🔌 Payment Methods

💳 Manage Billing Accounts and Payment Methods

🔍 Overview If you have recently switched Search Atlas accounts or cancelled a previous subscription, you may still receive billing-related notifications tied to your old account. This article explains why that happens, how to confirm your current billing status, and how to update your payment method on your active account. 📬 Why Am I Still Receiving Billing Notifications from a Cancelled Account? When an account is deactivated or cancelled, the system may continue to send a small number of automated billing notifications — such as payment failure alerts — for a short period after cancellation. This is normal and does not mean you are being charged. - These notifications are informational only. They confirm the final state of your previous subscription. - No new charges will be applied to a fully deactivated account. - Notifications should stop automatically within one billing cycle after cancellation is confirmed. If you continue to receive notifications beyond that period, or if you see unexpected charges, contact our support team immediately using the live chat widget. ✅ How to Check Your Billing Status on Your Active Account To confirm the billing status on your current active account, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account at app.searchatlas.com. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 3. Navigate to Billing. 4. Select Plans & Top-ups (Manage Subscription). 5. Review your current plan, next billing date, and payment method on file. Your billing status will clearly show whether your subscription is Active, Past Due, or Cancelled. If the status appears incorrect, do not attempt to re-enter payment details more than once — contact support first to avoid duplicate charges. 💳 How to Update Your Payment Method To add or replace a payment method on your active account: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Add Payment Method / Manage Subscription). 3. Click Add Payment Method. 4. Enter your new card details and click Save. 5. Confirm the update is reflected in your billing summary before leaving the page. Important: Only one payment method can be active at a time. Updating your payment method will replace the existing card on file immediately. 🔄 Switching from an Old Account to a New Account If you have migrated from one Search Atlas account to another — for example, moving from a personal account to a company account — keep the following in mind: - Each account has its own independent billing profile. Cancelling one account does not affect billing on the other. - Make sure your new account has a valid payment method and an active plan before cancelling the old one. - Any unused credits or add-ons from your old account are not automatically transferred to the new account. - Request a manual review of both accounts through live chat if you believe there is a billing overlap. ⚠️ Common Billing Issues and Quick Fixes - Duplicate charges: Check whether both your old and new accounts were active during the same billing period. Contact support with both account email addresses for a review. - Payment failure notifications: Update your payment method as described above, then confirm your subscription is active under Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Manage Subscription). - Cannot access billing settings: Only account Owners and Admins can view and update billing. Ask your team owner to grant the appropriate role via Settings → Team Members. - Unrecognised charges: Cross-reference the charge date against your billing history in the platform before escalating. 🙋 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.

💳 Fix Growth Plan Billing Sync and Payment Issues

🔍 Understanding the Billing Sync Issue Sometimes your Search Atlas dashboard may display your Growth Plan as active while the underlying billing system registers it as cancelled. This mismatch is usually caused by one of the following: - A payment method that was declined or expired at the last renewal attempt - A temporary sync delay between the payment processor and your account dashboard - An incomplete plan upgrade or reactivation that did not fully process When this conflict exists, your account may appear functional on the surface but key features — including OTTO SEO integration — may stop working or become restricted. ⚠️ Symptoms to Watch For - Dashboard shows your Growth Plan as active, but you receive a cancellation notice or email - You are not being charged on your expected billing date - OTTO SEO is disconnected, unresponsive, or showing errors - Feature access feels inconsistent or certain tools are suddenly unavailable 🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Resolve the Issue 1. Check your billing status: Go to Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing in your Search Atlas dashboard. Look for any warning banners, past-due notices, or a status that contradicts what you expect. 2. Review your payment method: Navigate to Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Add Payment Method) and confirm your card or payment details are current. Look for expiry dates, incorrect billing addresses, or cards flagged by your bank. 3. Update or re-enter your payment method: Remove the existing payment method and add a new one (or re-add the same card with refreshed details). Save the changes and confirm the update is accepted. 4. Manually trigger a payment retry: If a past-due invoice is listed under Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing → Invoices, click Pay Now to retry the charge immediately. A successful payment should resync your plan status within a few minutes. 5. Reactivate your plan if needed: If your plan still shows as cancelled after payment, go to Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing) and select Reactivate Plan. Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm your Growth Plan. 6. Reconnect OTTO SEO: Once your billing status is confirmed as active, go to the OTTO SEO section of your dashboard. If it is still disconnected, click Reconnect or toggle the integration off and back on to refresh the connection. 7. Clear your browser cache: After making any billing changes, do a hard refresh (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac) or clear your browser cache to ensure the dashboard reflects the latest account status. 💡 Why Your Card May Have Been Declined Even a valid card can be declined for reasons unrelated to your balance. Common causes include: - Your bank flagging the charge as unusual or from an unfamiliar merchant - International transaction restrictions on your card - Temporary holds or fraud prevention blocks placed by your bank - The billing address on file not matching your bank records If your card is being declined, contact your bank to confirm there are no blocks on the transaction, then retry the payment inside Search Atlas. 📊 What Happens to Your Data During a Sync Issue Your projects, reports, and saved data are not deleted during a billing sync issue. They remain stored in your account and will be fully accessible again once your subscription status is successfully reactivated. OTTO SEO campaigns may pause automatically but will resume from where they left off after reconnection. 🚀 Preventing This Issue in the Future - Keep your payment method up to date, especially before card expiry dates - Enable billing notifications in Settings → Notifications so you receive advance warnings before a renewal attempt - Check your billing dashboard periodically to catch any pending invoices early 🙋 Still Seeing the Problem? If you have followed all the steps above and your Growth Plan status is still mismatched, your OTTO integration remains broken, or you are unsure which invoice to pay, our support team can investigate the account-level sync 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.

🛠️ Payment Card Declined or Plan Reactivation Failing

🔍 Overview Some customers have encountered a situation where a payment card cannot be added, a charge appears to go through, yet the account plan immediately reverts to a cancelled state. This is a known platform issue that has been identified, logged as high priority, and resolved by the engineering team. If you are currently affected, follow the steps below and contact support so the fix can be applied to your account. ⚙️ What Is Happening A bug in the plan reactivation and charge system caused the following sequence of events: - A payment is submitted and the charge is successfully captured by the payment processor. - Despite the payment going through, the platform incorrectly reverts the account plan to a cancelled status on page reload. - As a result, the account appears inactive even though a valid charge has been made. This issue affected customers attempting to reactivate a cancelled or past-due plan. The engineering team has confirmed the fix is complete and has been deployed. ✅ Steps to Take If You Are Affected 1. Check your billing section. Navigate to your account's billing area to review your current plan status. 2. Check your payment methods. In the billing area, confirm that a valid, non-expired card is on file. If no card is listed, add one using the option available in that section. 3. Attempt reactivation once. If the option to manage or reactivate your subscription is available, try it once. Do not attempt multiple times, as duplicate charges may result. 4. Do not retry repeatedly if the plan reverts. If your plan shows as cancelled immediately after a reactivation attempt, stop and contact support. Retrying multiple times will not resolve the underlying issue and may result in multiple charges. 5. Contact our team immediately. Because this issue required a manual correction on the billing side, our team needs to verify that your account reflects the correct plan status and that no duplicate charges occurred. 💡 How to Confirm Your Payment Was Captured To check whether a charge was processed, navigate to your account's billing area and look for an invoices or payment history section. If an invoice appears for the expected amount, the charge was captured by the payment processor even if your plan appears inactive. Share this information with our support team so they can reconcile your account status. 🚀 Current Status of the Fix The engineering team has marked this bug as resolved. If you previously encountered this issue and your account still shows an incorrect plan status, our billing team can manually correct this for you. No further action is required on your end beyond reaching out to our support team.

⚠️ Fix Payment Failure Alerts and Dashboard Sync Issues

🔍 Overview Some customers receive repeated payment failure emails and dashboard alerts warning about service cancellation — even when their next payment date is weeks away. This article explains why this happens and what steps you can take to resolve it. ❓ Why Is This Happening? This issue is caused by a sync discrepancy between our payment processor (Stripe) and the Search Atlas subscription system. In some cases, these two systems fall out of sync — a state sometimes called a split-brain state — where one system believes a payment has failed while the other shows your account as active and in good standing. Common reasons this occurs include: - A payment retry was triggered automatically by the billing system before your actual due date. - A temporary communication error between Stripe and the Search Atlas platform caused an incorrect status to be recorded. - A previous failed payment attempt (for example, a declined card from an earlier billing cycle) is still being processed in the background, even though your current payment method is valid. - Your subscription was recently changed, upgraded, or renewed, which can occasionally cause a brief status mismatch during the transition. ✅ What You Should Check First 1. Check your actual payment due date. Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to your billing or subscription settings to confirm when your next payment is genuinely due. If the date shown is in the future and no payment is currently overdue, the alert is likely a false trigger. 2. Verify your payment method is up to date. Confirm that the card or payment method on file is valid, not expired, and has sufficient funds. Even if no payment is due immediately, an outdated card can trigger retry logic in the billing system. 3. Check for duplicate alerts. If you are receiving the same failure email multiple times, this points to a retry loop in the billing system rather than a genuine payment issue on your end. 4. Review your account status on the dashboard. If your dashboard shows your account as active while the emails say otherwise, this confirms a sync discrepancy — not an actual service problem. 🛠️ How to Resolve the Discrepancy If you have confirmed your payment is not overdue and your payment method is valid, follow these steps: 1. Do not cancel or re-enter your subscription manually unless advised by our support team. Doing so may create additional billing records and worsen the sync issue. 2. Take a screenshot of the failure email (including the date and time received) and your dashboard showing your current account status and next payment date. This will help our team investigate quickly. 3. Contact our support team immediately using the live chat widget (see below). Our team has the tools to manually reconcile your subscription status between Stripe and the Search Atlas platform and stop the erroneous alerts. 🚫 Will My Service Be Interrupted? If your payment is genuinely not overdue and your account dashboard shows an active status, your service should not be interrupted. However, because the billing system may continue sending retry emails during a sync discrepancy, we strongly recommend reaching out to our support team as soon as possible so the issue can be resolved before any automated action affects your account. 🔄 Preventing This in the Future - Keep your payment method up to date at all times, even between billing cycles. - If you change your card or billing details, allow up to 24 hours for all systems to reflect the update. - If you receive a payment failure email that does not match your expected due date, treat it as a potential sync issue and contact support promptly rather than waiting. 💬 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.

📘 Subscription, Payment Method, and New Card Billing Sync Issues

In some cases, a subscription may appear as cancelled or show a failed payment method, even though a payment was successfully processed. This happens when there is a short delay between payment confirmation and system status synchronization. Your subscription remains active during this process. 🧱 Navigation Context (Billing) Search Atlas → Avatar Menu (👤) → Billing → Services 💳 Why This Happens This situation can occur when: - A payment is successfully processed by your bank or card provider - The payment method status has not finished syncing in Search Atlas - An automated billing email is triggered before the system refresh completes As a result, you may: - Receive an email saying your subscription was cancelled - See a “failed” payment method status - Still have full access to your active plan ✅ What This Means - Your subscription is not cancelled - No access is removed - Your plan remains active - The status usually updates automatically after a short delay ⚙️ What You Should Do Step 1: Log out of your Search Atlas account. Step 2: Clear your browser cache. Step 3: Wait a few minutes. Step 4: Log back in and check Billing → Services and verify your subscription status. 🆕 New Payment Card Not Reflected in Billing System If you have added a new payment card and notice that: - The new card is not reflecting in the billing system (QP/Stripe) - Features remain blocked even after updating your card - The new card is not being charged or recognized This was caused by a known bug that has been fully resolved. The fix (Linear ticket #QPB-36) is merged and live in production, so this issue should no longer occur. If you still encounter this behavior, please contact support so we can verify your account and escalate if necessary. ⏱ Status Update Timing - Payment and billing status updates may take a short time to sync - During this window, your subscription remains active - No action is required unless the status does not update after some time ❓ FAQs ❓ Why did I receive a cancellation email if my payment went through? Automated emails can be sent before the billing status finishes syncing, even when a payment is successful. ❓ Is my account at risk of being cancelled? No. If the payment was processed, your subscription remains active. ❓ Should I update my payment method? Only if the status does not update after the system finishes syncing. ❓ I added a new card but it isn't being recognized or charged — what should I do? This was caused by a known bug (Linear ticket #QPB-36) that has been resolved and is live in production. If you still experience this issue, please contact support so we can investigate your specific account. This behavior is typically temporary and related to billing synchronization. Your subscription remains active while the system completes the update.

💳 Troubleshooting Payment Updates During Plan Reactivation

📋 Overview If your Search Atlas plan was canceled and you need to reactivate it, you may need to update your payment method before your subscription and quota are restored. This article explains what to expect during the reactivation process and how to get help if you run into issues. 🔄 How to Reactivate Your Plan and Update Your Payment Method To reactivate a canceled plan, log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to the Billing section from the top-right avatar (Avatar Menu (👤)). From there, locate your canceled plan and follow the on-screen prompts to reactivate it and update your payment method as needed. If you are unsure where to find the Billing section or the reactivation option, or if the on-screen prompts do not appear as expected, our support team can walk you through the exact steps for your account. ⚠️ Common Issues During Reactivation 🗑️ Unable to Remove an Existing Card Symptom: You encounter an error when trying to remove a saved card from your account. What to try: In most billing systems, you cannot delete a card that is currently set as the default payment method. Try adding a new card first, then set it as your default before attempting to remove the old one. If you are unable to complete this through the billing settings, contact our support team and we can assist with updating your payment method on your account. ❌ Card Declined During Reactivation Symptom: Your card is not accepted during the reactivation or payment update process, even though the card appears valid. What to try: - Verify that the card details you have entered (card number, expiry date, and security code) are correct. - Confirm with your bank that the card is enabled for online transactions. - Try using a different browser or a private/incognito browsing window in case a browser extension is interfering. - If the issue persists, contact our support team with your account details and the error you are seeing so we can investigate further. ⏳ Quota Not Restoring After Reactivation Symptom: Your plan appears active but your usage quota has not been restored. What to try: Refresh the page after completing reactivation. If your quota does not update, contact our support team with your account name and the date and time of your reactivation so we can check the status on our end. 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.

💳 Why Is My Card Not Being Accepted or Why Am I Being Redirected to the 'Choose Your Plan' Page?

🔧 Fix Hyperdrive Credits Checkout Card Selection Error

🔍 What Is This Issue? When purchasing Hyperdrive credits, some customers see a checkout screen that recognises a saved card but does not allow them to select it. The screen may prompt you to use a different card, even if no other card is on file. This prevents the purchase from completing through the normal checkout flow. This is a known interface issue that has been investigated by our engineering team. The steps below will help you complete your purchase. ⚙️ What to Do If you encounter the card-selection error during Hyperdrive credits checkout, the confirmed fix is to use a direct checkout link that bypasses the broken card-selection interface and takes you straight to a working payment screen. Follow the steps below to get your direct checkout link and complete your purchase without waiting for a support agent. 1. Use the direct checkout link request form: Navigate to your account's Billing section. Look for a "Having trouble checking out?" option or a link to request an alternative checkout page. If this option is visible, click it to have a direct checkout link generated for your account automatically. 2. If no self-serve option appears: Contact our support team via the chat widget (bottom-right corner of any page in the platform) and tell them you are seeing the card-selection error on the Hyperdrive credits checkout screen. The agent will send you a direct checkout link immediately. 3. Click the direct checkout link to open an alternative checkout page. 4. Complete your payment on the new page using your saved card — the card should be selectable here without any issues. 5. Once payment is confirmed, your Hyperdrive credits will be added to your account automatically. ✅ How to Verify Your Credits Were Added After completing the purchase, check your Hyperdrive credit balance inside the platform to confirm the credits were applied correctly. The total should reflect your previous balance plus the newly purchased amount. If the credits do not appear within a few minutes of a successful payment, contact support so the team can verify the transaction on their end. 💡 Things to Keep in Mind - This issue affects the checkout interface only — your saved card details are stored correctly and remain valid. - Using the direct checkout link is the confirmed working solution for this error. - Do not attempt the purchase multiple times through the broken interface, as repeated failed attempts may cause unexpected behaviour with your checkout session. 🆘 Need More Help? If you need further assistance, use the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. Reference the card-selection error on the Hyperdrive credits checkout screen so the agent can send you a direct checkout link right away.

⚙️ Pro Upgrade Charged but Stuck Processing

🔍 What Is Happening? After completing a Pro plan upgrade, some customers are charged successfully but then land on a "Please Wait" or "Still Trying to Process Payment" screen and cannot access their account. This is a known issue that can occur during checkout and is fully resolvable by our support team. Your payment has been received — this screen does not mean the transaction failed. It means the account provisioning step did not complete as expected. ✅ Steps to Take Right Now 1. Do not attempt to pay again. Your card has already been charged. Submitting a second payment may result in a duplicate charge. 2. Do not close or refresh repeatedly. If you have already left the processing screen, that is fine — but avoid initiating a new checkout session. 3. Take note of your payment confirmation. Check your email inbox for a receipt from Stripe. Save this for reference when you contact support. 4. Contact support immediately using the live chat widget (see below). Our team can manually verify your payment and provision your account without any delay. 🛠️ What Our Team Will Do Once you reach a support teammate, they will: - Verify that your payment was received and recorded correctly in Stripe - Confirm the correct plan and pricing applied to your account - Manually trigger account provisioning if it did not complete automatically - Confirm that no duplicate charges occurred - Ensure all expected features and limits are active on your upgraded account This process is typically resolved quickly once our team is looped in. ⚠️ Common Variations of This Issue This problem can appear in a few different ways depending on how the checkout was initiated: - Clicking Upgrade inside the platform causes a spinner that never completes - Completing Stripe checkout and being redirected back to a processing screen with an error message - Payment going through but the account remaining on the previous plan with no feature changes All of these scenarios are handled the same way — contact support and our team will resolve it manually. 💡 Tips to Prevent This in Future Sessions - Use a stable internet connection when completing checkout - Avoid using browser extensions that block scripts or modify page behaviour (such as ad blockers) during the payment flow - Complete checkout in a single session without switching tabs or navigating away from the payment page 💬 Need Help 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.

🔧 Troubleshooting Invalid Order on Upsell Packs

If you're seeing an "invalid order" error when trying to add an upsell pack (such as the Search Secrets pack for $97), the issue is almost always a mismatch between your current subscription state and the pack requirements. This guide walks you through the exact details our support team needs to resolve it quickly. 🔍 Common Causes - Subscription tier incompatibility: The pack may require a specific plan level. - Existing active pack: You may already have the pack or a conflicting add-on on your account. - Payment method issue: Your card on file may be expired or declined. - Proration conflict: A mid-cycle billing change is failing to calculate correctly. 🛠️ Step-by-Step 1. Capture the exact error message: Take a screenshot or copy the full text of the error, including any order or reference number displayed. The exact wording helps our team identify the root cause. 2. Check your current subscription: Review your current plan details from the top-right avatar → Billing (Plans & Top-ups tab) to confirm which tier you're on. 3. Verify your payment method: Within your billing area, confirm your card is valid, not expired, and has sufficient funds for the $97 charge. 4. Clear cache and retry: Hard-refresh the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R), then attempt the purchase one more time to rule out a session or caching issue. 5. Escalate with full details: If the error persists, contact support (below) and include: the exact error message text, your current plan name, the name of the pack you're trying to add, and a timestamp of the attempt. ✅ How to Confirm It Worked Once the order processes successfully, you should see a confirmation screen with an order number and a successful payment receipt emailed to your account address. Additionally, when you return to Billing (via the top-right avatar), the upsell pack (e.g., Search Secrets) should appear as an active add-on under your subscription or billing details. If neither of these happens, the order did not go through. 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.

🛠️ How to Fix an Invalid Order Error on Add-On Purchase

This article helps you understand and work through the "invalid order" error that can appear when attempting to purchase an add-on — such as the Search Secrets Pack — on top of an existing plan or summit upgrade. Because this error is tied to order validation on the backend, it typically cannot be self-resolved and requires a teammate to inspect the order details and manually complete or correct the transaction. 📍 Where to Find It Before reaching out, confirm your current billing status by navigating to: Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab. Here you can verify which plan is currently active and whether any pending charges or add-ons are shown. 🛠️ Step-by-Step 1. Go to Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab and take note of your current active plan name and any add-ons already applied. 2. Check the Activity Log tab (Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Activity Log) and look for a recent failed or pending transaction entry related to the add-on purchase. Note the exact timestamp and change type shown — this information will help the support team locate your order quickly. 3. Check the Invoices tab (Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Invoices) to confirm whether any charge was processed before the error appeared. If an invoice was generated, note the invoice ID. 4. Do not attempt the purchase again before speaking with the team — submitting the order multiple times can create duplicate charge attempts that are harder to unwind. 5. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform, type human teammate, and share: (a) the exact error message you saw, (b) the add-on name and price (e.g., Search Secrets Pack, $97), (c) the plan you were upgrading from, and (d) the timestamp and any invoice ID you found in steps 2–3. ✅ How to Confirm It Worked Once a teammate has resolved the issue, return to Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab. You should see the add-on listed as an active component of your plan. Additionally, check the Invoices tab — a new invoice for the add-on amount should appear with a paid or completed status. If the add-on is not reflected within a few minutes of the teammate confirming the fix, refresh the page and check again before following up. 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.

💳 Understanding Unrecognized Credit Card Charges

💡 Why You Might See Unrecognized Charges It can be alarming to see a charge on your credit card statement that you don't immediately recognize or that doesn't appear to match your Search Atlas invoices. In most cases, these charges are legitimate and tied to your subscription or usage — but timing, payment method changes, and billing cycles can make them appear unexpected. This article explains the most common reasons for unrecognized charges and what steps to take if something looks wrong. 🔄 Common Reasons for Unexpected Charges - Billing cycle timing: Charges are processed at the start of each billing cycle. Your invoice may take a short time to appear in the platform after the charge has already been applied to your card. - Multiple charges on the same date: If you have more than one active subscription, add-on, or usage-based service, these may generate separate line items charged on the same day at different amounts. - Plan upgrades or mid-cycle changes: Upgrading your plan or adding a new feature mid-cycle can trigger a charge immediately, which may not yet be reflected in your invoice history. - Payment method update timing: If you recently updated your credit card details, a pending charge may have been applied to your new card around the time of the update. 📋 How to Check Your Billing Details 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner (Avatar Menu (👤)) and select Billing. 3. Review your invoice history for charges that match the date and amount on your credit card statement. 4. Check whether you have multiple subscriptions or active add-ons that could account for separate charges on the same date. 5. Verify which payment method is currently set as your default to ensure charges are going to the correct card. 🛠️ What to Do If a Charge Looks Wrong If you've reviewed your billing history and still cannot match a charge to an invoice or subscription, take the following steps: 1. Note the exact amount and date of each charge from your bank or credit card statement. 2. Check for multiple charges on the same date — these may represent separate services billed simultaneously. 3. Contact our support team with the charge details so we can investigate and help resolve any discrepancy. 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.

💳 Fix a Wrong Card or Currency Billing Mismatch

🔍 Why This Happens Billing discrepancies — such as a charge appearing on an unexpected card, in a different currency, or for an amount that doesn't match your plan — are usually caused by one of the following: - Multiple payment methods on file: If a previous card was not fully removed from your account, our payment processor may fall back to it during renewal or a top-up event. - Currency conversion: Search Atlas bills in USD. If your bank or card issuer is based in another country (e.g., Australia), the charge is converted to your local currency (e.g., AUD) at your bank's exchange rate on the day of billing — not at a fixed rate. This means the AUD amount you see may differ from the USD plan price. - Bundled top-up charges: Usage top-ups (such as OTTO credits or keyword credits) are sometimes processed alongside your subscription renewal in a single Stripe transaction. This can make the total appear higher than your base plan cost. - Legacy or duplicate billing events: Accounts migrated from older billing systems, or accounts connected to both Shopify and a direct credit card, may occasionally trigger a duplicate charge during a billing cycle transition. - Custom deal not applied: If you have a negotiated or promotional price, a system error may cause the standard rate to be charged instead. 💱 Understanding Currency Differences (AUD and Other Non-USD Currencies) Search Atlas processes all payments in USD. If you are based in Australia or another non-USD country, here is what to expect: 1. Your plan is priced and invoiced in USD (e.g., $999.00 USD). 2. Your bank or card network converts that USD amount to your local currency at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of the transaction. 3. The converted amount (e.g., $1,434.52 AUD) will appear on your bank statement — this is not an overcharge; it reflects the current exchange rate plus any foreign transaction fees your bank may apply. If the USD amount on your Search Atlas invoice matches your plan price but the local currency amount looks higher than expected, the difference is exchange-rate-driven and handled entirely by your financial institution. Search Atlas does not control or add currency conversion fees. If the USD amount itself does not match your plan, that is a billing error and should be investigated immediately. 🗂️ How to Check Your Invoice and Payment Method 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right (Avatar Menu (👤)) and select Billing. 3. Open the Invoices tab and locate the charge in question. 4. Confirm the invoice amount in USD matches your active plan or any top-ups you authorised. 5. Open the Payment Methods tab and verify which card is set as the default. Remove any outdated or unintended cards to prevent future charges to the wrong card. ⚠️ Common Scenarios and What to Do - Wrong card charged: An old card was still saved as default. Go to Avatar Menu (👤) (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Add Payment Method button), set your preferred card as default, and delete the old one. Then contact support to review whether a refund and recharge is needed. - Amount higher than your plan: Check whether a top-up was triggered during the billing cycle. Top-ups for credits or add-ons are billed separately or bundled — review your invoice line items for details. - Duplicate charge: If you see two identical or near-identical charges in the same billing period, do not wait — contact our support team immediately so we can investigate and issue a refund if confirmed. - Custom or promotional price not applied: If you have a negotiated rate and were charged the standard price, gather your agreement details and contact support with the invoice number. - Shopify and direct card both charged: If your account was connected to both Shopify billing and a direct Stripe card, you may have been billed twice. Contact support with both transaction references. ✅ Steps to Take Right Now 1. Download the invoice from Avatar Menu (👤) (avatar) → Billing → Invoices and note the invoice number, USD amount, and date. 2. Check your bank statement and note the local currency amount and the card last four digits that were charged. 3. Compare the two: if the USD invoice amount matches your plan, the local currency difference is a bank conversion. If the USD amount is wrong, escalate immediately. 4. Remove any unintended payment methods from your account to prevent recurrence. 5. Contact our support team (see below) with your invoice number and both transaction references so we can investigate and, if applicable, process a refund. 🛡️ How We Prevent This From Happening Again Our team continuously monitors billing events for anomalies including duplicate charges, incorrect plan pricing, and misapplied payment methods. Resolved issues are reviewed to improve billing safeguards. If you have experienced a discrepancy, reporting it helps us protect all customers. 💬 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. When you reach out, please have the following ready: your invoice number, the last four digits of the card charged, the amount and currency shown on your bank statement, and the date of the charge. This allows us to locate and resolve your case as quickly as possible.

💳 Resolve Billing Issues Without a Phone Call

💡 Why We Don't Offer Phone Support We know billing questions can feel urgent, and speaking with someone directly seems like the quickest fix. However, Search Atlas handles all support — including billing — through our in-platform live chat. This lets our team pull up your account details instantly, share screenshots, send links, and keep a written record of every resolution. In most cases, live chat gets you a faster, more accurate answer than a phone call would. 🔍 Common Billing Issues We Can Solve Quickly Our support team is fully trained to resolve billing questions in real time. Here are the most common issues customers reach out about: - Incorrect charges or unexpected amounts — We can review your billing history and explain every line item. - Subscription plan discrepancies — If your account features don't match what your plan should include, we can investigate and correct this. - Payment failures or expired card errors — We'll help you update your payment method and confirm your subscription is active. - Billing system errors — Our team has visibility into real-time billing data and can identify and escalate technical issues on your behalf. - Under-billing or over-billing concerns — We can audit your account charges and apply corrections where needed. 🛠️ How to Update Your Billing Information If you need to update a payment method or review your current plan before contacting support, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner of the dashboard. 3. Select Billing from the dropdown menu. 4. Go to Plans & Top-ups and review your current plan, next billing date, and payment method on file. 5. Click Add Payment Method to add or change a card. 6. Save your changes and confirm the update was successful. If you don't see the option you need, or something looks incorrect on this page, contact our support team right away (see below). 📊 What Information to Have Ready To help our team resolve your billing issue as quickly as possible, have the following ready before you open a chat: - The email address linked to your Search Atlas account - The approximate date of the charge or issue you're seeing - The amount charged (if disputing a specific transaction) - A brief description of what you expected versus what happened The more context you provide upfront, the faster our team can investigate and resolve your issue — often in a single conversation. 💬 How to Reach a Human Right Now You do not need a phone number to speak with a real person on our team. Our live chat connects you to a human support teammate in real time, during business hours. 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. Once connected, let the teammate know you have a billing question and share the details listed above. They can view your account, check your billing history, and resolve most issues during the same conversation.

💳 Payment Attempts vs. Charges on Free Trials

🔍 Overview If your bank or card provider notified you of a payment attempt from Search Atlas while you were on a free trial, this can understandably cause concern. This article explains why that can happen and what steps to take if you are unsure whether you were actually charged. ❓ Why Did a Payment Attempt Occur on My Free Trial? Search Atlas free trials are linked to a billing plan that activates automatically when the trial period ends. When your trial concludes, our billing system may initiate a payment attempt for the next subscription cycle. This is standard behaviour for subscription platforms and is triggered by the trial end date. A payment attempt may occur if: - Your free trial reached its end date without being cancelled beforehand. - A payment method was on file from when you signed up. - Your account was not explicitly cancelled or downgraded before the trial expired. Having no active projects or features running does not necessarily prevent a payment attempt. The billing trigger is based on the trial timeline and the plan attached to your account. ✅ How to Tell the Difference Between a Declined Attempt and an Actual Charge Use the following checks to determine what actually happened: 1. Check your bank or card statement. A declined attempt typically appears as a temporary pending authorisation that resolves on its own, or as a declined notification with no debit to your balance. An actual charge will appear as a completed, posted transaction on your statement. 2. Check your Search Atlas account. Review your billing or subscription section inside the platform to see whether any active paid plan is shown on your account. 3. Check your email. Look for any confirmation or receipt message from Search Atlas in your inbox or spam folder for the date in question. 🛑 What to Do If You Were Charged Unexpectedly If you believe you were charged after your free trial ended and did not intend to continue with a paid subscription, take the following steps: 1. Cancel your subscription or downgrade your plan inside your account settings as soon as possible to prevent further charges. 2. Gather your account details, the approximate date of the charge, and any bank transaction reference available. 3. Contact our support team so we can review the charge on your account and advise on next steps. 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.

💳 Fix Duplicate Billing Charges on Your Account

🔍 Overview Some Search Atlas customers who signed up or upgraded through the Shopify App Store have reported being charged twice for the same subscription — once through Shopify (or PayPal) and again directly on a credit or debit card (such as an Amex). In some cases, this has also caused accounts to appear locked or inactive despite payments being made. This article explains why this happens, what to do immediately, and how our team resolves it. ⚠️ Why Duplicate Charges Happen Duplicate billing can occur for a few known reasons: - Shopify and Stripe both activated: When a subscription is started through the Shopify App Store, Shopify handles billing separately from our internal payment system (Stripe). If both billing paths activate simultaneously, two charges are created for one subscription. - Shopify provisioning errors: In some cases, a Shopify purchase completes on Shopify's side but fails to correctly register inside Search Atlas — triggering a second billing attempt through Stripe. - Upgrade or plan-change timing: Changing plans while a Shopify billing cycle is mid-process can occasionally create overlapping subscription records, resulting in charges from both systems. - No custom deal applied: If a discounted or custom pricing deal was arranged manually but not correctly applied in the billing system, the standard rate may charge in parallel. 🔒 Why Your Account May Appear Locked If our system detects a billing conflict or a failed provisioning event — even when payment has been collected — it may place the account in a restricted state as a safeguard. This does not mean your payment was declined. It means the subscription record did not complete correctly on our end. Your money was received; the issue is on the provisioning side, not with your payment method. ✅ What to Do Right Away 1. Do not cancel either subscription manually before speaking with our team. Cancelling the wrong subscription could remove access entirely or complicate the refund process. 2. Gather the following details before contacting support: - Your Search Atlas account email address - The date(s) of the duplicate charges - The amount charged on each payment method - Screenshots or statements showing both charges (if available) - Whether you signed up or upgraded via the Shopify App Store 3. Contact our team immediately using the live chat widget (see below). Our billing team can identify which subscription record is valid, cancel the duplicate, and initiate a credit or refund for the erroneous charge. 🛠️ How Our Team Resolves It Once you reach our support team, here is what happens behind the scenes: - We identify whether your account has two active subscription records (one in Shopify, one in Stripe). - We cancel the duplicate subscription and ensure your primary subscription remains active and correctly provisioned. - We confirm your account is fully unlocked and all features are accessible. - We process a refund or credit for the duplicate charge. Refund timelines vary by payment method — Shopify refunds typically appear within 5–10 business days, and credit card refunds within 3–7 business days depending on your bank. - We verify that no further double-billing will occur on your account going forward. 🛡️ How to Prevent This in the Future - Use one billing method consistently. If you manage your Search Atlas subscription through the Shopify App Store, avoid entering separate credit card details in the Search Atlas billing settings unless instructed by our team. - Confirm provisioning after signup. After subscribing through Shopify, log in to Search Atlas and verify your plan is active under Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing). If your plan shows as free or inactive within 10 minutes of purchase, contact support immediately. - Reach out before upgrading or downgrading if your account was originally set up through Shopify. Our team can ensure the plan change routes through the correct billing system. 💬 Need Help Now? If you are currently experiencing duplicate charges or your account is locked, please 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. Our billing specialists can locate your account, confirm the duplicate subscription, process the cancellation, and arrange your refund — usually within one business day.

💳 Fix Token Refresh Delays After Billing

🔍 What Is This Issue? After your billing date, you may occasionally notice that your account still shows zero tokens even though your subscription is active. This happens when there is a short delay between your payment being processed by your bank or card provider and Search Atlas receiving confirmation of that payment. Until confirmation is received, the platform cannot automatically trigger a token refresh. This is a temporary situation and does not mean your subscription has lapsed or that there is a problem with your account plan. ⚙️ Why Does This Happen? Token balances are refreshed automatically once a successful payment is confirmed. Delays can occur for several reasons: - Bank processing times: Some banks and card networks take extra time to authorise and settle a transaction, especially around weekends or public holidays. - Card verification checks: Your bank may place a brief hold on the payment while it runs fraud or verification checks. - Billing retry cycles: If an initial charge attempt did not go through, the billing system will retry automatically. Tokens are only refreshed after a successful charge is confirmed. - Timing of the billing run: Payments are processed in batches. If your renewal falls at the edge of a billing cycle, there may be a short window before the system updates your token balance. ✅ What You Should Do First 1. Wait up to 1 hour. Most delays resolve automatically once payment confirmation is received. Check your token balance again after a short wait. 2. Check your payment method. Log in to your Search Atlas account, go to Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups, and confirm your card or payment method is valid, not expired, and has no outstanding issues. 3. Review your billing history. In the Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Invoices tab, check whether the latest invoice shows a status of Paid or Pending. A pending status means the payment has not yet been confirmed. 4. Check with your bank. If your invoice shows pending for more than a few hours, contact your bank or card provider to confirm there are no holds or declines on the transaction. 🚀 How to Trigger a Manual Token Refresh If your payment shows as Paid in your billing history but your tokens have still not refreshed after 1 hour, you can request a manual refresh from our support team. This is the fastest way to restore full access to your account without waiting for the next automated cycle. 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. 🛠️ How to Prevent This in the Future - Keep your payment method up to date. An expired card is the most common reason a payment does not process on time. Update your card details in Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups before your renewal date. - Use a card with sufficient funds or credit. Ensure your account has enough available balance to cover the subscription charge on your billing date. - Enable bank notifications. Turn on transaction alerts with your bank so you are immediately aware if a payment is declined or held. - Check your billing date in advance. You can find your next renewal date in the Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab of your account settings. Plan ahead if you know your card is due to expire soon. 📊 Summary Token refresh delays after billing are almost always caused by a short lag between payment submission and payment confirmation. In most cases, waiting up to one hour resolves the issue automatically. If your invoice shows as paid and tokens are still not available, our support team can apply a manual refresh immediately. 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.

💳 How to Purchase and Top-Up Account Credits

💡 What Are Account Credits? Credits are the in-platform currency used to access certain Search Atlas features and tools. When your credits run low, you can purchase a top-up at any time — no need to wait for your billing cycle to renew. 🔍 Where to Find Your Credit Balance To check how many credits you currently have: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing → Plans & Top-ups from the dropdown menu. 3. Your current credit balance is displayed on this page (Plans & Top-ups). 🛒 How to Purchase Credits Follow these steps to buy a credit top-up: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups. 2. Locate the Plans & Top-ups section. 3. Click the Top Up button. 4. Select the package that suits your needs. The available options include: - Package pricing and credit amounts are shown directly in the Buy Credits panel and can vary by account — review the options shown there before purchasing rather than assuming a fixed rate 5. Confirm your payment details and complete the purchase. 6. Your credits will be added to your account immediately after the transaction is processed. 📊 Tips for Managing Your Credits - Monitor regularly: Check your balance under Avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups before starting large projects so you are never caught short. - Top up anytime: Credit purchases are not tied to your billing date — you can buy more whenever you need them. - Credits do not expire: Purchased credits remain in your account and carry over month to month. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions I cannot see the Buy Credits option — what should I do? Only account owners and users with admin-level permissions can purchase credits. If you do not see the option, ask your account owner to check their role settings or complete the purchase on your behalf. My credits did not appear after payment — what now? In rare cases there may be a short delay. Refresh the page and check your balance again after a few minutes. If the credits still have not appeared, contact our support team using the instructions below. 🆘 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.

🎁 Redeeming Your Summit Bonus Hyperdrive Credits

🎯 What This Article Covers If you attended a Search Atlas summit, you may be entitled to bonus rewards such as 50 Hyperdrive credits, MCP training access, or an unlimited quota offer. This guide explains where to find your gift link, how to redeem it, and what to do if you signed up using a different email address than the one on your subscription. ✅ Before You Start Summit bonuses are tied to the email address you used to register for the summit. To redeem successfully, make sure of the following: - You have upgraded your subscription, as bonus credits typically apply to active paid plans. - You know which email address you used when registering for the summit. - You know which email is linked to your active platform account. If these two emails are different, your bonus may not appear automatically. See the troubleshooting section below. 🔗 Where to Find Your Gift Link The summit bonus gift link is usually delivered in one of these places: 1. The confirmation message shown immediately after you registered for the summit. 2. The summit landing page or thank-you page provided during the event. 3. Any official summit announcements shared with attendees. Open the gift link while logged in to the platform with your active account so the reward can be applied directly to it. 🚀 How to Redeem Your Hyperdrive Credits Follow these steps to redeem your bonus: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account using the email linked to your active subscription. 2. Confirm your subscription upgrade has been completed and is active. 3. Open the summit bonus gift link in the same browser session. 4. Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm and apply your 50 Hyperdrive credits. 5. Check your Hyperdrive credit balance to confirm the credits have been added. 🎓 MCP Training and Unlimited Quota Offer Some summit promotions include extras such as MCP training access and an unlimited quota offer. These benefits are applied to the account that redeems the summit bonus. To make sure they are added correctly: - Redeem the bonus on the account you actively use day to day. - Confirm your subscription is upgraded before redeeming, as some offers require an eligible paid plan. - Allow a short time for the benefits to appear in your account after redemption. 🛠️ Troubleshooting: Different Emails or Missing Link The most common issue is registering for the summit with one email and upgrading the subscription under a different email. When this happens, the bonus may not match your active account automatically. Here is what to do: 1. Note both email addresses: the one used for the summit and the one on your active subscription. 2. Confirm your subscription upgrade is complete. 3. If you cannot locate the gift link, or the credits do not appear after redeeming, gather your account details and reach out through live chat. Our team can verify your summit registration, confirm eligibility, and manually apply the 50 Hyperdrive credits, MCP training, and unlimited quota offer to the correct account. 💡 Tips to Avoid Issues - Use the same email for the summit and your subscription whenever possible. - Save your gift link as soon as you receive it. - Redeem promptly, as some bonuses are time-limited. - Always redeem while logged in to your active account. 💬 Need More Help? If you need further assistance, click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type "Human Teammate" to start a live chat with a member of our team Please have both email addresses ready so we can quickly locate your summit registration and apply your rewards.

💳 Buy a One-Time Quota Top-Up

📋 What Is a Quota Top-Up? A quota top-up lets you add extra usage credits to your Search Atlas account with a single one-time payment. This is ideal when you need a short-term boost — for example, running a large site audit or processing additional keywords — without upgrading your monthly subscription plan. 🔍 What Quotas Can Be Topped Up? Quota top-ups are available for several usage types inside Search Atlas. The specific top-up packages available to you depend on your current plan. Available options and their prices will be displayed at the time of purchase inside your account's billing area. 💳 How to Purchase a Quota Top-Up 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) or account name in the top-right corner of the platform. 3. Navigate to Billing or Subscription in the dropdown menu. 4. Scroll to the Quota Top-Up section on the billing page. 5. Select the quota type and top-up amount that fits your needs (for example, a $20 one-time purchase). 6. Review the credits included with your chosen top-up amount. 7. Click Purchase and confirm your payment details using your saved payment method or by entering new card details. 8. Your additional quota will be added to your account immediately after the payment is processed. 📊 What Does a Top-Up Include? Each top-up package adds a defined number of credits to your account. The exact credits included depend on the package size you select. Top-up credits are typically used for actions such as: - Running additional site audits - Processing extra keyword lookups - Generating additional content briefs or AI writing credits - Performing backlink or competitor research queries Top-up credits are separate from your monthly subscription quota and are consumed only when your regular monthly allocation has been used up. ⚙️ Key Things to Know Before You Buy - One-time charge: A quota top-up is a single payment — it does not create a recurring charge or modify your existing subscription. Top-ups do not auto-renew. - No subscription change required: You can purchase a top-up on any active plan without upgrading. - Immediate activation: Credits are applied to your account as soon as payment is confirmed. - Secure payment processing: Payments are processed securely. - Non-refundable: Top-up purchases are generally non-refundable once credits have been applied. Review your selection carefully before completing the purchase. - Failed payments: If your payment fails, double-check that your card details are up to date in the billing area of your account. - Expiry: Top-up credits may have an expiry date. Check the billing page for any expiry terms shown at the time of purchase. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Can I buy just $20 worth of quota? Yes. Search Atlas offers one-time top-up packages starting at small amounts. Navigate to the Billing section of your account to see all available package sizes, including lower-cost options. Availability may vary by plan. Will this affect my monthly subscription? No. A top-up is a standalone purchase and does not change your current subscription plan, billing cycle, or monthly renewal amount. How do I know when my regular quota runs out? You can monitor your quota usage in real time from your Dashboard or Account Settings. Search Atlas may also display an in-app notification when you are approaching your limit. Can I buy multiple top-ups? Yes. You can purchase top-ups as many times as needed. Each purchase is processed independently and credits are added cumulatively to your account. 🛠️ Troubleshooting If your top-up does not appear in your account after payment, try the following steps: 1. Refresh the page and check your quota balance by clicking your Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups. 2. Wait up to 5 minutes for the payment to fully process. 3. Check your registered email for a payment confirmation receipt. 4. If the issue persists, contact our support team using the method below. 💬 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.

✍️ Purchasing Extra Article Credits After Quota

📋 Overview Every Search Atlas plan includes a set number of article credits per billing cycle. If you exhaust your quota before the cycle resets — even on the highest-tier plan — you can purchase additional credits at any time without upgrading or waiting for renewal. 🔍 What Counts as an Article Credit? Article credits are consumed when you generate content using the AI writing tools inside the Content section of Search Atlas. This includes: - Full article generation via the SEO Content Assistant - Content created through AI Content Templates - Articles produced from the Content Planner Tools such as On-Page Audit, Topical Maps, Scholar, and Meta Generator do not consume article credits. ⚙️ How to Purchase Additional Article Credits 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your account name or avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 3. Select Billing or Manage Subscription from the dropdown menu. 4. Scroll to the Add-ons or Extra Credits section. 5. Choose the article credit pack that fits your needs and click Purchase. 6. Confirm your payment details and complete the checkout. Your new credits are added to your account immediately after the transaction is confirmed. You can return to Left sidebar → Content → Content Genius (What are we writing today?) (or any AI content tool) and resume generating articles right away. 💡 Tips to Manage Your Article Credits - Check your remaining credits at any time from the Billing or Usage section of your account settings. - Plan ahead — if you regularly exhaust your quota, consider purchasing a credit top-up before you run out to avoid workflow interruptions. - Credits reset monthly on your billing renewal date. Check your Billing or Usage page for the current rollover terms on any purchased add-on credits. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions I'm on the largest plan. Why did I run out of credits? Even the highest-tier plan has a defined monthly article credit limit. Heavy usage — such as running large content campaigns — can exhaust that quota before the month ends. Purchasing an add-on credit pack is the quickest way to continue without changing your plan. Will my monthly credits still reset on my renewal date? Yes. Your standard plan credits reset as normal on your billing date. Any purchased add-on credits remain in your account and are used after your monthly allocation runs out. Can I buy credits for a future month in advance? Add-on credits are applied to your account immediately upon purchase. Check your Billing or Usage page for the current terms on how long purchased credits remain valid. 🆘 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.

💳 Fix Hyperdrive Credits Purchase Failing

🔍 Overview Hyperdrive Credits (HDC) power key features across Search Atlas, including the URL Indexer, Site Explorer, and Website Studio. If your HDC purchase is failing at checkout — whether you see a stuck spinner, a duplicate charge, or no confirmation — this article walks you through the most common causes and fixes. ⚠️ Common Symptoms - Checkout spinner keeps loading and never completes - Purchase appears to fail but credits are not added to your account - Credits are deducted twice without a corresponding balance increase - An error message states your account is inactive or deactivated - The top-up button appears greyed out or unresponsive 🛠️ Step-by-Step Troubleshooting 1. Refresh your browser and clear cache. Close the checkout modal, hard-refresh the page (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows, Cmd + Shift + R on Mac), then attempt the purchase again. 2. Try a different browser or incognito mode. Browser extensions such as ad blockers or privacy tools can interfere with the payment flow. Open an incognito or private window and retry the checkout. 3. Check your current billing plan. Some issues specifically affect legacy billing accounts. Navigate to Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing and confirm your plan is active and in good standing before attempting a top-up. 4. Verify your HDC balance before retrying. If you experienced a stuck spinner, check your current HDC balance under Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing before purchasing again. Credits may have been applied even if the confirmation screen did not appear, and retrying could result in a duplicate charge. 5. Confirm your payment method is valid. Go to Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing (Plans & Top-ups tab, then click Add Payment Method) and ensure your card or payment details are up to date and not expired. 6. Wait a few minutes and try again. Temporary server-side delays can cause the checkout to time out. Wait 2–3 minutes, then attempt the purchase once more. 📊 Checking Your HDC Balance After a Failed Purchase Even when checkout appears to fail, credits are sometimes applied in the background. Before retrying, always check your balance to avoid being charged twice: - Go to Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing in the top-right menu. - Look for your current Hyperdrive Credits balance and any recent transaction history. - If the credits appear but your balance looks incorrect or the quota display seems off (for example, in Website Studio, Site Explorer, or URL Indexer), this may be a display inconsistency — your actual available credits may be correct on the back end. 💡 Known Issues and What to Expect - Legacy billing accounts: Customers on older billing plans have previously experienced a stuck spinner during HDC checkout. If this applies to you, our team can process the top-up manually. - Quota display inconsistencies: After a top-up, quota counters in Website Studio, Site Explorer, and URL Indexer may not refresh immediately. Try logging out and back in to force a sync. - Duplicate charges: If you believe you have been charged more than once for the same purchase, do not attempt another purchase. Contact our support team immediately so we can investigate and issue a correction if needed. - Account incorrectly shown as deactivated: In rare cases, an active account may receive a deactivation error during checkout. This is a known display error and does not reflect your actual account status. ✅ After a Successful Purchase Once your HDC purchase is confirmed, your new credits should be reflected immediately under Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing. If you do not see the updated balance within a few minutes, log out and log back in. Credits are applied account-wide and will be available across all HDC-powered features. 🙋 Still Need Help? If you have tried the steps above and your checkout is still failing, or if you suspect a duplicate charge, please reach out right 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.

⚡ Purchase Hyperdrive Credits for Data Aggregators

🔍 What Are Hyperdrive Credits? Hyperdrive Credits are the credit type used for data aggregators inside Search Atlas. If you receive a low-quota or out-of-credits warning related to data aggregator usage, Hyperdrive Credits are what you need to top up. 🛒 How to Purchase Hyperdrive Credits To purchase Hyperdrive Credits for your data aggregator quota, navigate to the Billing section of your Search Atlas account. From there, look for the option to add or purchase credits and select Hyperdrive Credits as the credit type. Follow the on-screen prompts to choose the quantity you need and complete the checkout using your preferred payment method. Once payment is confirmed, your credits will be applied to your account. ✅ How to Confirm Your Credits Were Applied After completing your purchase, return to the Billing section of your account and verify that your Hyperdrive Credit balance has increased. You can also navigate to a data aggregator tool in Search Atlas to confirm that your available quota reflects the updated credit balance. ⚠️ Having Trouble Locating the Credit Purchase Option? If you are unable to find the Hyperdrive Credits purchase option in your Billing section, or if the checkout process is not working as expected, our support team can locate the correct purchase path for your specific account and plan. When reaching out, please have the following ready: - Your account email address and project or workspace name - The exact warning or error message you are seeing related to data aggregator quota - A screenshot of your current Billing page if the credits option is not visible 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.

💳 Fix OTTO AI Credit Purchase Issues

🔍 Check for Platform Downtime If the billing page gets stuck loading when purchasing OTTO AI credits, the issue is often a temporary platform or API delay. Our engineering team has resolved past incidents causing this exact behavior. Before trying other steps, wait a few minutes and refresh the page. Most delays are brief and self-resolve. 🔄 Refresh and Retry Purchase 1. Go to your billing settings in the platform. 2. Open the credits or top-up section. 3. Attempt the credit purchase again for your desired amount (e.g., 29,000 AI Generation credits). If the page loads normally and the checkout completes, the delay has cleared. 🧪 Verify Credit Availability After a successful purchase, confirm the credits appear in your account: 1. Go back to your billing settings. 2. Check your current credit balance for OTTO AI. 3. Ensure the new credits reflect immediately. ⚠️ If the Issue Persists If the billing page still fails to load after retrying, the problem may require engineering investigation. Do not attempt multiple rapid purchases. 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.

🛒 Troubleshooting a Failed Add-On Purchase at Checkout

This article helps you resolve a failed add-on purchase that occurred during a summit upgrade — specifically when you see an "invalid order" error after attempting to add a product like the Search Secrets Pack. Because this error involves your billing record and order session, it requires assistance from our team. 🔍 What Happened During a summit upgrade, an attempt to add an add-on (such as the Search Secrets Pack) may result in an "invalid order" error. This means the purchase did not complete successfully. Our support team will need to investigate and manually resolve the order on your behalf. 🛠️ What to Do 1. Locate the exact error message you received (for example, "invalid order" or any reference number shown on screen) and note it down. 2. Note the name of the add-on you were attempting to purchase and the summit upgrade it was associated with. 3. Have the following ready when you contact support: the add-on name, the exact error message, and the email address on your account. ✅ What to Expect - Once our team investigates, they will work to resolve or reissue the order on your behalf. - You will be notified once the matter is resolved. - If you notice any unexpected charges related to the failed attempt, flag this to our team immediately. 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.

💳 Handle a Declined Payment

💳 Why Your Payment May Have Been Declined A declined payment can happen for several common reasons. Understanding the cause helps you resolve it quickly so your account stays active. - Insufficient funds or credit limit reached on the card on file - Expired card details — your card may have been reissued with a new expiry date or number - Bank security block — some banks automatically block recurring charges without prior authorisation - Billing address mismatch — the address linked to your card does not match what is stored in your account - Outdated payment method — the card saved in Search Atlas is no longer valid 🔧 How to Fix a Declined Payment Follow these steps to update your payment details and clear any failed charge: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing → Plans & Top-ups. 3. Click Add Payment Method. 4. Enter your new card details and confirm the billing address matches your bank records. 5. Click Save. Search Atlas will automatically retry the outstanding payment within a few minutes. Once the payment is successfully processed, your account will be fully reactivated and all features will be available immediately. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Will I lose my data if my payment declines? No. Search Atlas gives you a grace period before any account restrictions are applied. Update your payment method as soon as possible to avoid any interruption. Can I pause my subscription instead of cancelling? At this time, subscription pausing is not available. You can cancel at any time and resubscribe when you are ready to return. 🙋 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.

🛠️ Buying Data Aggregator & Network Submissions Credits on a Free Trial

📊 Why You Can Purchase Credits During a Free Trial Search Atlas free trial accounts include limited access to core platform features, but certain tools like Data Aggregator and Network Submissions require credits to run because they involve real costs for submitting your business data to third-party directories and citation networks. Even though your subscription itself is still in trial mode, you can still purchase credits separately to use these features right away. Your trial status does not block you from buying and using credit top-ups. 🛒 How to Purchase Data Aggregator Credits Follow these steps to buy credits while on a free trial: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to Avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups and click the Top Up button. 2. Look for the option to purchase or top up credits within the tool and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the purchase. 3. Choose the credit package size that fits your submission needs and confirm the purchase using your payment method on file. 4. Once the purchase is confirmed, your new credits will be added to your account balance and are immediately available for use, regardless of your trial status. 💳 Understanding Local Citation Pricing Credits are required for each aggregator submission through the Network Submissions tool. The credit cost for each submission is displayed within the tool before you confirm, so review the pricing shown on screen for the specific network or region you are targeting before proceeding. 🔍 Checking Your Credit Balance and Quota After purchasing credits, you can verify your balance and usage at any time: - Check within the Data Aggregator or Network Submissions tool to confirm your purchased credits are reflected accurately. - If you notice a discrepancy between your purchased credits and the displayed balance, refresh the page or log out and back in, as this typically resolves temporary display delays. 💬 Need More Help? If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of your screen to reach our support team.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Add-On Purchase Invalid Order Errors

This article helps you resolve an "invalid order" error that appears when trying to purchase an add-on (such as the Search Secrets Pack) alongside or after a summit upgrade. This error typically prevents the transaction from completing and requires a few checks before support can step in to finalize it. 🔍 Common Causes - Order sequence mismatch: The add-on may need to be tied to a specific base plan or upgrade that hasn't fully processed yet. - Payment method issue: The card on file may have declined or expired, causing the order to be flagged as invalid. - Session or cart conflict: A previous incomplete checkout may be interfering with the new order. 📍 Where to Find It You can review your current plan status and payment methods by navigating to the top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab. To verify or update your payment method, select Add Payment Method on that same tab. 🛠️ Step-by-Step 1. Open your Avatar Menu (👤) by clicking your avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing. 2. Go to the Plans & Top-ups tab and confirm your summit upgrade is shown as active. If it still appears as pending, wait a few minutes and refresh before attempting the add-on purchase again. 3. On the same tab, click Add Payment Method to verify your card details are current and correct. An outdated or mismatched card is a frequent cause of invalid order errors. 4. Once your upgrade status is confirmed as active and your payment method is valid, attempt the add-on purchase again. 5. If the error reappears, note the exact error message text, the add-on name and price, and the date and time of the attempt — you will need these details when contacting support. ✅ How to Confirm It Worked After a successful purchase, return to the top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab. Your add-on (e.g., Search Secrets Pack) should appear as an active item in your plan summary. You can also check the Invoices tab to confirm a new charge was recorded. If the add-on does not appear within a few minutes of a successful payment, refresh the page and check the Activity Log tab under Billing for a timestamped record of the transaction. 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.

🔁 Fix Reactivation Blocked by 3D Secure or Checkout Bug

🔍 Why Reactivation May Fail If you try to restart a Starter subscription and the payment does not go through, the cause is often incomplete 3D Secure authentication or a checkout bug that locks the country field to the United States. These issues prevent the normal self-serve flow from completing. 🛠️ What the Support Team Does When you contact support, the billing team can manually generate a pending invoice in your dashboard. This invoice bypasses the blocked checkout and lets you finish the payment yourself. ✅ Self-Serve Steps After Invoice Is Created 1. Open your dashboard and locate the new invoice marked as Pending. 2. Select that invoice to open the payment page. 3. Complete the 3D Secure authentication if prompted. 4. Confirm the payment. Once it succeeds, your subscription will reactivate automatically. 💡 If You Do Not See a Pending Invoice The pending invoice is created only after the billing team intervenes. If no pending invoice appears, 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 so they can generate one for you.

🛠️ Fix a Payment Card Discrepancy on Your Account

🔍 Overview Some customers notice a mismatch between the payment card shown on their invoices and the card that is actually being charged. For example, your invoices may reference a card ending in one set of digits while charges appear on a completely different card. This discrepancy is a known billing system issue that requires a manual correction by our team. Because this fix happens at the backend billing level, it cannot be resolved by changing settings yourself inside the platform — but this article explains exactly what is happening and how to get it corrected quickly. Note that if you have more than one saved card, you can manage cards yourself from your avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab (add a new card, set it as primary, or remove a card); the last remaining card cannot be removed this way and requires support. ⚠️ Why This Happens This issue is linked to a known discrepancy between our billing records and our payment processor. In some cases, a card that was previously saved on the account remains active for charges even though a different card is displayed as the default on invoices. Our engineering team is actively working on a fix to prevent this from occurring for new customers. ✅ How to Get This Corrected Follow the steps below to identify the discrepancy and prepare the information our billing team needs to resolve it as quickly as possible. 1. Identify the discrepancy. Check your most recent invoice to note which card number (last four digits) is shown, and compare it to the card number that actually received the charge on your bank or card statement. 2. Gather your card details. Have the last four digits of both the card shown on the invoice and the card you want to be charged going forward. You do not need to share full card numbers. 3. Verify your billing section. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your account billing settings to confirm which card is listed on recent invoices. 4. Contact our support team. Reach out to our billing support team directly through the platform. Share the last four digits of the card currently shown on your invoices and the last four digits of the card you want all future charges to use. Our billing team will then correct the active payment card directly in the backend billing system. 5. Confirmation. Once our billing team makes the correction in the backend system, all future charges — including any recent invoices affected by the discrepancy — will be processed using your preferred card. You will receive confirmation from our team once the change has been made. 📊 What to Expect After the Fix - Future invoices will correctly reflect the card our team sets as active in the billing system. - Any recent invoice that was affected by the mismatch will also be updated to reference the correct card. - You will receive confirmation from our team once the change has been made. 💡 Tips to Avoid Confusion - After the correction is confirmed by our team, check your next invoice to verify the correct card is now displayed. - If you add or remove a card from your account in the future and notice a similar mismatch, contact our billing support team promptly so the discrepancy can be corrected before your next billing cycle. 📬 Still Need Help? If you are unsure whether your account is affected or have questions about a specific invoice, please reach out to our support team. Provide the last four digits of the card shown on your invoice and the last four digits of the card you wish to have on file, and a billing team member will correct the active payment method in the backend system on your behalf.

💳 Fix a Subscription Expired After Failed Payment

🔍 Why Your Subscription Shows as Expired If you see a message saying your subscription has expired, the most common cause is a failed payment. This can happen for several reasons: - Your credit or debit card has expired - Insufficient funds at the time of billing - Your bank declined the charge (sometimes due to fraud protection) - Your card details have changed since you first subscribed - Your billing address does not match your card records When a payment fails, your subscription goes past due while the payment is retried. You keep dashboard access during this time, but quota for the unpaid period is not renewed, so quota-consuming actions can be restricted until the payment goes through. ✅ How to Restore Your Subscription Follow these steps to update your payment details and reactivate your account: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account at app.searchatlas.com. 2. Click your Avatar Menu (👤) in the top-right corner of the dashboard. 3. Select Billing from the dropdown menu, then go to Plans & Top-ups (Add Payment Method / Manage Subscription). 4. Click Add Payment Method to update your payment details. 5. Enter your new or corrected card information and confirm your billing address. 6. Click Save to store the updated details. 7. Once saved, click Retry Payment to process the outstanding charge immediately. If the payment is successful, your subscription will be reinstated instantly and full access to all features will be restored. 💡 Tips to Prevent Future Payment Failures A few simple habits can help make sure your subscription never lapses unexpectedly: - Keep your card details up to date — update them as soon as you receive a new card. - Check your email — Search Atlas sends payment failure notifications to your registered email address so you can act quickly. - Notify your bank — if your bank frequently blocks recurring SaaS charges, ask them to whitelist Search Atlas billing. - Use a dedicated business card — this reduces the chance of personal card limits or expirations disrupting your account. ⚠️ What Happens to Your Data During an Expired Period Your projects, reports, and settings are not deleted when a subscription expires due to a failed payment. Search Atlas retains your data for a grace period so you can restore access without losing any work. Once your payment is successfully processed, everything will be exactly as you left it. 🛠️ Still Having Trouble? If you have updated your payment details but the subscription is still showing as expired, or if the Retry Payment button is not working, there may be an issue that requires manual review. 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.

💳 Fix a Past Due Status After Payment

🔍 Why This Happens After making a payment, your account should update automatically. However, in some cases a sync delay or billing system error can leave your account showing a past due status even though your payment was successfully processed. Common causes include: - A payment that was split across two transactions (for example, two separate charges of $100 instead of one charge of $200) - A subscription upgrade that was not applied correctly after payment - A billing system delay that did not update your account status in real time - A payment that was captured but not matched to your active subscription These issues are known and our engineering team actively monitors and resolves them. The steps below will help you confirm your payment was received and get your account restored as quickly as possible. ✅ Step 1: Confirm Your Payment Was Processed Before reaching out, gather the following information so our team can locate and resolve your case faster: - The date and amount of each payment made - The number of transactions (for example, two charges of $100 on the same date) - A screenshot or confirmation email from your payment provider or bank showing the charge was successful If you see a charge on your bank or card statement but your account still shows past due, this confirms a billing sync issue on our end — not a failed payment on yours. ⚙️ Step 2: Try Refreshing Your Account Status In some cases, a manual refresh can trigger your account to re-check its billing status. Try the following: 1. Log out of your Search Atlas account completely. 2. Clear your browser cache and cookies. 3. Log back in and check whether your account status has updated. If your account still shows past due after logging back in, do not attempt to make another payment. Submitting a duplicate payment will not resolve the issue and may result in being charged twice for the same billing period. 🚫 Do Not Pay Again Before Contacting Support If you have already paid and your account remains past due, do not submit another payment. Duplicate charges can occur and will need to be manually reversed by our billing team. Our support team can verify your payment and restore your account access without requiring any additional charges. 🛠️ Step 3: Contact Support With Your Payment Details If refreshing your account did not resolve the issue, our support team can manually verify your payment and correct your account status. When you reach out, please have the following ready: - Your account email address - The date(s) of payment - The amount(s) charged - Confirmation of whether the payment appeared as one transaction or multiple transactions - A screenshot of your bank or card statement showing the charge (optional but helpful) 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 confirms your payment: - Your account status will be updated from past due to active - Full access to all platform features will be restored - Any incorrectly applied restrictions will be removed - If a duplicate charge occurred, a refund will be issued for the extra amount Most billing status corrections are completed quickly once our team has verified the payment on file.

🔧 Troubleshooting Credit Purchase Issues in Search Atlas

Overview Credits in Search Atlas are used to run local citation campaigns and other platform features. If you clicked Purchase and nothing happened, this is often caused by a browser issue or a payment method problem. Because the specific steps to resolve a purchase failure can vary depending on your account and browser setup, the most reliable path is to reach out to our support team directly so an agent can identify and fix the issue for you. What to Have Ready Before Contacting Support To help our team resolve your issue as quickly as possible, please have the following information ready: - Your Search Atlas account email address - The exact error message or behavior you observed (e.g., button did not respond, page did not load, transaction declined) - The browser and operating system you were using when the issue occurred - The date and approximate time the issue occurred - Whether you attempted the purchase more than once Things You Can Try in the Meantime While these steps are not guaranteed to resolve every purchase issue, they address the most common browser-side causes: - Clear your browser cache and cookies and reload Search Atlas before retrying. - Try an Incognito or Private window, which disables most browser extensions by default. - Switch to a different browser (for example, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge) and attempt the purchase again. - Check your payment method to confirm the card is not expired and has sufficient funds. - Wait a few minutes and retry if you suspect a temporary issue on the payment processor side. If none of these steps resolve the issue, please contact our support team so an agent can investigate your account 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.

🛠️ Fix a Stuck or Unremovable Stripe Payment Method

🔍 Overview In some cases, a payment card stored in your Search Atlas account can become out of sync with Stripe, the payment processor we use. When this happens, the card may appear removable on your end but cannot actually be deleted through the normal interface — and attempting to add the same card again triggers a Stripe error. This is a known billing sync issue that requires our team to resolve on the backend. ⚠️ Signs You Are Affected - You receive a Stripe error when trying to re-add a card that was previously saved to your account. - The option to remove your existing payment method does not work, or the card reappears after deletion. - You are unable to add credits or complete a purchase because the payment method is stuck. - You cannot set a new card as your default payment method. 📋 What You Should Do Because this issue involves a mismatch between your Search Atlas account and Stripe's records, it cannot be fixed from within the platform on your own. Our billing team must manually deactivate or remove the stale payment method from the backend before you can re-add your card successfully. 1. Do not attempt to add the same card multiple times. Repeated attempts will not resolve the underlying mismatch and may cause additional errors. 2. Contact our support team immediately using the live chat widget (see below). Provide the last four digits of the affected card so the team can locate the correct record. 3. Wait for confirmation that the stale payment method has been removed from the backend. Our billing team will notify you once the fix is applied. 4. Re-add your card only after you have received confirmation that the issue is resolved. You should then be able to add credits and manage your payment method without errors. 💡 Why This Happens This error occurs when a payment method record in Search Atlas becomes out of sync with Stripe — for example, after a billing system migration or if a card detachment event was not correctly processed between the two systems. Our engineering team has deployed fixes to prevent this from occurring automatically in future, but accounts affected before those fixes were applied may still need a one-time manual cleanup. 🚀 After the Fix Once our team confirms the stale record has been removed, you can re-add your card as normal and resume purchasing credits or managing your subscription. If you experience the same issue again after the fix, contact support straight away so we can investigate further. 💬 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.

💳 AI Premium Quota Top-Up Not Reflecting After Payment

🔍 Overview Occasionally, a successful AI premium quota top-up payment may not automatically reflect in your account due to a known processing issue. Your card is charged, but the credits do not appear right away. This is a recognised platform bug that our engineering team has worked to resolve. If you encounter it, our support team can apply your credits manually and quickly. ⚠️ What This Issue Looks Like - You completed a $10 AI premium quota top-up purchase. - The payment was processed and the charge appears on your bank or card statement. - Your AI premium quota balance has not increased in the platform. - No error message was shown during or after the purchase. ✅ How This Is Resolved Because this issue occurs on the backend, the credits must be added to your account manually by a member of our support team. The good news is that this process is straightforward and fast — our agents can verify your payment and apply the quota top-up directly to your account. To get this resolved as quickly as possible, please have the following information ready before you reach out: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account. - Confirmation that the $10 charge has appeared on your payment statement. - The approximate date and time of the purchase, if known. 🛠️ Steps to Get Your Credits Applied 1. Verify that the charge has gone through by checking your bank or card statement. 2. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 3. Open the support chat within the platform and connect with a member of our support team. 4. Let the agent know that your AI premium quota top-up payment was successful but the credits are not reflecting in your account, and share the email address on your account along with the approximate purchase date. 5. The agent will confirm your payment on the backend and manually add the quota credits to your account. 6. Once the agent confirms the credits have been applied, refresh your browser or log out and back in to see your updated AI premium quota balance. 📊 After Your Credits Are Applied Once a support agent has added the quota manually, you can check your AI premium quota balance within the platform. If the balance still does not appear updated after the agent confirms the fix, try refreshing your browser or logging out and back in. 💡 Important Notes - This issue has been identified and addressed by our engineering team, but if you purchased a top-up before the fix was fully deployed, you may still need manual assistance. - Do not attempt to repurchase the top-up to resolve the issue — this could result in being charged twice. Wait for a support agent to confirm and apply your original payment first. - Our support agents can see your billing history and will be able to verify your payment without you needing to provide a receipt. 💬 Need Help? If you need further assistance, open the support chat within the platform to connect with our team. Please have your account email and payment confirmation ready so we can resolve this as quickly as possible.

💳 Set Your Default Payment Card in Billing

🔍 Why the Wrong Card Gets Charged Search Atlas stores your default payment method separately from the list of cards on your account. When you delete all cards and add new ones, the system may still reference the original default unless you explicitly update it. Adding a new card does not automatically make it the default — you need to set it manually in your billing settings. 🗂️ How to Change Your Default Payment Card To update your default payment method, navigate to the Billing area via the top-right Avatar Menu (👤) (Plans & Top-ups, Services, Invoices, Activity Log). From there, locate the payment methods or saved cards section. Find the card you want to use as your primary payment method and select the option to make it your default. Save or confirm the change before leaving the page. Your next invoice will be charged to the card you have set as default. ✅ How to Confirm the Correct Card Is Active After updating your default, verify within your billing settings that the correct card is marked or indicated as your primary payment method. Only one card can be set as default at a time. If the change does not appear to have taken effect, repeat the steps above and make sure you confirm the selection before navigating away. ➕ Adding a New Card and Setting It as Default Immediately If you are adding a new card, go to the payment methods area within your Billing settings. Add your new card details and save them. Once the new card appears in your saved cards list, set it as your default payment method. Completing both steps — saving the card and designating it as default — ensures Search Atlas charges the correct card on your next billing date. 🗑️ Removing an Old Card Safely Before deleting an old card, always set a different card as your default first. If you remove a card without assigning a new default, your subscription may encounter a payment failure on the next billing cycle. To avoid interruption, follow this order: 1. Add the new card (if not already added). 2. Set the new card as your default payment method. 3. Delete the old card. ⚠️ What to Do If the Old Card Is Still Being Charged If you have already been charged on an unexpected card, here is what to check: - Confirm the correct card is set as default in your billing settings. - Check whether the charge occurred before you updated the default — billing runs on a fixed cycle, and changes made after a charge has processed apply to the next cycle only. - If the charge happened after you set the new default, or if you are unable to locate or change the default card setting, escalate to our support team. When you do, please have ready: your account email, the last four digits of both the old and new cards, and the date and amount of the unexpected charge. 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.

💳 Billing Charging the Wrong Card

🔍 What This Article Covers Some customers have reported that their billing system continues to charge an older or non-default card even after they have set a different card as the default payment method. This article explains why this happens and what steps to take to resolve it. ⚠️ Why This Happens This issue is related to a known behaviour in our legacy billing system. In some cases — particularly for accounts that were migrated from an older billing setup — the system may retain a reference to a previous card and continue using it for charges, even when a different card has been marked as the default. Our engineering team has identified and resolved the underlying cause, but some accounts may still be affected if the payment method was not fully updated at the backend level. ✅ What You Can Try First 1. Verify your default card. Log in to your account and navigate to Avatar (top-right) → Billing. Confirm that the card you want to be charged is set as the default payment method. Check that the last four digits match the card you expect to be billed. 2. Remove the old card. If a previous card is still saved in your account, remove it entirely. This reduces the chance of the system falling back to an outdated payment method. 3. Attempt the action again. After confirming only the correct card is on file and set as default, retry the subscription renewal or manual payment if applicable. 🛠️ When Self-Service Is Not Enough If the wrong card is still being charged after you have updated your default payment method and removed old cards, the issue likely requires a backend correction by our team. This is consistent with how previous cases were resolved — a support agent escalated the request internally, and our billing team manually updated the payment method and processed the correct charge. In this situation, do not attempt the payment multiple times, as duplicate charges may occur while the wrong card is active. 💬 How to Get This Fixed Quickly To get your payment processed on the correct card, contact our support team with the following information ready: - The last four digits of the card that should be charged - The last four digits of the card that was incorrectly charged (if a charge already went through) - The exact amount that needs to be charged or refunded - Whether this is for a subscription renewal or a one-time top-up Having these details ready allows our team to escalate immediately to the billing team and complete the correction without back-and-forth. 📋 What Our Team Will Do Once your request is received, a support agent will attempt to update the default card on your account. If a system error prevents this from being done through standard tools, the request is escalated to our backend billing team, who will manually process the charge on the correct card and reactivate your subscription if needed. This process has been completed successfully for affected customers. 🙋 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.

💳 Fix AI Premium Quota Top-Up Payment Errors

🔍 Overview When attempting to purchase additional AI Premium Quota (10 points / $10), some customers encounter a payment error that blocks the transaction. The most common error message is Payment failed: requires_source_action. In some cases, the failure may appear as a silent banner with no clear error message. This article explains why this happens and the steps you can take to resolve it. ⚠️ What Causes This Error? The requires_source_action error occurs when your bank or card issuer requires an additional authentication step before approving the payment. This is typically triggered by: - 3D Secure (3DS) authentication — your bank requires you to verify the transaction via a popup, SMS code, or banking app. - Card restrictions — your card may be blocked for online or international transactions. - Outdated payment method — an expired card or incorrect billing details on file. - Browser or popup blockers — the 3DS authentication popup may be blocked, causing a silent failure with no visible error. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve the Payment Failure 1. Check for a bank authentication prompt. After clicking the top-up button, watch for a popup window or redirect from your bank asking you to verify the payment. Complete the verification if prompted. 2. Disable your popup blocker. Open your browser settings and allow popups for the Search Atlas platform, then attempt the top-up again. Popup blockers can silently prevent the 3DS authentication window from appearing. 3. Try a different browser. If you are using extensions or a browser with strict security settings, switch to a clean browser session (e.g., an incognito window in Chrome or Firefox) and retry. 4. Update your payment method. Navigate to your billing settings inside Search Atlas and verify that your card details — including expiry date, CVV, and billing address — are correct and up to date. Remove and re-add the card if needed. 5. Use an alternative card or payment method. If the issue persists with your current card, try a different credit or debit card. Contact your bank to confirm the original card is authorised for online purchases. 6. Contact your bank. Ask your bank whether the transaction was declined on their end and request that they allow the charge from Search Atlas. 7. Retry the top-up. Once you have completed the steps above, return to the AI Premium Quota section in your account and attempt the purchase again. 📍 Where to Find the AI Premium Quota Top-Up To locate the top-up option inside Search Atlas: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing). 3. In the Content section, find the AI Premium row. 4. Click the top-up button to purchase additional quota (10 points / $10). 💡 Additional Tips - If you see a success message but your quota has not increased, wait a few minutes and refresh your account dashboard. If it still has not updated, please reach out via the chat widget. - If you experience a silent failure — no error message and no quota added — your browser's popup blocker is the most likely cause. Disabling it and retrying usually resolves this. - Ensure your billing plan is active and your subscription renewal is current, as an inactive subscription may affect top-up eligibility. 🆘 Still Need Help? If you have followed all the steps above and are still unable to complete your AI Premium Quota top-up, our team is ready to assist. 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.

💳 Reactivate Growth Plan After Payment Decline

💡 Why Reactivation Fails When you click the reactivate button for your Growth plan, the system attempts to charge the payment method on file. If the charge is declined or blocked by your bank, the reactivation cannot complete and you will see an error message. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve 1. Sign in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right, then go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Add Payment Method / Manage Subscription). 3. Update your payment method with a valid credit card that allows this type of purchase. 4. Retry the reactivation from your plan management page. 5. If the charge still fails, contact your bank to confirm they authorize the transaction and remove any blocks. 6. After the bank confirms authorization, attempt reactivation again. ✅ What to Expect Once a valid payment method is accepted, your Growth plan reactivates immediately and full access is restored. 💬 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.

💳 Payment Not Reflecting Your Plan Upgrade

🔍 Why This Happens After completing a plan upgrade, most accounts update instantly. However, in some cases there can be a short delay between your payment being processed by your bank or card network and Search Atlas receiving the confirmation from our payment provider. This can cause a temporary mismatch where your bank statement shows a charge but your account still displays your previous plan. Common reasons this occurs include: - Payment processing delay: Debit card transactions and certain bank networks can take a few minutes longer to send a confirmation signal to our billing system. - Duplicate transaction attempt: If the payment page was refreshed or submitted more than once, a secondary charge may have been created while the plan upgrade was only partially applied. - Trial-to-paid upgrade timing: Upgrading mid-trial can occasionally cause a sync issue between your billing date and the plan activation date. - False failure notice: In rare cases, Search Atlas may display a "transaction failed" message even though the payment was successfully captured by your bank. This is a display error and does not mean your money was lost. ✅ What to Check First 1. Wait up to 15 minutes and then refresh your Search Atlas dashboard. Most delays resolve automatically once the payment confirmation is received. 2. Check your plan status by navigating to Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing (Plans & Top-ups) inside the platform. Confirm whether the plan name and feature limits have updated. 3. Review your email inbox for a payment confirmation or receipt from Search Atlas. If you received a receipt, the payment was captured successfully and the plan should update shortly. 4. Check for duplicate charges on your bank or card statement. If you see more than one charge for the same amount on the same date, make a note of the transaction dates and amounts before contacting support. ⚠️ When Your Plan Is Still Not Updated If more than 30 minutes have passed and your account still shows your old plan despite a confirmed bank charge, do not attempt to pay again. A second payment attempt could result in a duplicate charge without resolving the plan issue. Instead, gather the following information before reaching out so our team can resolve the issue as quickly as possible: - The date and amount of the charge on your bank or card statement - A screenshot of the transaction failed notice (if you received one) - The plan you intended to upgrade to (for example, Growth, Pro) - Whether you were upgrading from a free trial or a paid plan 💡 Debit Card Payments — Extra Notes Debit cards are fully supported, but they sometimes take longer to process than credit cards because the funds are drawn directly from your bank account. If you paid with a debit card and see a pending charge on your statement rather than a completed one, your bank may still be authorising the transaction. Allow up to one business day for the charge to settle and the plan to activate. If the charge moves from pending to completed but your plan still has not updated, contact our support team using the steps in the section below. 💰 Incorrect Charge Amount If the amount charged does not match the price shown during checkout — for example, you were billed a different figure than the plan price displayed — do not assume this is correct. Pricing discrepancies can occur during mid-cycle upgrades due to prorated calculations, but the final amount should always be clearly communicated before you confirm payment. Please contact our support team immediately with your bank statement and the price you expected to pay so we can investigate and, where applicable, issue a correction or refund. 🛠️ How to Get Help If none of the steps above resolved your issue, our team is ready to investigate your account and billing record 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. Please have your transaction details ready when you start the chat so we can resolve your case as quickly as possible.

💳 Update Your Primary Payment Method Card

💳 Overview Your primary payment method is the card Search Atlas charges for subscription renewals and any additional top-ups. If you need to switch to a new card, you must first add it, set it as primary, and then remove the old one. This guide walks you through each step. 🔍 Before You Begin - You must have Admin access to manage billing settings. - Have your new card details ready (card number, expiry date, and CVV). - You cannot delete a card that is currently set as the primary payment method — you must assign a new primary card first. 🛠️ Step 1: Add Your New Card 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing from the dropdown menu. 3. Open the Plans & Top-ups tab. 4. Click Add Payment Method. 5. Enter your new card details and confirm. Once saved, the new card will appear in your list of payment methods but may not yet be set as primary. ⚙️ Step 2: Set the New Card as Primary 1. On the Plans & Top-ups tab, locate your newly added card in the payment methods list. 2. Click the option to Set as Primary next to the new card. 3. Confirm the change when prompted. The new card is now your active primary payment method and will be used for all future charges. 🗑️ Step 3: Remove the Old Card 1. Still on the Plans & Top-ups tab, find your old card in the payment methods list. 2. Click Remove or the delete icon next to it. 3. Confirm the removal. Important: If you see an error when trying to delete the old card, double-check that the new card has been successfully set as primary first. Search Atlas will not allow you to remove a card that is still assigned as the primary payment method. ❓ Troubleshooting Common Issues - Cannot set new card as primary: Refresh the page after adding the card, then try again. If the option is greyed out, ensure your new card was saved successfully. - Cannot delete the old card: Confirm the new card shows a Primary badge or label before attempting to remove the old one. - Card not saving: Check that all card details are entered correctly, including the billing address if required. Temporary holds or restrictions from your bank can also prevent a card from being added — contact your bank to verify. - No option to manage cards: Confirm you are logged in as an Admin. Standard team members do not have access to billing settings. 💡 Tips - Always keep at least one valid payment method on file to avoid service interruptions. - After updating your primary card, check the Activity Log tab under Billing to confirm the change was recorded. - If you have an upcoming renewal date, update your card at least 24 hours in advance to ensure the change processes correctly. 🆘 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.

🛒 Troubleshooting an Invalid Order Error on Add-On Purchases

This article helps you resolve an "invalid order" error that appears when attempting to purchase an add-on (such as the Search Secrets Pack) alongside or after a Summit upgrade. This error typically means there is a mismatch between your current order session and the add-on being applied — but it can be fixed quickly with the right information. 🔍 Common Causes - The add-on was triggered in a separate browser session or tab from your original upgrade purchase. - Your Summit upgrade order did not fully process before the add-on was attempted. - A browser cache or cookie issue caused the order session to expire or conflict. - The add-on link used was tied to a different order context than your account's current purchase. 🛠️ Step-by-Step 1. Do not attempt the purchase again immediately — repeated failed attempts can cause further session conflicts. 2. Clear your browser cache and cookies, then close and reopen your browser completely. 3. Log back into your account and confirm that your Summit upgrade is showing as active or completed in your account settings before retrying the add-on. 4. When retrying the add-on purchase, use the same browser session in which you are already logged in — do not open the add-on link in a private or incognito window unless you are also logged in there. 5. If the error appears again, do not retry further. Instead, note the exact error message shown on screen and the name of the add-on you were attempting to purchase (e.g., Search Secrets Pack, $97), then contact support via the chat widget so a teammate can manually apply the add-on to your account. ✅ How to Confirm It Worked After a successful add-on purchase, you should receive a confirmation email for that specific add-on transaction. Inside your account, the features or content associated with the add-on (such as Search Secrets Pack materials) should become visible or unlocked. If you do not see a confirmation email within a few minutes or the content does not appear, the order did not complete — reach out to support before attempting to purchase again to avoid duplicate 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.

💳 Canada Pro Plan Payment Options Explained

🌎 Overview Canadian customers sometimes ask whether a payment plan or instalment option is available when purchasing the Search Atlas Pro annual plan or a promotional annual offer (such as a Summit Special). This article explains what is currently available and how to proceed with your purchase. 💳 Payment Plan Availability for Canada At this time, traditional instalment-based payment plans are not available for Canadian customers on the Pro annual billing cycle. Annual plans for customers in Canada must be paid in full at checkout using a supported payment method. Supported payment methods at checkout include: - Major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) - Debit cards with a Visa or Mastercard logo 🏷️ What About Promotional Annual Offers? Promotional offers — such as Summit Specials or limited-time annual discounts — follow the same billing rules. If you are a Canadian customer purchasing a promotional annual plan, full payment is required at the time of checkout. Instalment options are not applied to these offers for accounts in Canada. If you already hold an active annual plan and see a promotional offer advertised, note that eligibility may vary based on your current subscription status. Our team can confirm whether a specific promotion applies to your account. 📊 Annual Plan vs. Monthly Billing — Key Differences - Annual plan: Billed once per year as a single payment; offers the best value and lowest effective monthly rate. - Monthly plan: Billed each month; no long-term commitment required. If paying the full annual amount upfront is not feasible, switching to the monthly billing cycle may be a practical alternative. While the monthly rate is higher than the annual per-month equivalent, it spreads costs into smaller, regular payments with no large upfront charge. 🔄 How to Switch to Monthly Billing 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and select Billing. 3. Review your current plan and select the option to change your billing cycle. 4. Choose the monthly billing option and confirm your selection. Changes take effect at the start of your next billing period. Your access and features remain unchanged during the transition. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Will payment plan options be added for Canada in the future? We are always evaluating ways to expand payment flexibility for customers in all regions. Updates will be announced in the platform and on our website when new options become available. I was charged the wrong amount or my billing looks incorrect — what should I do? If you notice a discrepancy in your billing amount, renewal date, or plan details, contact our support team right away so we can investigate and resolve it promptly. Can I get a refund if I change my mind after purchasing an annual plan? Refund eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Reach out to our support team as soon as possible if you have concerns about a recent charge. 🛠️ 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.

💳 Resolve Payment Failures and Dashboard Sync Issues

🔍 Why You See Early Failure Emails Our billing system attempts to charge your card several days before the actual due date (July 11 in your example). If that first attempt fails, you immediately receive a payment‑failure email and a warning about possible service interruption. This is expected behavior — it gives you time to update payment details before the real due date. 🔁 Automatic Retry Schedule After a failed charge, the system automatically retries at set intervals (typically 24 hours, 72 hours, and 5 days later). You will receive an email for each retry attempt. If all retries fail, the subscription moves to a cancelled state and service stops on the due date. This retry logic applies to both subscription plans and monthly top‑ups (Linear QP-700). 📊 Dashboard Shows Conflicting Status The dashboard may still display "Active" or "Payment Pending" while retries are in progress. This temporary mismatch happens because the dashboard syncs with the billing engine once per hour. Wait for the next sync cycle or refresh the page after a successful retry to see the correct status. A known desync between the billing engine and the dashboard — caused by invalid primary keys and duplicate entries — has been resolved (Linear QPB-119), and a separate issue where the payment screen incorrectly showed "Payment Failed" after a successful checkout has also been fixed (Linear QPB-566). ✅ Steps to Resolve the Issue 1. Open the billing page from the Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab. 2. Verify the card on file: check expiry date, CVV, and available balance. 3. If the card is expired or declined, click Add Payment Method and enter a valid card. 4. After updating, use the Retry Payment button to trigger an immediate charge instead of waiting for the next automatic attempt. This manual retry capability was added as part of the Retry Payment API implementation (Linear QP-1679). 5. Confirm the payment succeeds — you will see a green "Paid" badge and the warning emails will stop. 🛡️ Prevent Future Failures - Keep a backup payment method on file. - Set a calendar reminder a week before your renewal date to verify card details. - Enable email notifications for billing events in Settings → Notifications. 💬 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.

💳 Fix Updated Payment Card Not Reflecting in Billing

🔍 Why Is My Old Card Still Being Charged? After adding a new payment card to your Search Atlas account, you may notice that billing attempts still target your previous card. This can happen for a few reasons: - The new card was added but not yet set as the default payment method. - A sync delay between Search Atlas and our payment processor means the change has not fully applied. - The old card was not removed, so it remains eligible as a fallback. The steps below will help you confirm your new card is correctly set and prevent future charges to an outdated card. ✅ Step 1: Verify Your Default Payment Method Setting a new card as default is a separate action from simply adding it. Follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right and select Billing. 3. On the Plans & Top-ups tab, locate the new card you added (use Add Payment Method if needed). 4. Click Set as Default next to the new card. 5. Confirm that a Default badge or label now appears on the new card and not the old one. A card must be explicitly marked as default before Search Atlas will use it for upcoming charges. Adding a card alone does not automatically make it your primary payment method. 🗑️ Step 2: Remove the Old Card To prevent the system from falling back to your previous card, remove it entirely once your new default is confirmed: 1. On the Plans & Top-ups tab in Billing, find your old card. 2. Click Remove or the delete icon next to it. 3. Confirm the removal when prompted. If you are unable to delete the old card or the option is greyed out, this may be due to a known migration issue that our engineering team is actively resolving. Please contact support using the instructions at the bottom of this article. ⏳ Step 3: Allow Time for the Change to Sync After setting a new default and removing the old card, allow a short period for the update to sync with our payment processor. In most cases this is near-instant, but during high-volume periods it may take a few minutes. If a billing cycle falls within this window, the system may still attempt the old card one final time. If you were charged on an old card after completing the steps above, our support team can review the transaction and assist with any necessary adjustments. ⚠️ Known Issue: Default Card Change Not Taking Effect We have identified and resolved a technical issue where setting a new card as the primary payment method was not always reflected in our payment processor. This affected a small number of accounts where the old card continued to be charged despite a new default being saved in your account settings. Our engineering team has deployed a fix for this. If you completed the steps above and are still experiencing the issue, please reach out so we can manually verify your billing configuration is correct. 🛠️ Quick Troubleshooting Checklist - New card added? Confirm it appears on the Plans & Top-ups tab in Billing (via your top-right avatar → Billing). - Default set correctly? Check that the new card shows a Default badge. - Old card removed? Delete the old card to eliminate any fallback risk. - Still being charged on the old card? Contact support for manual review. - Cannot delete old card? This may be a known platform issue — contact support immediately. 💬 Still Need Help? If you have followed the steps above and your billing is still targeting the wrong card, or if you were incorrectly charged, our team can investigate and correct the issue on 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 connected with a member of our team. Additional Notes You can only remove a card if it is not currently set as the default. Make sure your new card is set as default before attempting to delete the old one. Also: Do not attempt to dispute the charge before contacting us, as we can issue a correction directly.

💰 Changing Your PayPal Email for Publication Media Payouts

Publication Media payouts are sent to the PayPal email on file for your publisher account. You can update that email address yourself, up to twice per year, directly from your dashboard. 🛠️ How to Change Your PayPal Email 1. Go to your Publication Media account settings. 2. Locate the PayPal email field. 3. Enter your new PayPal email address and save. 4. If you've already used both changes for the year, you will not be able to make additional changes until your next annual period. ⚠️ Why Support Can't Make This Change for You Our Publication Media team does not update a publisher's PayPal email on their behalf, under any circumstances — including lost access to the old PayPal account, account recovery situations, or reaching the twice-a-year limit. This is a deliberate fraud-prevention safeguard: PayPal email changes are a common vector publishers have used to redirect someone else's payouts, so support intentionally has no manual override path, even for legitimate requests. This means if you've lost access to your old PayPal account, or hit your twice-a-year limit, there is no faster path — the self-service change (or the annual reset) is the only way the email updates. 💸 What Happens to Pending Payouts Payouts already queued to your old PayPal email remain tied to that email until you update it yourself through the self-service flow above. Once you update your PayPal email in the dashboard, new payouts route to the new address — support cannot manually redirect a specific pending payout to a different email. 💬 Still Need Help? If you're not seeing the option to update your PayPal email, or you have questions about your account status, please reach out to 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.