Home 🔄 Downgrades & Pauses

🔄 Downgrades & Pauses

Camilo Aponte
By Camilo Aponte
• 10 articles

🔄 Cancel or Stay: Exploring Your Options Before You Go

🤔 Not Getting the Results You Expected? Before cancelling, it is worth spending a few minutes identifying what is not working. Many customers who feel the platform is not delivering results have not yet had a chance to explore the features most relevant to their goals — or have run into a setup issue that is easy to fix. This article walks you through both paths: how to troubleshoot low engagement and how to cancel if you decide to move on. 🧭 Step 1 — Identify Why Results Feel Disappointing The most common reasons customers feel they are not seeing value include: - Onboarding was not completed: Many core features — including keyword tracking, site audits, and content tools — require a project or domain to be set up first. If your workspace feels empty, this is likely the cause. - The wrong tools for your workflow: Search Atlas covers SEO, content, and backlink research. If you have only used one area, you may be missing the features best suited to your goals. - Expectations about timelines: SEO results take time to appear in rankings and traffic data. The platform surfaces insights and actions, but organic results typically build over weeks or months. - Not enough time to explore: If the product has been sitting unused, a guided session or a review of key features can change that quickly. If any of these sound familiar, continue to Step 2 before making a final decision. 🛠️ Step 2 — Quick Actions That May Change Your Experience Try one or more of the following before cancelling: 1. Complete your project setup: Go to your dashboard and confirm you have at least one active project with a domain connected. This unlocks rank tracking, site audit data, and content recommendations. 2. Book a free onboarding call: Search Atlas offers live onboarding support. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type onboarding to request a session with the team. 3. Review the Help Center: Browse articles covering the features you have not yet explored. Customers who use three or more tools in the platform report significantly higher satisfaction. 4. Ask for a workflow recommendation: If you are not sure where to start, our team can match you with the features that fit your specific goals — whether that is local SEO, content scaling, link building, or technical audits. 💬 Step 3 — Talk to a Human Teammate First If you are frustrated or feel the platform has not delivered, our team genuinely wants to hear that. We can review your account, identify gaps in setup or usage, and suggest a path forward — or help you understand whether the platform is the right fit. 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. ❌ Step 4 — How to Cancel Your Subscription If you have considered the options above and still wish to cancel, follow these steps: 1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform. 2. Select Billing from the dropdown menu (Billing is a separate item in the avatar dropdown, not nested under Settings). 3. On the Billing page, locate the Subscription section. 4. Select Cancel Subscription and follow the on-screen prompts to confirm. Your access will remain active until the end of your current billing period. You will not be charged again after cancellation is confirmed. 📋 What Happens After You Cancel - Your data and projects remain accessible until your billing period ends. - After the period ends, your account will be downgraded and active project data will no longer be available. - You can reactivate your subscription at any time by returning to the Billing section from the avatar dropdown. - If you believe you were charged in error or have a billing question related to your cancellation, open the chat widget and type human teammate for immediate support. 🔁 Changed Your Mind? Reactivating Is Easy Many customers who cancel return after exploring other tools or after their projects evolve. Your account is never permanently closed, and reactivating restores your previous plan options. Simply log back in and visit Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing) to choose a plan and reactivate at any time.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Fix Billing Overcharges and Plan Downgrades

🔍 Overview Some customers have reported being charged the wrong amount after a plan change — for example, seeing a $399 charge instead of $199, or being prompted to pay again when switching to a lower-tier plan. This article explains why these issues happen, what to expect, and how to get them resolved quickly. ⚠️ Why Overcharges Happen Billing discrepancies on Search Atlas accounts are usually caused by one of the following: - Custom pricing not applied automatically: If you were quoted a special rate by a Search Atlas team member (such as a discounted plan price or promotional credits), that pricing sometimes needs to be manually applied to your account. If you check out through the standard self-serve flow before this is done, you may be charged the full list price. - Duplicate subscription charges: In some cases, accounts that had a past-due status and re-entered checkout were inadvertently given a second base subscription on top of an existing one, resulting in a double charge. - Downgrade flow triggering a new charge: Moving from a higher-tier plan (e.g., PRO) to a lower-tier plan (e.g., Growth) should not require an additional payment. If you were prompted to pay again during a downgrade, this is a known issue that our engineering team has addressed. - Upgrade charge applied without plan activation: In rare situations, a customer was charged for an upgrade but the new plan did not activate correctly, leaving them on their old plan while paying the new rate. ✅ What You Are Entitled To If you have been overcharged, you are entitled to the following: - A full refund of the difference between what you were charged and what your agreed or correct plan price should be. - Correct placement on the plan you intended to be on, without any additional charge to make that change. - Promotional credits or discounts that were promised to you by a Search Atlas team member, such as credits referenced in a sales or support conversation, will be honoured. Please have the name of the team member and any relevant conversation details ready when you contact support. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve Your Billing Issue 1. Do not attempt to cancel or re-subscribe on your own. This can trigger additional charges or create a second subscription. Wait until a support agent has reviewed your account. 2. Gather your details before contacting support: - The plan you expected to be on and the price you expected to pay - The charge amount that appeared on your statement - The name of any team member who promised you a specific price, credit, or discount (e.g., "Matt promised me X credits") - Approximate date the charge occurred 3. Contact support via the live chat widget (see below). Our team can view your subscription history, identify duplicate charges, apply correct pricing, process refunds, and move your account to the right plan — all in a single conversation. ⏱️ What to Expect After You Reach Out Once a support agent reviews your account, here is the typical resolution process: - Refund processing: The difference between the incorrect charge and your correct plan price will be refunded. Refunds typically appear on your original payment method within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card provider. - Plan correction: Your account will be moved to the correct plan without requiring another payment from you. - Credit application: Any credits that were promised by a Search Atlas team member will be applied directly to your account balance. - Confirmation: You will receive confirmation in the chat once all changes have been made. 🚫 Common Mistakes to Avoid - Do not click "Upgrade" or "Subscribe" again if you believe you have already been charged — this may create a second charge. - Do not dispute the charge with your bank before contacting us. Chargebacks can freeze your account and delay resolution. Our team is able to process refunds directly and quickly. - Do not share your full credit card number in chat. Support agents only need your account email and transaction details. 💬 Contact Support If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💳 Plan Downgrade & Out-of-Policy Refund Exceptions

🔍 Overview Search Atlas has a refund policy on plan charges. If you decide to downgrade your plan — for example, from Pro to Starter — and your invoice falls within the eligible refund window, a refund of the difference may be processed. However, if your invoice falls outside that window, a standard refund is not automatically available. In some cases, our team may review the situation and approve a one-time exception at their discretion. 📋 How Plan Downgrades Work When you downgrade your subscription, the following happens: - Your current plan remains active until the end of the billing cycle. - At the next renewal date, your account switches to the lower-tier plan. - Future invoices reflect the new, lower plan price. - You will lose access to any features or usage limits exclusive to your higher-tier plan. Downgrades do not automatically trigger a refund — a refund only applies if your request falls within Search Atlas's standard refund window at the time of the request. ⏱️ Refund Eligibility on Plan Downgrades Search Atlas's standard refund policy covers charges made within a recent billing window. If you request a downgrade and believe you are within that window, have the following ready when you reach out: 1. Your account email address. 2. The plans involved (e.g., Pro → Starter). 3. The invoice date and charge amount in question. Our team will review your account and advise on refund eligibility. 🔄 Requesting an Out-of-Policy Refund Exception If your invoice falls outside the standard refund window, you may still submit a request for our team to review. These exceptions are not guaranteed, but our team evaluates each case individually based on the circumstances. To submit an exception request, have the following information ready: 1. Your invoice date and the charge amount. 2. The plans involved in the downgrade. 3. A clear explanation of the reason you are requesting an exception. 4. Any relevant context about your account history or circumstances. Providing clear context about your situation helps our team assess your request fairly and quickly. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🚫 OTTO Site Top-Ups Won't Cancel? Here's What to Do

🔍 Overview Some customers find that when they attempt to cancel one or more OTTO site top-ups on Search Atlas, an error blocks the action and the cancellation does not go through. This article explains the fastest way to get it resolved. ⚙️ What Causes This Issue In some cases, OTTO site top-ups cannot be cancelled through the self-service interface. This means even after attempting to cancel, the top-ups may remain active. When self-service cancellation is not working, the billing team can resolve this manually on your behalf. 📋 Steps to Try First 1. Locate your OTTO site top-ups within your Search Atlas account and attempt to cancel them using the available cancellation option. 2. If the cancellation completes without an error, refresh the page to confirm the top-ups now show as cancelled. 🚨 If the Cancellation Fails If you encounter an error and are unable to cancel your OTTO site top-ups, the issue will need to be resolved by our billing team. Because the cancellation error occurs at the backend level, it cannot be cleared through the self-service interface — a billing team member must manually process the cancellation on your account. Follow these steps to get it fixed quickly: 1. Note how many OTTO site top-ups you need cancelled so you can provide this information to our team. 2. Contact our support team directly through the chat option available on the platform. 3. Let the agent know that your OTTO site top-up cancellation is failing and provide the number of top-ups affected. 4. Our billing team will cancel the top-ups on your behalf directly from the backend. 5. Once confirmed by the agent, refresh the page — your OTTO sites should now show as cancelled. ✅ After the Fix After the billing team has processed the cancellation, refresh your browser and check your OTTO site top-ups to verify that they are no longer showing as active. If any top-ups still appear active after refreshing, let the support agent know immediately so they can investigate further. 🙋 Still Need Help? If you need further assistance, reach out to our support team through the chat option available on the platform and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🚫 Cancel OTTO Add-ons and Understand Pending Status

📋 What are OTTO Add-ons? OTTO add-ons are optional premium features you can activate on your Search Atlas account to enhance your SEO automation and content capabilities. You are charged separately for each active OTTO add-on during your billing cycle. If you no longer need an add-on, you can cancel it at any time. 💳 How Many OTTO Add-ons Are You Paying For? To see which OTTO add-ons are currently active and billing to your account, log in to Search Atlas and navigate to your account settings. Your billing page will list all active add-ons with their associated costs. If you see charges you do not recognize, review your active add-ons immediately to identify any you no longer use. 🛑 How to Cancel an OTTO Add-on Follow these steps to cancel any active OTTO add-on: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to your account settings. 3. Go to your billing or subscription settings. 4. Locate the section listing your active OTTO add-ons. 5. Find the OTTO add-on you wish to cancel. 6. Select the option to cancel the add-on. 7. Confirm your cancellation when prompted. 8. Your cancellation request is now submitted. You will see the add-on status change to Pending Cancellation. If you are unsure where to find these settings or encounter any difficulty canceling an add-on, please reach out to our support team via the chat icon in your Search Atlas account and we will assist you directly. ⏳ Understanding Pending Cancellation Status When you cancel an OTTO add-on, it does not stop immediately. Instead, the add-on enters a Pending Cancellation state. This means your cancellation request has been accepted and is scheduled to take effect at the end of your current billing cycle. You will continue to have full access to the add-on and its features until your billing cycle ends. On the first day of your next billing cycle, the add-on will be removed from your account and you will no longer be charged for it. Pending cancellation status protects you from losing access to features mid-cycle and ensures billing accuracy. You will not be charged for the add-on after your cycle ends. 🔄 Reactivating a Cancelled Add-on If an add-on is in pending cancellation status and you change your mind, you can reactivate it through your billing or subscription settings before your current billing cycle ends. Reactivated add-ons will continue billing as normal on your next invoice. If you need help reactivating an add-on or reversing a cancellation, contact our support team via the chat icon in your Search Atlas account.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

🚫 Cancel OTTO Sites Top-Up Without Losing Access

Overview If you have purchased an OTTO Sites top-up and want to cancel it before your next billing date — while keeping access to your remaining credits until then — you may encounter a 'Service not found' error or find that the cancellation does not complete successfully. This is a known billing issue that requires our team to resolve on your behalf. This article explains what is happening, what to expect, and exactly how to get it fixed quickly. ⚠️ What Is Happening A bug in the billing system can cause OTTO Sites top-up subscriptions to enter a broken state where: - The self-service cancellation flow returns a 'Service not found' error. - The subscription appears active on the dashboard but cannot be managed. - Attempting to cancel may unexpectedly remove your access to the top-up credits immediately, rather than at the end of your billing cycle. Because the cancellation cannot be completed from inside the platform on your own, our support team must make the change from the backend. Once they do, the system will be configured so that your access continues until your renewal date and no further charges are made after that. ✅ What the Fix Looks Like When our team resolves this, two things happen: 1. The broken subscription entry is removed and reconfigured so that auto-cancellation is set for your renewal date — meaning you keep full access to your credits until that date. 2. All future charges for the top-up are stopped. You will not be billed again. You do not lose any credits or access you have already paid for. The fix is designed to honour the access period you have already purchased. 🚀 How to Get This Resolved Because this issue requires a backend fix, here is exactly what to do to get it sorted as quickly as possible: 1. Before reaching out, check your billing or subscription settings to find your current renewal or next billing date. Have this ready to share with the support agent so they can configure the auto-cancellation correctly. 2. Contact our support team and request a backend cancellation for your OTTO Sites top-up. 3. Tell the agent: 'My OTTO Sites top-up cancellation is failing with a Service not found error. I want to cancel before my next charge but keep access until my renewal date.' Provide your renewal date when asked. 4. The agent will apply the backend fix, set up the auto-cancellation for your renewal date, and confirm that no further charges will be made. 5. After the agent confirms the fix, follow up with them directly if you have any questions about whether your access remains active or when the cancellation takes effect. 🛠️ Steps to Try Before Contacting Support While this issue ultimately requires a backend fix, you can take these steps first If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team via the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

💰 Subscription Downgrade Refund Process and Timing

📋 Refund Overview When you downgrade your subscription, any eligible refund is processed automatically. The refund amount is calculated based on the unused portion of your current billing cycle and returned to your original payment method. 💵 Refund Amount and Method Your refund reflects the prorated difference between your previous plan and the new downgraded plan for the remaining time in your billing period. The funds are always returned to the original payment method used for the charge — credit card, debit card, or PayPal. ⏱️ Expected Refund Timeframe Refunds typically appear in your account within 5–10 business days after processing. The exact timing depends on your payment provider or financial institution. Search Atlas processes the refund immediately, but banks and card networks may take additional days to post it to your statement. ✅ What to Do If You Don’t See the Refund 1. Wait the full 10 business days from the downgrade date. 2. Check your original payment method statement for a credit or reversal. 3. Verify the downgrade was confirmed in your Search Atlas dashboard under Billing. If the refund has not appeared after 10 business days, 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. 🔄 Related Billing Behavior Downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle. You retain full access to your current plan features until that date. No partial-month charges apply beyond the prorated adjustment.

Last updated on Oct 26, 2026