠️ Preventing Future Billing Surprises To avoid unexpected charges on future upgrades: - Always upgrade at the start of a new billing cycle when possible — this eliminates proration entirely. - Before confirming an upgrade, review the order summary screen, which shows the prorated amount before you are charged. - If the amount shown on the confirmation screen does not match your own calculation, cancel and contact support before proceeding. 🤝 Need Further 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Hyper Drive Credits Not Renewing on Promotional Plan

🔍 Overview If you purchased a yearly plan during a promotion that included monthly recurring Hyper Drive Credits (HDC), you may have noticed that your credits do not seem to be accumulating as expected, or that credits appear to have been used even though you haven't run any Hyper Drive tasks. This article explains what happened, what has been fixed, and what to do if your account is still affected. ⚠️ What Caused This Issue Two separate bugs affected customers on promotional yearly plans with recurring Hyper Drive Credits: - Credits written to the wrong billing key: A bug caused purchased and recurring HDC to be stored under a monthly billing key rather than a persistent account key. When the monthly billing cycle rolled over, those credits were wiped instead of carrying forward. - Quota display merging two credit types: The platform's Billing quota display combines your recurring monthly credits and any separately purchased credits into a single number. This made it appear as though your total quota never refreshed, even when a new monthly allowance had been added behind the scenes. Together, these issues created a confusing experience where credits appeared to disappear, show incorrect balances, or fail to renew at the start of each billing period. ✅ What Has Been Fixed Both issues have been resolved in recent platform updates: - Recurring and purchased HDC are now written to the correct keys so credits persist across billing cycles and are not lost on subscription renewal. - The underlying credit tracking now correctly separates the two buckets internally, though the Billing page still displays the HyperDrive Credits total as one combined number (plan/recurring credits plus purchased credits). You should now see your promotional monthly Hyper Drive Credits added correctly at the start of each billing cycle. 📊 How Hyper Drive Credits Work on a Promotional Yearly Plan Understanding how your credits are structured will help you track them accurately going forward: - Recurring monthly credits: These are granted automatically at the start of each monthly period within your yearly plan. They do not roll over — unused recurring credits expire at the end of the month. - Purchased credits: Any HDC you buy separately are added to your account balance and persist until used, independent of your billing cycle. - Display: The Billing page shows your HyperDrive Credits as one combined total (recurring plus purchased credits), even though the two buckets are tracked separately behind the scenes. 🛠️ Steps to Take If Your Credits Still Look Incorrect If you are still seeing missing, incorrect, or non-renewing Hyper Drive Credits after the fixes have been applied, follow these steps: 1. Check your billing cycle date: Recurring credits are added at the start of your monthly period, not on the calendar month. Confirm your renewal date under the top-right avatar → Billing (Billing page) to make sure the new period has started. 2. Understand the combined balance: The Billing page shows your HyperDrive Credits as a single combined number that includes both recurring and purchased credits, so keep this in mind when reviewing your balance. 3. Refresh your browser: In some cases, a cached page may show an outdated balance. Hard-refresh your browser (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) and check the balance again. 4. Note the amounts and dates: If the balance still appears wrong, note your expected monthly credit amount, your billing cycle date, and the balance you currently see. This information will help the support team resolve your case quickly. 5. Contact support: 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. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Will I be reimbursed for credits that were lost due to the bug? Credit adjustments are handled on a case-by-case basis. If you believe credits were lost during the affected period, contact the support team with your account details and the approximate dates, and they will investigate. Do unused recurring credits roll over to the next month? No. Recurring monthly HDC included in your promotional plan expire at the end of each monthly period and do not roll over. Separately purchased credits are not affected by this and will persist. How do I know my promotional credits are active? Navigate to the top-right avatar → Billing (Billing page) or check the HDC balance section in your dashboard. Your recurring credit allowance should refresh automatically on your billing cycle date each month.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Unexpected Charge Amounts on Your Account

🔍 Why You Might See an Unexpected Charge If you notice a charge attempt that does not match your usual subscription amount, it can be alarming. There are a few common reasons this happens on Search Atlas accounts: - Partial or pro-rated charges: If your plan was changed, upgraded, or adjusted mid-cycle, the system may generate a charge for the remaining portion of your billing period rather than your full subscription amount. - Add-on or top-up fees: Certain features — such as credits or usage-based add-ons — may be bundled into a separate charge outside your regular invoice. These can appear as an unfamiliar amount even when your core subscription is current. - Legacy or duplicate invoice attempts: In rare cases, an old or canceled invoice may trigger a payment attempt. Our engineering team has identified this as a known issue and is actively working to prevent payment actions on canceled invoices. - Annual vs. monthly plan differences: Customers on annual plans are sometimes billed a different amount than expected if a plan adjustment was applied. For example, a $199 charge on a $399-per-month account may represent a discounted add-on, a credit adjustment, or a partial billing event tied to your plan history. 📋 How to Review Your Billing History Before reaching out to support, check your invoices directly inside the platform to gather more context: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing to open the Billing page (Plans & Top-ups, Services, Invoices, Activity Log tabs). 3. Review your invoice list and look for any invoice marked as open, past due, or showing an amount that does not match your plan. 4. Note the invoice date, amount, and status so you can reference these details when speaking with our team. ⚠️ What to Do If the Charge Is Incorrect Do not attempt to pay an invoice you do not recognise without first verifying it with our team. Paying a duplicate or incorrect invoice may result in an unintended charge that requires a refund process. If you see a charge attempt that you did not expect: - Do not click Pay on any invoice you are unsure about. - Take a screenshot of the invoice showing the amount, date, and status. - Contact our support team immediately using the chat widget (see below) so we can investigate whether the charge is valid, cancel it if necessary, and confirm your correct billing schedule. 🛡️ Common Scenarios and What They Mean Here are specific situations customers have asked about and what typically causes them: - A $199 charge on a $399/month plan: This is most likely a partial charge, a plan-level add-on, or a legacy invoice. It does not mean your plan has changed. Our team can confirm the exact source of the charge and cancel it if it was generated in error. - A charge attempt on an account you believe is canceled: If your account was flagged as past due before a cancellation was processed, a retry attempt may have been queued. Our team can clear this and confirm your account status. - A charge attempt after your subscription end date: This may indicate a subscription was not fully deactivated on our billing provider's side. Our team can resolve this immediately. ✅ How We Are Improving This Our engineering team has already resolved several billing issues related to unexpected charges and is actively working on additional safeguards, including disabling payment actions on canceled invoices to prevent duplicate charge attempts. If you were affected by one of these issues, our team will make it right. 💬 Need Help Right Away? If you see an unexpected charge or want to verify your billing before any payment is processed, do not wait. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🧾 Understanding Your Billing Quota Section

📍 Where to Find Your Quota Section To view your quota usage, click your Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups. Scroll to the Quota section, which displays a real-time breakdown of your resource consumption for the current billing cycle. 📊 What Each Quota Column Means The Quota section is made up of three key indicators. Here is what each one represents: - Included — The total allowance bundled with your current subscription plan. This resets at the start of each new billing cycle. - Used — The amount of that allowance you have consumed so far during the current cycle. - Remaining — The difference between your included allowance and what you have used. Once this reaches zero, the associated feature will be restricted until your cycle renews or you add more capacity. 🤖 OTTO Sites vs. Non-OTTO Sites Your quota is divided between two types of sites, and the same domain can count differently depending on how it is configured. - OTTO Sites — These are domains where you have activated the OTTO SEO automation. Each active OTTO deployment occupies a dedicated OTTO quota slot. To check whether a site has OTTO enabled, go to Left Sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) and review your project card for the OTTO status toggle. - Non-OTTO Sites — These are projects used exclusively for research or reporting purposes, such as keyword tracking or site audits. They do not consume OTTO slots; instead, they draw from your general tool quota. Activating or deactivating OTTO on a domain will move it between these two quota pools, so it is important to review your site configurations if your quota usage seems unexpected. 💳 Can You Be Charged More Than Your Subscription Amount? No — Search Atlas will never automatically charge you beyond your subscription amount. If you reach the limit of any quota, the relevant feature will simply become restricted for the remainder of your current billing cycle. Normal access resumes automatically when your cycle resets. If you need additional capacity before your cycle resets, you have the following options to restore access: 1. Purchase an add-on — Buy additional quota for a specific resource directly from your Billing settings. 2. Upgrade your plan — Move to a higher-tier subscription that includes a larger allowance. 3. Manual top-up — Add extra capacity on a one-time basis as needed. Any extra charges will only ever occur as the result of an action you deliberately take. There are no surprise overage fees. 💡 Tips for Managing Your Quota - Check the Remaining indicators regularly throughout your billing cycle so you can anticipate limits before they impact your work. - Review which sites have OTTO active (via Left Sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation)) to ensure your OTTO slots are allocated to the domains that need automation. - If a feature suddenly becomes unavailable, check your Quota section first — a depleted allowance is the most common cause. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

📅 Why Your Billing Date Looks Misaligned

📋 Overview Some customers noticed that after making a payment, their next billing date appeared much sooner than expected — for example, paying on June 15 but seeing a next billing date of June 26. This article explains why this happened, what we fixed, and what you should see going forward. 🔍 Why Did This Happen? The billing date mismatch was caused by a sync issue between our payment processor (Stripe) and the Search Atlas platform. Several specific scenarios triggered this: - Trial plan upgrades mid-trial: If you upgraded your plan while still on a free trial, the billing date in the platform did not always sync correctly with the charge date recorded in Stripe. - Subscription renewals not reflecting correctly: After a successful recurring charge, the platform sometimes failed to update the displayed next payment date to reflect the full billing cycle. - Annual plan users: Customers on annual subscriptions saw incorrect next billing dates inside Quota Top-Up modals, even when their actual renewal date was correct. - Account-specific desync: A small number of accounts experienced a broader mismatch between Stripe records and what the platform displayed. ✅ What We Fixed Our engineering team investigated and resolved all known causes of this billing date mismatch. The fixes covered: 1. Next payment date now updates correctly after every successful subscription charge. 2. Stripe billing dates now sync accurately when a plan is upgraded mid-trial. 3. Annual subscriber Quota Top-Up modals now display the correct next billing date. 4. Account-level billing desyncs have been corrected and reconciled with Stripe records. All fixes were completed and deployed. Your billing dates shown inside the platform should now match the dates recorded in Stripe. 📊 How to Check Your Current Billing Date To confirm your billing cycle is displaying correctly: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner to open the Avatar Menu (👤). 3. Select Billing → Plans & Top-ups (page 'Billing'). 4. Review the message that reads 'All recurring quotas reset on your next billing date' shown on your plan summary. This date should reflect a full billing cycle from your most recent successful payment. For example, if you were charged on June 15, your next date should fall on or around July 15. 💡 What a Normal Billing Cycle Looks Like Understanding how your billing cycle works can help you spot any future discrepancies quickly: - Monthly plans: Your billing date is set to the same date each month based on when your subscription started or was last renewed. - Annual plans: Your renewal date is one year from your original subscription start date or your most recent annual renewal. - Mid-cycle upgrades: If you upgrade your plan partway through a billing cycle, a prorated charge may apply. Your next full billing date resets from the date of the upgrade. - Free trial to paid conversion: Your billing cycle begins on the date your trial ends and your first charge is processed. ⚠️ What to Do If You Still See a Mismatch If your next billing date still looks incorrect after our fixes were deployed, here are a few things to check: - Allow up to 24 hours after a payment for the platform to fully refresh your billing information. - Hard-refresh your browser (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac) to clear any cached data. - Compare the date shown in Search Atlas with the receipt or confirmation email you received from Stripe to identify the discrepancy clearly before reaching out. 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 OTTO Google Ads Add-On Billing Explained

🧾 What the $201 Monthly Charge Is The $201 charge on your statement is the OTTO Google Ads add-on. This add-on is billed monthly and is completely separate from your annual PRO plan subscription. Your annual plan covers the core Search Atlas features, while OTTO Google Ads is an optional paid upgrade that runs on its own monthly billing cycle. 📅 How to Find Your Start Date and Months Charged To see when the add-on started and how many months you have been billed: 1. 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. 2. Ask the teammate to pull your OTTO Google Ads add-on subscription details. 3. They will provide the exact start date, the number of months billed, and a breakdown of each charge. 🛑 How to Cancel the OTTO Google Ads Add-On If you no longer need the add-on, follow these steps to cancel: 1. 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. 2. Request cancellation of the OTTO Google Ads add-on. 3. The teammate will confirm the cancellation and let you know the date the add-on will stop renewing. You will not be charged again after that date. 💡 Key Points to Remember - The OTTO Google Ads add-on is a separate monthly subscription, not included in the annual PRO plan. - Charges appear as a distinct line item on your invoice, labeled "OTTO Google Ads". - Cancellation stops future monthly charges; it does not issue refunds for months already used. - You can re-enable the add-on at any time by contacting support.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Unexpected Charges and NAP Citations Access Explained

🔍 Overview If you were charged for a subscription you don't recognise, or you're unable to access the NAP Citations dashboard despite having a paid plan, this article will help you understand what happened and how to resolve it quickly. 💳 Why Was I Charged $199? A charge of $199 typically corresponds to a Search Atlas subscription plan or a one-time purchase that includes access to specific features such as Local Citations. Common reasons this charge may appear unexpectedly include: - Automatic renewal: Your subscription renewed automatically at the end of a billing cycle. Renewal terms are agreed to at the time of purchase. - Upgrade or add-on activation: A plan upgrade or feature add-on may have been activated on your account, either by you or by another user with account access. - Trial conversion: A free trial converted to a paid plan after the trial period ended. - Legacy pricing adjustment: If your account was created before a pricing update (for example, when plan pricing changed from $30 to $40), historical records may display an older price. This is a known display issue and does not affect the amount actually charged — your bank or card statement reflects the correct charge. To verify any charge, log in to your Search Atlas account and review your billing history under your account settings. The invoice will show the exact plan, date, and amount charged. 📋 How to Confirm What You Paid For If your purchase included a one-year access guarantee to NAP Citations, that entitlement is tied to your account and should remain active for the full duration promised. To confirm your current plan details: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right and open Billing (separate page, not a tab inside Account Settings). 3. Review the plan name, start date, and features listed. 4. Check whether Local Citations is listed as an included feature. If your plan confirms NAP Citations access but you still cannot reach the dashboard, see the section below. 🗺️ How to Access the NAP Citations Dashboard The Local Citations tool is located within the Local section of your Search Atlas account. Follow these steps: 1. In the left sidebar, click Local. 2. From the expanded menu, select Local Citations. 3. If you have an active Local Citations campaign, your citation projects will appear here. If the Local Citations option is not visible or the page does not load correctly, try the following: - Refresh your browser and clear your cache. - Log out and log back in to refresh your session. - Try a different browser or disable browser extensions. - Check that your subscription is currently active and has not lapsed. ⚠️ Known Issues to Be Aware Of Our engineering team has recently resolved or is actively working on several issues related to the Citations feature. Being aware of these may explain behaviour you have encountered: - Incorrect price displayed on old citation records: After a pricing update, some older citation records showed the previous price. This was a display-only issue and has been fixed — your actual charge was always correct. - Credits not deducting correctly: In some cases, HDC credits were not being deducted when creating citations for certain directories (such as FourSquare and Data Axle), while CloudStacks deducted correctly. This has been reported and is under review by our product team. - Authentication errors: Some users experienced authentication failures when submitting or exporting citations. This issue has been resolved. If you still see an error, refreshing your session or logging out and back in should fix it. - Missing directory icons: Icons for certain directories (such as CYLEX US and Ani Bookmark) appeared broken in the Active Citations modal. This has been fixed. 🛠️ Steps to Dispute an Unrecognised Charge If after reviewing your billing history you still believe a charge was made in error, take the following steps: 1. Note the exact charge amount, date, and the last four digits of the card charged. 2. Check whether any other team members or account users may have made a purchase. 3. 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, who can review your account and billing records directly. Our support team can verify the origin of any charge, confirm your entitlements, and escalate a refund request if a charge was made in error. 💡 Tips to Avoid Unexpected Charges in the Future - Review your subscription renewal date under the top-right Avatar Menu (👤) → Billing so you know when the next charge is due. - If you no longer need a plan, cancel before the renewal date to avoid being charged for the next cycle. - Limit account admin access to trusted team members to prevent unintended plan changes. 🙋 Still Need 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.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Understanding Your Billing: OTTO Sites Charges, Frozen Projects, and HyperDrive Credits

This article explains three of the most common billing questions we receive: why your OTTO Sites charge may be higher than expected, whether a frozen project still affects your bill, and how Hyper Drive Credits accumulate, reset, and can be restored. Use the sections below to find your answer quickly. 💰 Why Your OTTO Sites Charge Is Higher Than Expected A frequent question is why a charge appears as $472 instead of an expected $414 for 6 OTTO Sites. The difference usually comes down to one or more of the factors below rather than a billing error. 🔍 Common reasons for a higher charge - Tiered or per-site pricing: Your plan's per-site rate may differ from the base estimate. The total reflects the actual rate applied to each active OTTO Site, not a flat average. - Proration: If you added a site partway through your billing cycle, you are charged a prorated amount for the partial period plus the full amount for the next cycle. This can temporarily raise a single invoice. - Add-ons and overages: Extra features, additional usage, or premium options attached to one or more sites are billed on top of the base site price. - Taxes and fees: Applicable local taxes or processing fees are added to the subtotal and may account for the gap. 🧾 How to review your charges 1. Go to your Avatar Menu (👤) (top-right avatar) > Billing in your dashboard. 2. Open your most recent Invoice to see a line-by-line breakdown. 3. Confirm the number of active OTTO Sites, the per-site rate, any add-ons, proration lines, and taxes. 4. Compare the subtotal to your expected amount. The line items will show exactly where the difference comes from. If the breakdown still does not match what you expected, contact support with your invoice number so we can review it with you. ❄️ Does a Frozen Project Still Affect My Billing? Freezing a project pauses its activity, but it is important to understand what freezing does and does not change on your bill. ✅ What freezing does - Pauses active processing and most data collection for that project. - Stops the project from consuming new resources while frozen. 🚫 What freezing does not do - It does not automatically remove the associated OTTO Site charge. If the site remains provisioned on your account, it continues to count toward your billed site total. - It does not issue an automatic refund or credit for the current cycle. In short, a frozen project can still appear on your invoice if its OTTO Site is still active. To stop being billed for a site you no longer need, you must remove or deactivate the site, not just freeze the project. 🛑 To stop billing for a site 1. Open the project from the Home page. 2. Confirm whether you want to freeze (pause activity) or remove (stop billing) the site. 3. To end the charge, deactivate or delete the OTTO Site before your next billing date. 4. Verify the change in Avatar Menu (👤) (top-right avatar) > Billing so the updated site count is reflected on your next invoice. ⚡ How HyperDrive Credits Work Many customers are surprised when accumulated HyperDrive credits appear to reset. Understanding how credits are allocated helps explain what happened. 📆 Allocation and expiration - HyperDrive credits are typically allocated on a recurring cycle based on your plan. - Depending on your plan terms, unused credits may expire or reset at the start of each new cycle rather than rolling over indefinitely. - A balance of several thousand credits resetting to zero is usually the result of a scheduled cycle reset, not a manual action taken without your approval. 🔄 Why this is not a manual reset Credit resets are governed by your plan's renewal schedule and run automatically. No team member manually zeroes a balance. If your credits reset, it is tied to your billing cycle, a plan change, or your plan's rollover policy. 🔧 Can My HyperDrive Credits Be Restored? In many cases, yes. If credits were lost due to a genuine error, a plan change you did not intend, or a misunderstanding about rollover, our team can review your account and restore eligible credits. 📝 How to request a credit review 1. Note the approximate credit balance you expected and the date you noticed the change. 2. Go to Avatar Menu (👤) (top-right avatar) > Billing and check your credit history for any reset or renewal entries. 3. Contact support and include your account email, the expected balance, and the date of the reset. 4. Our team will review the activity log and confirm whether a restoration applies. To avoid losing credits in the future, plan to use your allocation within each cycle, or ask support whether a plan with rollover credits suits your usage. ⭐ Quick Reference - Higher OTTO Sites charge: Check per-site rate, proration, add-ons, and taxes in your invoice. - Frozen project still billed: Freezing pauses activity but does not remove the site charge; deactivate the site to stop billing. - HyperDrive credits reset: Usually a scheduled cycle reset, not a manual change; eligible credits may be restored on request. 🙋 Still Need Help? If your invoice still does not add up or you believe credits were lost in error, contact our support team with your account email and invoice number. We will review your billing details and resolve any genuine discrepancy as quickly as possible.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

⚠️ Custom OTTO Advanced Pricing Display Issue on Billing Dashboard

If your billing dashboard shows a price higher than your contracted OTTO Advanced rate, this is most likely a display bug — not an overcharge. Contact billing support immediately if you believe an incorrect charge has been applied; our team will verify your account and process a refund if needed. This article applies to customers with a written or contracted custom OTTO Advanced rate. If you are on a standard plan and believe your price changed, contact support to determine whether a product pricing update applies to your account. 🔍 What's Happening Customers with custom or negotiated OTTO Advanced pricing may see the standard catalog price on their billing dashboard instead of their contracted rate. - Who is affected: Accounts with a custom or negotiated OTTO Advanced pricing arrangement. - What you see on the dashboard: The standard catalog price (the publicly listed price at searchatlas.com/pricing), which is higher than your contracted rate. - What is actually happening: In most cases this is a display-only discrepancy. If you believe you have been incorrectly charged, contact billing support immediately so we can verify your account and issue a refund if needed. Our billing team will verify the charge in your payment records to confirm no overcharge occurred. 🛠️ Workaround Steps No self-service workaround is available — your account and billing settings require no changes on your end. Our billing support team will contact you directly via the email on your account within 2–3 business days to: 1. Confirm your correct contracted rate. 2. Verify the charge in your payment records and confirm whether any incorrect charges have been applied. 3. Keep you updated on when the billing dashboard will reflect the accurate amount. If you do not hear from us within that window, open a support ticket referencing this article. 📡 Engineering Status Our engineering team is aware of this issue and is actively working on a fix. Your correct negotiated pricing is already stored in our system — the ongoing work is to ensure the billing dashboard accurately renders that rate, and where applicable, that the charge in your payment processor matches your contracted amount. There is no ETA yet for the fix. This article will be updated as soon as a resolution is in place. 📞 When to Contact Billing Support Contact our billing support team right away if any of the following apply: - You have not been contacted by our team and want to confirm your contracted rate. - You believe an incorrect charge has been processed on your account. - You need written confirmation of your agreed pricing for your records. If you believe you have already been charged an incorrect amount, reply to this article or contact billing support with your invoice number. Our team will audit your Stripe record and process a refund if an overcharge is confirmed. Note: Some enterprise accounts are also seeing unrelated invoice display issues (incorrect line-item names or billing dates). If you notice those problems in addition to pricing, mention them when you contact billing support so they can be resolved in one interaction. Wait for billing support outreach before making any changes to your plan or subscription — contact us directly and a billing support team member will verify your pricing and handle any account review needed. 🌀 We know that seeing an unexpected price is unsettling, and we're committed to making this right. Our team is actively working to fix the billing dashboard display, and a billing support team member will reach out to confirm your correct rate — if you have any questions in the meantime, contact us directly and we'll prioritize your account.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026