Billing: Unexpected & Duplicate Charges

💳 Resolve Unauthorized Duplicate Subscription Charges

🔍 What causes duplicate subscriptions? A duplicate charge usually means two separate subscriptions or accounts are linked to your payment details. This can happen after a plan change, a failed payment retry, or when a second account was created with another login. Your agency account and the duplicate account may have different plans, billing dates, or invoices. 🧾 How to check your subscriptions 1. Sign in to the Search Atlas account you normally use. 2. Open the top-right avatar menu and select Billing → Plans & Top-ups. 3. Review the active plan, payment method, and subscription details. 4. Open Billing → Invoices to compare invoice dates, amounts, and account activity. 5. Open Billing → Activity Log to look for plan changes, reactivations, or new subscriptions. 6. Repeat these checks for any other Search Atlas login your team may use. 🛑 What to do when you find a duplicate Keep the subscription that contains your projects and data. Do not cancel an account until you confirm it is not your primary agency account. 1. Record the duplicate account login, plan name, charge dates, invoice numbers, and charged amounts. 2. Open Billing → Plans & Top-ups → Manage Subscription on the duplicate account. 3. Cancel the duplicate subscription to help prevent additional charges. 4. Do not remove your payment method if it is still needed for your intended subscription. If you cannot access the duplicate account, or if the subscription details do not match what you see, contact our team through the chat widget so we can investigate the account relationship. 💰 Requesting a refund or credit After identifying the duplicate charges, provide the account usernames, invoice numbers, charge dates, amounts, and the date you canceled the duplicate subscription. Our team will review the billing history and determine whether a refund or account credit applies. Approval depends on the subscription status, billing records, and applicable refund terms. A refund or credit is not automatic when two charges appear. The duplicate subscription must be verified first so we can avoid canceling or adjusting the wrong account. ✅ Prevent future duplicate charges - Use one designated Search Atlas login for your agency billing. - Ask administrators to check the existing account before creating a new workspace or subscription. - Review Billing → Invoices after plan changes or payment retries. - Keep team members informed about who can manage subscriptions. - Check the Activity Log when a charge or plan change is unexpected. 💬 Need help reviewing a charge? Share the relevant invoice details without posting full payment card numbers or security codes. 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.

💳 Unexpected $199 Charge After Trial Signup

🔍 Why Am I Seeing This Charge? If you signed up for a Search Atlas free trial or accessed the platform through a summit or promotional offer, a subscription may have been activated automatically when your trial period ended. Even if you did not actively log in or use the platform after signing up, the subscription can remain active until it is explicitly cancelled. Common reasons customers see an unexpected $199 charge include: - A free trial converted to a paid monthly plan at the end of the trial period. - A summit or promotional signup that included a trial with automatic billing after the trial window closed. - A Shopify app connection that triggered a separate billing cycle through Shopify in addition to, or instead of, a direct card charge. - A duplicate account created under a different email address, meaning the account tied to the charge may not match the email you normally use to log in. 🔑 Can't Log In or Reset Your Password? If you are unable to reset your password because the platform does not recognise your email, your charge may be linked to a different account. This happens when: - You signed up with a work email but are trying to recover access using a personal email, or vice versa. - Your account was created through a partner, summit, or affiliate link and is registered under a slightly different email address. - A legacy or inactive account exists in our system that is not fully visible through the standard login flow. Do not create a new account to try to access the charged subscription. Doing so will not stop the charge and may complicate the resolution. Instead, follow the steps below or contact our support team directly. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve the Charge 1. Check all email addresses — Search your inbox for any confirmation email from Search Atlas or from Stripe (our payment processor). The email it was sent to is the account email tied to the charge. 2. Check your Shopify billing — If you installed a Search Atlas or SearchAtlas-related app through the Shopify App Store, the charge may appear in your Shopify subscription billing rather than directly on your credit card. Log in to your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Billing, and review active app subscriptions. 3. Cancel through Stripe (if you have access) — If you can log in to the account, navigate to the account menu (person icon, top-right) > Billing inside the platform and cancel the subscription before the next billing date to stop future charges. 4. Request a refund or cancellation via support — If you cannot access the account at all, our support team can locate the subscription using your card details or email and process the cancellation and any eligible refund on your behalf. 💡 Am I Eligible for a Refund? Refund eligibility depends on the specific circumstances of your signup and how long the subscription has been active. Our team reviews each case individually. Factors that are taken into account include: - Whether the trial-to-paid conversion terms were clearly presented at signup. - How many billing cycles have occurred since the trial ended. - Whether the account shows any usage activity during the billed period. We aim to resolve billing disputes fairly and quickly. Providing the email address used at signup and the approximate date of the first charge will help our team locate your account and speed up the resolution. ✅ How to Prevent Future Charges - Always cancel your trial before the trial end date if you decide not to continue. - Check your Shopify app subscriptions separately, as they are billed through Shopify and will not appear in your Search Atlas billing dashboard. - Save the confirmation email you receive at signup — it contains your account email, plan details, and trial end date. - If you are unsure whether your account is still active, contact our support team to verify your subscription status before the next billing date. 🤝 Need Help Right Now? If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. Please have the following ready to share so we can resolve your case as quickly as possible: - The email address you believe is linked to the charge. - The last four digits of the card being charged. - The approximate date the charge first appeared. - Whether you signed up through a summit, partner link, or Shopify app.

💳 Fix Duplicate Charges and Growth Plan Upgrades

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

⚡ Resolve Unauthorized OTTO Sites Billing Charges

Understanding OTTO Sites Billing OTTO Sites is a paid add-on within Search Atlas that lets you deploy AI-optimized websites. Charges for OTTO Sites are separate from your core subscription and are based on the number of active OTTO Sites slots on your account at the time of billing. If you see a charge for OTTO Sites that you did not expect, it is most likely due to one of the following reasons: - Active slots were not fully removed before your billing cycle renewed. - A team member activated OTTO Sites without your knowledge. - A charge occurred that you believe was made in error on the Search Atlas side. How to Check Your OTTO Sites Status Before escalating a dispute, log in to your Search Atlas account and review your active OTTO Sites slots to confirm which sites are currently active or inactive. Note any sites that you believe should have been cancelled already, as this information will be useful when you contact support. How to Remove an OTTO Sites Slot To prevent future charges, ensure all unwanted OTTO Sites slots are fully deactivated. Log in to your Search Atlas account, locate the OTTO Sites section, and follow the steps within the platform to remove any slots you no longer want. If you are unsure how to complete the removal or the option is not available to you, contact our support team for assistance — details are at the bottom of this article. Eligibility for a Refund Search Atlas reviews refund requests for unauthorized or disputed charges on a case-by-case basis. If you believe you were charged in error, you should contact our support team directly. When reaching out, please have the following ready to speed up the review: - Your account email address - The approximate date and amount of the charge you are disputing - A brief description of why you believe the charge was made in error (for example, a slot you thought was already cancelled) A member of our team will review your account, verify the billing history, and determine whether a refund is applicable in your case. Getting Help with Your Billing Dispute If you have identified an unexpected charge and need it reviewed or refunded, our support team can investigate your account and take the appropriate action. Please do not attempt to dispute the charge through your payment provider before contacting us, as we are often able to resolve billing issues more quickly 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.

💳 Understanding Your Bill and Unexpected Charges

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

💳 Fix Unexpected Duplicate or Double Billing Charges

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

💳 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.

💳 Fix a Duplicate Billing Charge on Your Account

🔍 What Is a Duplicate Billing Charge? A duplicate charge occurs when your account is billed more than once for the same subscription period or plan. This can happen when a previous subscription was not fully cancelled before a new one was created, or when a plan upgrade or checkout flow generates an additional charge alongside your existing one. Common scenarios include: - Being billed for an old plan and a new plan at the same time after upgrading - A cancelled subscription that continued generating charges - Multiple subscriptions created in the same account during re-checkout - A plan downgrade or cancellation that was not fully synced in our billing system 🧾 How to Identify a Duplicate Charge Before reaching out, confirm that the charge is genuinely a duplicate rather than a scheduled renewal or a prorated adjustment. Here is how to check: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing (Billing page). 2. Review the list of recent transactions and note the date, amount, and plan name for each charge. 3. Compare any two charges that appear close together. A duplicate will show the same or a very similar amount billed within the same billing cycle for the same plan tier. 4. Check whether both charges reference the same subscription or two different subscription IDs — two distinct IDs for the same plan is a strong indicator of duplication. If you see a charge for a plan you cancelled and a separate charge for your current active plan in the same period, the cancelled plan charge is likely the duplicate. ⚠️ Common Causes Behind Duplicate Charges Understanding why this happens can help prevent it in the future: - Re-checkout after a past-due status: If your account entered a past-due state and you completed a new checkout, the system may have created a second subscription alongside the original one. - Upgrade not fully applied: In some cases, a plan upgrade is processed as a new subscription without closing the previous one, resulting in two active subscriptions. - Cancellation sync delay: A cancellation request may not immediately propagate through our billing provider, causing one additional charge before the subscription fully closes. - Admin-initiated changes: Subscription changes made from the admin side can occasionally create a second base subscription if the original is not deactivated first. ✅ What to Do If You Were Charged Twice 1. Gather your charge details: Note the exact amounts, dates, and any transaction or invoice IDs visible in your billing history. For example, if you see a $199 charge and a $209 charge for the same period, identify which one corresponds to your active plan. 2. Do not cancel your active subscription: Only the erroneous charge should be removed. Cancelling the wrong subscription could interrupt your service. 3. Contact our support team immediately: Refunds and subscription corrections must be handled by our team directly. Open the live chat widget and type human teammate to be connected. 4. Share the following information with the agent: - The amount and date of the correct charge (the one you want to keep) - The amount and date of the duplicate charge (the one to be refunded) - Your account email address - Any invoice or transaction IDs from your billing page Our team will verify the duplicate in our billing system, remove the erroneous subscription, and process the refund to your original payment method. ⏱️ How Long Does a Refund Take? Once our team confirms the duplicate and initiates the refund, processing times depend on your payment provider: - Credit or debit cards: Typically 5–10 business days to appear on your statement. - Other payment methods: May vary; your agent will confirm the expected timeline. You will receive a confirmation from our team once the refund has been issued. 🛡️ How to Prevent Duplicate Charges in the Future - Always confirm a cancellation by checking that the subscription status shows as Cancelled in your billing settings before starting a new plan. - After upgrading, verify that only one active subscription appears under Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing. - If your account goes past due, contact support before completing a new checkout to ensure the old subscription is properly closed first. - Save your invoice emails so you can quickly compare charges if something looks unfamiliar. 💬 Still Need Help? If you believe you have been charged in error or need a refund processed, our team is ready to help. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Fix Erroneous Non-Payment Emails and Duplicate Charges

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

💳 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 Annual Subscription Billing Errors & Duplicate Charges

🔍 What This Article Covers Sometimes an annual subscription payment is processed correctly by our billing system but ends up linked to a new account instead of your existing one. This can result in a duplicate monthly charge on your original account. This article explains why this happens, what to expect when you report it, and the exact steps to get it resolved quickly. ⚠️ Why This Happens This issue typically occurs when: - The annual plan checkout is completed while you are logged out, causing the system to generate a brand-new account using your payment details instead of upgrading your current one. - A second email address is used at checkout, which creates a separate account automatically. - A browser session expires mid-checkout and the payment is reprocessed under a fresh account. The result is that your original account never receives the annual upgrade, and if its billing cycle renews around the same time, you may see an additional monthly charge on top of the annual payment. 📋 What You Will Need Before Contacting Support Having the following information ready will help our team resolve your case as fast as possible: - Proof of the annual payment — a bank statement, PayPal receipt, or email confirmation showing the charge amount and date. - The email address on your existing account — the one you normally log in with. - The date the annual payment was made. - The charge amount for both transactions — for example, the annual fee and the duplicate monthly fee. - Any order or transaction IDs included in your payment confirmation emails. 🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Get This Resolved 1. Log in to your original Search Atlas account — the one you want the annual plan applied to. 2. Open the live chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 3. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our billing team. 4. Share your proof of payment and confirm the email address on your existing account. 5. Our team will verify both transactions, merge or close the duplicate account, apply the annual subscription to your correct account, and process a refund for any erroneous charges. Refunds are typically returned to your original payment method within 5–10 business days depending on your bank or card provider. 📊 What Our Team Will Do Once you reach a human teammate via chat, they will: - Confirm the annual payment in our billing system and match it to your correct account. - Deactivate or remove the unintended duplicate account so you are not billed for it going forward. - Upgrade your existing account to the annual plan with the correct billing cycle start date. - Issue a full refund for any duplicate monthly charges that should not have been applied. - Send you a confirmation once all changes have been made. 🛡️ How to Prevent This in the Future To avoid this issue when purchasing or renewing a subscription: - Always log in to your existing account first before clicking any upgrade or checkout link. - Double-check that the email shown at checkout matches your primary Search Atlas account email. - Avoid opening upgrade links in private or incognito windows if you are already logged in on another browser tab. - Save your payment confirmation email immediately after checkout so you have a record if anything goes wrong. 💬 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.

💳 Unexpected Charge During Your 7-Day Trial

🔍 What Happened Some customers who signed up for a 7-day free trial were charged immediately instead of at the end of the trial period. This was caused by a billing issue that has since been resolved — plan upgrade charges are now correctly deferred until after the free trial ends. If you were charged during your trial and did not expect to be billed, you are entitled to a refund. ✅ What to Do If You Were Charged Because refunds require action from our billing team, you cannot process this entirely on your own — but contacting us is quick and straightforward. Follow these steps: 1. Check your payment records. Confirm the charge amount and the date it appeared on your bank statement or card. 2. Contact our support team immediately. 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. 3. Share your details. Let the agent know the amount charged, the date of the charge, and that it occurred during your 7-day free trial. The more detail you provide, the faster your request can be processed. 💰 What to Expect After You Request a Refund Once your refund request is reviewed and approved by our billing team, here is what happens: - Refund amount: The full amount incorrectly charged will be returned. - Refund method: The refund is returned to your original payment method. - Timeframe: Refunds typically appear within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or payment provider. In some cases it may take slightly longer to reflect on your statement. 🛠️ Is This Issue Fixed? Yes. Our engineering team has deployed a fix so that plan upgrade charges are now deferred to the end of the 7-day free trial rather than being collected immediately at sign-up. New customers starting a trial should no longer experience this unexpected charge. ❓ Still Have Questions If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Resolve Unexpected Growth Plan Charges

🔍 Why Did I See an Unexpected Growth Plan Charge? If you are on an annual Starter plan but noticed a separate charge for a Growth plan subscription, this is a billing dispute our team can investigate and resolve on your behalf. Unauthorized or unintended charges between plan tiers are reviewed case by case by our billing team. Because this requires a review of your account history and payment records, it cannot be resolved through self-serve account settings alone — you will need to contact our support team directly. 📋 What to Have Ready Before You Reach Out To help our team resolve your case as quickly as possible, please gather the following before escalating: - The exact charge amount and the date it appeared on your bank or card statement. - Confirmation of which plan you intentionally signed up for (e.g. your original purchase email or receipt for the annual Starter plan). - A brief description of what happened — for example, when you first noticed the charge and whether you recall any plan change prompts. - Your Search Atlas account email address. ⏳ What to Expect Once you contact our team, a billing specialist will review your account history to verify whether the Growth plan charge was authorized. If the charge is confirmed as unintended, our team will process the appropriate resolution, which may include a refund and removal of the unintended subscription. You do not need to take any action in your account settings before speaking with us. 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 ACH Payment Delays and Double Charges

🔍 Overview If you topped up your HDC (Hyperlink Data Credits) balance via ACH bank transfer and noticed that your bank was debited but your Search Atlas account was not credited — or that you appear to have been charged twice — this article explains what happened and what to expect. ⏳ Why ACH Payments Take Longer Than Expected ACH (Automated Clearing House) transfers are processed through the US banking network and do not settle instantly. Unlike credit card payments, ACH transactions go through a multi-step clearing process that can introduce delays. - Standard processing time: ACH payments typically take 3–5 business days to fully settle. - Bank-side delays: Your bank may debit the funds from your account immediately, while the payment is still pending on our end. - Weekend and holiday holds: Transfers initiated on Fridays or before a public holiday will not begin processing until the next business day, extending the wait. This means it is normal to see a debit on your bank statement before your HDC balance reflects the top-up inside Search Atlas. 💸 Understanding the Double-Charge Situation A double charge of $1,000 total (two separate $500 debits, or similar combinations) most commonly occurs in one of the following scenarios: 1. Retry after a perceived failure: If the first payment appeared to time out or showed no confirmation, you may have submitted a second top-up request before the first one finished processing. Both transactions then clear independently. 2. Delayed bank confirmation: Your bank debits funds at the moment the transfer is initiated, but Search Atlas only confirms receipt once the ACH settlement is complete. The gap between these two events can make it look like the first payment was lost. 3. Duplicate submission: Clicking the top-up button more than once before the page responded can generate two separate ACH requests. In all of these cases, both debits are real transactions. If you did not intend to make two payments, the duplicate charge needs to be reviewed and resolved by our team. 📊 How HDC Credits Are Applied Once an ACH payment fully settles, HDC credits are applied to your account automatically. You do not need to take any action to trigger the credit. Here is what the process looks like: 1. You initiate a top-up inside Search Atlas using ACH. 2. Your bank debits the amount immediately. 3. The ACH network processes the transfer over 3–5 business days. 4. Once settlement is confirmed, your HDC balance is updated in your Search Atlas account. 5. You will receive an in-platform notification and an updated balance on your Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab. If your payment has been pending for more than 5 business days and your HDC balance has still not updated, there may be an issue that requires manual review. ✅ What to Do If You Were Double-Charged If you believe you have been charged more than intended, follow these steps: 1. Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to Avatar (top-right corner) → Billing (Billing page) to view your payment history. 2. Confirm whether one or both payments appear in your transaction log. 3. Check whether your HDC balance reflects one or both top-up amounts. 4. Note the dates, amounts, and any transaction reference numbers visible in your billing dashboard. 5. Contact our support team through the live chat widget (see below) with these details so we can investigate and issue a correction or refund as appropriate. 🛡️ How to Avoid This in the Future - After submitting an ACH top-up, wait for the on-screen confirmation message before leaving the page or submitting again. - Allow the full 3–5 business day window before assuming a payment has failed. - Check your Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Activity Log tab before initiating a second top-up to see if a pending transaction already exists. - Avoid using the browser back button or refreshing the page immediately after submitting a payment. 💬 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.

💳 Avoid Double Charges When Downgrading Your Plan

🔍 What Happens When You Click Downgrade When you initiate a plan downgrade inside Search Atlas, you are redirected to a Stripe-hosted checkout page. This page may display a charge — for example, $99 — which can look like an immediate payment on top of your existing subscription. This is a common source of confusion, and we want to explain exactly what is happening so you can downgrade with confidence. 💡 Why You See a Charge on the Stripe Page Stripe uses a billing model called proration. When you switch to a lower-tier plan, Stripe calculates the difference between what you have already paid and what the new plan costs for the remaining days in your current billing cycle. The amount shown on the Stripe page reflects one of the following scenarios: - A prorated charge: If the new plan requires a small balancing payment to align your billing cycle, Stripe may display that amount, but nothing is charged on the day of the downgrade. - A credit applied: If your current plan cost more than the new plan, Stripe applies a credit to your account, which reduces your next invoice automatically. - A new cycle charge: In some cases, Stripe displays the new plan rate for the upcoming cycle, then credits unused time from your previous plan against it. In all of these cases, you are not being charged twice. The downgrade is scheduled for the end of your current billing period, and nothing is charged on the day of the downgrade. 📊 How Your Regular Billing Date Is Affected Your regular billing date — for example, the 22nd of each month — may shift slightly after a downgrade depending on how Stripe resets the cycle. Here is what to expect: 1. Stripe records the exact date and time you complete the downgrade. 2. Your current plan stays active until the end of the current billing period, at which point the downgrade takes effect. 3. Your next invoice will reflect the new plan price, adjusted for any prorated credits or charges from the switch. 4. Future billing dates will follow the new cycle established at the time of the downgrade. You will never be billed the full amount of both your old plan and your new plan in the same transaction. Stripe's proration logic prevents this from happening automatically. ✅ How to Downgrade Safely Follow these steps to complete your downgrade without surprises: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your account settings by clicking your avatar in the top-right corner, then go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups (Billing). 2. Click the Change Plan button and select the plan you wish to downgrade to. 3. You will be redirected to the Stripe checkout page. Review the itemised breakdown carefully — it will show any prorated amounts and credits. 4. Confirm the charge only after you have reviewed and understood the breakdown. 5. Once confirmed, your new plan activates immediately and a receipt is sent to your billing email on file with Stripe. If the Stripe page shows an amount that does not match what you expect, do not proceed until you have reviewed the line items or contacted support. 🛠️ Common Questions Will I be charged on my old billing date AND on the downgrade date? No. Stripe consolidates the billing so you are only charged once. Any overlap is handled through proration credits. Can I see a breakdown of what I will be charged before confirming? Yes. The Stripe checkout page itemises all prorated amounts before you confirm. Review this carefully before clicking the final confirm button. What if I was charged an unexpected amount? Check your Stripe receipt email first — it will list every line item. If the total still does not make sense after reviewing the receipt, reach out to our support team immediately. 💬 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.

💳 Unexpected $199 Charge on Your Yearly Plan

🔍 Overview If you are on a Pro Yearly Plan and noticed an unexpected $199 charge on your billing statement, you are not alone. This charge was the result of a billing system error that affected a small number of yearly plan subscribers. Search Atlas has identified the root cause and resolved the issue. If you were affected, you are entitled to a full refund of the incorrect charge. ⚠️ Why Did This Happen? The unexpected charge was caused by a technical error in our billing infrastructure. During a billing system migration, a small subset of yearly plan customers were incorrectly billed as if they were on a monthly cycle. This resulted in an unintended $199 charge appearing on top of your existing yearly subscription. This was not an intentional billing action, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience. ✅ Am I Affected? You are likely affected if all of the following are true: - You are subscribed to the Pro Yearly Plan. - You received a charge of $199 outside of your normal yearly renewal date. - You did not make any plan changes or add-on purchases around the time the charge appeared. If you are unsure whether the charge is related to this issue or to a legitimate plan change, check your billing history inside the platform by clicking your avatar in the top-right corner and opening Billing (Billing page) before reaching out. 💰 How to Request a Refund 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner and open Billing (Billing page), then take note of the charge date and amount. 3. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform. 4. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our support team. 5. Share your charge date and the amount, and request a refund for the incorrect $199 billing. Our team will verify the charge against your account and process the refund as quickly as possible. Refunds typically appear on your original payment method within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. 🛡️ Is My Account Still Active? Yes. This billing error had no impact on your account access or subscription status. Your Pro Yearly Plan remains active, and all features continue to be available to you without interruption. No action is needed on your part to maintain your subscription. 🚫 Will This Happen Again? Our engineering team has identified the root cause and deployed a fix to prevent duplicate or erroneous charges from occurring in the future. Additional safeguards have been added to our billing migration process to catch discrepancies before they reach customers. We are committed to maintaining transparent and accurate billing at all times. 🙋 Still Have Questions? If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Unexpected or Incorrect Billing Charge Explained

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

💳 Unexpected Charge Amounts on Your Account

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

💳 Unexpected Charge or Inaccessible Account Help

🔍 Why You May See an Unexpected Charge If you were charged by Search Atlas but cannot access your account — or the platform is asking you to pay for a trial again — this is usually caused by one of the following reasons: - Multiple accounts exist under your email or payment method. A duplicate account may have been created during sign-up, and the charge is linked to an account you are not actively using. - A billing sync issue occurred. In some cases, a payment is processed successfully in our billing system but the account status does not update correctly, leaving the account locked or prompting a new payment. - A legacy or inactive account was charged. If you previously had a Search Atlas account that was paused or cancelled, a recurring charge may have continued on that account without your knowledge. - A trial charge was applied incorrectly. If you signed up for a free trial and were charged before the trial period ended, or if the trial did not convert correctly to a paid plan, your account may appear unpaid even though a charge went through. 🛠️ Steps to Take Right Now 1. Check your email for all Search Atlas accounts. Search your inbox for emails from Search Atlas or noreply@searchatlas.com. You may have more than one account registered under different email addresses or login methods. 2. Try logging in at app.searchatlas.com. Attempt to log in using every email address associated with your payment method. If you are prompted to start a trial or make a payment, do not pay again — contact support first. 3. Note the charge details. Before reaching out to support, gather the following: the date of the charge, the amount charged, the last four digits of the card used, and any transaction or receipt ID from your bank or email. 4. Do not submit a second payment. If you are being prompted to pay while already having an active charge, do not pay again. This can result in a double charge that requires a refund. 💡 What Happens After You Contact Support Once you reach our support team, they will: - Look up all accounts associated with your payment method or email address - Identify which account the charge belongs to - Restore access to the correct account or process a refund if the charge was made in error - Ensure no future duplicate charges occur on your account Refund and reactivation requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. Our team will review your billing history and work with you to reach the correct resolution as quickly as possible. 🔑 How to Check Which Account You Are Logged Into Once you are able to log in, you can confirm your account details by clicking your avatar in the top-right corner and selecting Team Members. This page shows the account name, your role, and associated users. If the account shown does not match your expectations, you may be logged into the wrong account. ⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid - Do not create a new account while trying to resolve a billing issue — this can result in additional charges and make the investigation more complex. - Do not dispute the charge with your bank before contacting Search Atlas support. Chargebacks can delay refunds and may result in your account being flagged. Our team can resolve most billing issues quickly and directly. - Do not ignore the charge. Even if the amount seems small, unresolved billing issues can repeat monthly. 📞 Get Help From Our Team If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. Please have the following ready when you connect: the charge date, the charged amount, and the email address you believe is associated with the account. This will help our team locate your account and resolve the issue as fast as possible.

💳 Resolving Unexpected Charges After Seminar Signup

Why Did I Get Charged After Signing Up for a Seminar? Some Search Atlas seminars and webinars may be associated with a free trial or introductory offer for the Search Atlas platform. When you register, you may have been enrolled in a trial period that automatically converted to a paid subscription at the end of the trial window. Common reasons this charge appears: - A credit card was entered during seminar registration to activate a free trial. - The trial period ended and the subscription renewed automatically. - The confirmation email with trial terms was missed or sent to a spam folder. What You Should Do First 1. Check your email inbox and spam folder for a confirmation message from Search Atlas sent around the time of your seminar signup. This email may contain trial terms and renewal information. 2. Log in to your Search Atlas account and review your active subscription and billing history under Avatar (top-right icon) → Billing. 3. Confirm the charge amount and date on your bank or card statement so you have this information ready when contacting support. Am I Eligible for a Refund? Refund eligibility is reviewed on a case-by-case basis by our support team. There is no automatic eligibility formula — our team will review the circumstances of your signup and account activity before making a determination. To give your request the best chance of a positive outcome, have the following ready when you reach out: - The charge amount and date as shown on your bank or card statement - The email address used to register for the seminar - Any details about your platform usage since the charge occurred Our support team will review your account and the original signup details before advising on next steps. How to Request a Refund To request a refund for an unintended charge after seminar signup, please reach out to our support team via the chat widget. Have your charge details and seminar registration email address ready to share so the team can look into your account promptly. 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.

💳 Unexpected Monthly Charges on Duplicate Account

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

💳 Fix a Duplicate $199 Subscription Charge

🔍 What Is This Charge? Some customers on the Pro Plan have reported seeing an unexpected $199 monthly charge appearing alongside their existing subscription. This is a known billing issue that has been identified and fixed on our end. The duplicate charge is not intentional and you will not be required to pay for a plan you did not sign up for. ⚠️ Why Did This Happen? This issue was caused by a technical error in our billing system that could trigger a duplicate base subscription under certain conditions. Known scenarios that led to this include: - Re-checkout after a past-due status: If your account briefly entered a past-due state, attempting to resolve it sometimes created a second subscription instead of reactivating the existing one. - Post-migration billing errors: Customers migrated to our updated platform occasionally had recurring charges stacked incorrectly on their account. - Subscription upgrade not applied correctly: In some cases, an upgrade was processed and charged but not reflected on the account, resulting in two active charges. - Charges across multiple payment methods: A small number of customers were billed on both a connected payment platform (such as Shopify) and a credit card simultaneously. Our engineering team has deployed a fix and is actively remediating affected accounts. If you were impacted, a refund will be issued for any duplicate charges. ✅ What You Should Do 1. Check your billing history: Go to the top-right avatar menu → Billing inside the platform to review your recent charges and confirm whether a duplicate transaction appears. 2. Verify your active plan: Confirm that only one subscription is listed as active under your account. If you see two active plans, this confirms the duplicate billing error. 3. Do not cancel your primary plan: Avoid cancelling any subscriptions yourself, as this could affect your active Pro Plan features. Our support team will handle the correction safely. 4. Contact support for a refund: If you see a duplicate charge, reach out through the live chat widget so our team can verify the error and process your refund promptly. 💰 Refund Policy for Duplicate Charges If a duplicate $199 charge has been confirmed on your account, you are entitled to a full refund for the erroneous transaction. Refunds are typically processed within 5–10 business days, depending on your payment provider. Our team will confirm the refund timeline when your case is reviewed. 🛠️ Still Seeing the Issue? If you have already been charged and have not yet received a refund, or if you are unsure whether your account was affected, our support team is ready to investigate and resolve this for you 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.

💳 Duplicate Account Charge After Summit Email Change

🔍 What Happened? During the Search Atlas AI Summit, some customers who changed their email address had a second account automatically created for them. This resulted in an unexpected invoice — typically $199 — for a plan they did not intentionally subscribe to. If this happened to you, you are not responsible for the duplicate charge and are eligible for a full refund. ⚠️ How to Identify the Issue You may have experienced this problem if: - You received an unexpected invoice around the time of the AI Summit. - You changed your email address before or during the Summit checkout process. - You now see two active accounts associated with different email addresses. - You were charged for a plan you did not knowingly select. ✅ Steps to Get Your Refund This issue requires our Billing team to deactivate the duplicate account and process your refund. Follow the steps below to submit everything in one message so your case can be resolved as quickly as possible — no back-and-forth needed. 1. Identify both accounts — Check your inbox (including spam and any alternate email addresses you may have used) for Search Atlas account creation emails or invoices. Note the email address associated with the unintended duplicate account and the invoice number or charge amount. 2. Gather your billing details — Locate the unexpected invoice in your email. Note the invoice number, the amount charged, and the date of the charge so you have these ready. 3. Contact our support team with the details below — 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. Submit the following information in one message so the Billing team can action your case immediately: - The email address on your intended, primary account. - The email address on the duplicate account (if known). - The invoice number or amount you were unexpectedly charged. - The approximate date you changed your email or completed the Summit checkout. 4. Billing team deactivates the duplicate account — Once your case is verified, the Billing team will close the unintended account so you are no longer billed for it. You do not need to take any action inside the platform to cancel the duplicate account — our team handles this on the backend. 5. Refund to your original payment method — A full refund of the duplicate charge (e.g. $199) is issued to your original payment method. Refunds typically reflect within 5–10 business days. You will receive a confirmation email once the refund has been processed. 💡 Important Notes - This issue was related to the Summit checkout process and does not reflect a recurring billing error with your main account. - Only the duplicate, unintended account will be deactivated — your primary account and any associated benefits remain fully intact. - If you purchased Summit VIP or Platinum benefits, our team can ensure those benefits are correctly attached to your primary account before the duplicate is closed. - If you are not sure which account is the duplicate, include both email addresses in your message and our team will identify the correct primary account with you. If you have any questions or need help identifying your accounts before reaching out, our support team is available via the chat widget on this page.

💳 Fix Double Charges for OTTO Seat Purchases

🔍 Overview Some customers have reported being charged twice when purchasing additional OTTO seats, without those seats actually appearing in their account. This is a known billing issue that our engineering team is actively working to resolve. If this has happened to you, follow the steps below to document the problem and get it corrected quickly. ⚠️ What Is Happening When you attempt to purchase an extra OTTO seat, a billing error can cause your payment method to be charged more than once for the same transaction. Despite the duplicate charge, the new seat is not added to your account. This means you have been overcharged and have not received what you paid for. You should take action right away to ensure a full review and refund of the duplicate charge. ✅ Step-by-Step: What to Do 1. Stop attempting the purchase again. Retrying the transaction before the issue is resolved may result in additional duplicate charges. 2. Check your billing statement. Log in to your bank or payment provider and confirm that you see two separate charges for the same amount on the same or consecutive dates. 3. Note the charge details. Record the date, amount, and any transaction IDs shown on your statement. You will need this information when contacting support. 4. Verify your OTTO seat count. In the platform, go to the left sidebar and select OTTO SEO → SEO Automation (URL: /seo-automation-v3). Check whether the additional seat appears in your account. In most cases it will not be reflected despite the charge. 5. Contact support immediately. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. Provide the charge dates, amounts, and transaction IDs so we can investigate and process a refund as quickly as possible. 📋 Information to Have Ready To speed up your refund, have the following details available before you contact support: - The exact amount charged and the date(s) of each transaction - Any transaction or reference IDs from your bank or card statement - A screenshot of your billing statement showing both charges (if possible) - Your Search Atlas account email address ⏱️ What to Expect After Contacting Support Once you reach a member of our team, they will: - Verify the duplicate charge against your account billing history - Confirm whether the OTTO seat was successfully added or not - Initiate a refund for the duplicate charge to your original payment method - Ensure your OTTO seat count is corrected if it was not updated Refunds typically appear on your statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card provider. 🛡️ Preventing This in the Future While our engineering team works on a permanent fix, we recommend the following precautions when purchasing additional OTTO seats: - Only click the purchase button once and wait for a confirmation message before taking any further action - If the page does not respond or times out, do not refresh and retry — contact support first to check whether the charge was applied - Review your billing statement after any seat purchase to confirm you were charged only once 💬 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.

💳 Unexpected Charges During Free Trial Signup

🔍 Overview If you started a Search Atlas free trial but did not complete the signup process, you may still see charges on your payment statement. This article explains why this can happen, what steps to take immediately, and how our team can help you resolve any unauthorized billing. ⚠️ Why Charges Can Occur After an Incomplete Signup In some cases, a partial free trial signup is enough to create a billing record in our payment system — even if you never fully activated your account or used the platform. This can happen due to the following reasons: - Payment details submitted early: If you entered your card information before completing the final signup steps, a billing relationship may have been created in the background. - Incomplete trial activation: A known issue affected a batch of trial signups where subscriptions were created in our billing system but never properly activated on the platform side. Affected accounts continued to generate charges without the customer gaining platform access. If any of these situations apply to you, the charges you are seeing are not intentional, and our team is equipped to investigate and resolve them. 🛠️ Steps to Take Right Now 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account (or attempt to do so). Even if your account appears incomplete or inaccessible, try logging in so our team can locate your record. 2. Check your billing history. If you are able to access your account, review any charges associated with it. 3. Contact our support team immediately (see below) so we can investigate the charges and process a refund where applicable. 💡 What Information to Have Ready To help our team resolve your case as quickly as possible, please gather the following before reaching out: - The email address you used during the free trial signup - The approximate date you attempted to sign up - The total number of charges and the amounts shown on your bank or card statement - Any confirmation emails you received from Search Atlas or our payment processor 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.

💳 Handling Unexpected Subscription Auto-Renewal Charges

📋 Overview Search Atlas subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing cycle. If your plan renewed and you were not expecting the charge — particularly for an annual subscription — this article explains how auto-renewal works, what qualifies for a refund, and the exact steps to take right away. 🔄 How Auto-Renewal Works When you purchase a Search Atlas subscription, auto-renewal is enabled by default. This means your plan will automatically renew at the end of each billing period — monthly or annually — using the payment method on file. Renewal notifications are sent to the email address associated with your account before the charge is processed. - Annual plans renew once per year and are charged as a single lump-sum payment. - Monthly plans renew each month on the same date you originally subscribed. - Renewal reminder emails are sent in advance so you have time to cancel before the next cycle begins. ⚠️ Common Reasons for Unexpected Renewal Charges Customers sometimes encounter an unexpected renewal charge for one or more of the following reasons: - A promotional or challenge offer was accepted and included an annual subscription that renewed automatically. - The renewal reminder email was filtered into a spam or promotions folder and was not seen in time. - A secondary or duplicate subscription was created during a re-checkout flow, resulting in an additional charge. - Account access was shared and a team member completed a checkout unintentionally. Regardless of the reason, our support team reviews each case individually and works with you to find a fair resolution. ✅ Steps to Take Immediately After an Unexpected Charge 1. Cancel your subscription to stop future charges. Log in to Search Atlas, click your Profile avatar, go to Billing > Services, open the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on your plan, and select Cancel. A confirmation/retention step will appear before the final confirmation. This prevents the subscription from renewing again at the next cycle. 2. Note the charge amount and date. Locate the transaction in your billing history and record the exact charge amount and the date it was processed. You will need this information when you contact support. 3. Act quickly. Refund eligibility is time-sensitive. Contacting our team as soon as possible after the charge is processed gives us the best opportunity to review and approve your request. 4. Contact support via live chat. Open the chat widget and request a refund review (see the section below for details). 💰 Refund Eligibility Guidelines Search Atlas evaluates refund requests on a case-by-case basis. While we cannot guarantee a refund in every situation, the following factors are considered during the review: - Time since charge: Requests submitted promptly after the renewal date are more likely to be approved. - Platform usage after renewal: Significant use of the platform following the renewal date may affect eligibility. - Duplicate or erroneous charges: If a technical issue caused a duplicate charge or an incorrect amount was billed, these are prioritised for immediate resolution. - Promotional subscription terms: Some special-offer or challenge subscriptions carry specific refund terms that were disclosed at checkout. Our team will clarify these during your review. If a refund is approved, it is typically returned to the original payment method within 5–10 business days, depending on your card issuer or payment provider. 🛠️ How to Cancel Your Subscription If you decide you no longer wish to use Search Atlas, you can cancel your subscription at any time from within the platform: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your Profile avatar and select Billing. 3. Open the Services section. 4. Click the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on your plan and choose Cancel. 5. Review the confirmation/retention step, then confirm the cancellation. Cancelling your subscription stops future renewals. You will retain access to the platform until the end of the current paid period, rather than losing access immediately. If you change your mind, you can reverse a pending cancellation from the same place by clicking Activate. 🔍 Check for Duplicate Subscriptions In rare cases, a technical issue during checkout may have created more than one active subscription on your account. If you believe you have been charged twice or see multiple active plans under Billing > Services, contact support immediately. Our team can identify duplicate subscriptions, cancel the extras, and process a refund for any duplicate charges. 💬 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. When you reach out, please have the following ready to speed up your review: - The date and amount of the charge in question. - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account. - A brief description of why you believe the charge was unexpected.

💳 Handle an Unexpected Trial Auto-Renewal Charge

⚠️ What Happened? Search Atlas free trials automatically convert to a paid subscription when the trial period ends. If you missed the cancellation deadline, your payment method was charged for the first billing cycle. This article explains your options and how our team can help. 🔍 Why Did the Charge Occur? When you sign up for a free trial, you agree to the trial terms, which include automatic renewal at the end of the trial period. A charge is processed on the day the trial expires unless the subscription is cancelled beforehand. Common reasons customers miss the deadline include: - Not receiving or overlooking the trial-end reminder email - Forgetting the exact trial expiry date - Assuming cancellation requires no action if the account was not actively used ✅ What You Should Do First If you have been charged and did not intend to continue your subscription, follow these steps immediately: 1. Check your email for a receipt or invoice from Search Atlas confirming the charge amount and date. 2. Log in to your Search Atlas account and review your subscription status and charge details in your account settings. 3. Contact our support team right away using the chat widget (see below). Refund eligibility and processing times depend on how quickly you reach out after the charge. 💡 Refund and Cancellation Policy Search Atlas reviews unintended auto-renewal charges on a case-by-case basis. While we cannot guarantee a refund in every situation, our team will assess your request fairly. Here is what you should know: - Cancellation: Your subscription can be cancelled at any time. Once cancelled, you will not be billed again in future cycles. - Refund eligibility: Refund requests are more likely to be approved when submitted promptly after the charge, and when there is little or no usage of paid features during the billing period. - Partial refunds: In some cases, a partial refund may be issued depending on usage and the timing of the request. - Account access after cancellation: If a refund is issued and the subscription is cancelled, access to paid features will end immediately or at the end of the current billing period, depending on how the refund is processed. 📋 What to Have Ready Before Contacting Support To help our team resolve your request as quickly as possible, have the following information available when you reach out: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The date and amount of the charge you are disputing - A brief explanation of why the charge was unintended - Whether you would like a full cancellation, a refund, or both 🛠️ How to Cancel Your Subscription You can cancel your subscription yourself from the dashboard: click your Profile avatar → Billing → Services, then open the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on your plan and select Cancel. A confirmation/retention step will appear before the final confirmation. After cancelling, your access continues until the end of the current billing period. If you change your mind, you can reverse a pending cancellation from the same place by selecting Activate. If you'd prefer help, you can also contact our support team using the chat widget below. 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.

💳 Unexpected Charges From Incomplete Free Trial

🔍 Why This Happens In some cases, customers who began the Search Atlas free trial signup process but did not fully complete it have still been billed. This is caused by a known technical issue where a partial signup can create an active subscription record in our billing system — even if you never accessed the platform or confirmed your trial. Our engineering team is actively working to resolve the underlying cause and cancel all affected trial subscriptions. If you have been charged and believe you did not complete your trial signup, this article explains what to do next. ⚠️ What Counts as an Incomplete Signup You may have been affected if any of the following apply to you: - You entered payment details on the trial signup page but closed the browser or navigated away before finishing. - You received a confirmation error or page timeout during checkout. - You never received a welcome email or were never able to log in to the platform. - You have been charged monthly but have no active account or have never used Search Atlas features. 🛠️ Steps to Stop Further Charges If you have an active account and can log in, cancel your plan immediately to prevent additional charges: click your Profile avatar → Billing → Services, then open the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on your plan and choose Cancel. A confirmation/retention step will appear before the final confirmation. After cancelling, access continues until the end of the current billing period, and a pending cancellation can be reversed from the same place using Activate. Important: After cancelling, confirm the cancellation has been applied. If your plan still shows as active, do not attempt to cancel again — contact our support team so they can resolve this manually. 💰 Requesting a Refund If you were charged for a trial you did not complete or a subscription you did not intentionally activate, you may be eligible for a full or partial refund. Our support team will review your account history and billing records to determine the appropriate resolution. To help our team resolve this as quickly as possible, please have the following ready when you reach out: - The email address associated with your account or signup attempt - The date(s) and amount(s) of the unexpected charge(s) - Any confirmation errors or screenshots you received during signup - Your payment method's last four digits or a copy of the charge from your bank/card statement 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.

🛑 Stop Charges from a Duplicate Account

🧩 Why This Happens In some cases, a second Search Atlas account is created under a slightly different email address — often due to a typo during sign-up. Because this duplicate account is separate from your main account, cancelling your primary subscription does not stop the charges tied to the second one. You may continue to be billed monthly without receiving invoices to your usual inbox, because the receipts are sent to the misspelled email instead. 🔎 Step 1: Identify Whether You Have a Duplicate Account A duplicate account is likely the cause of unexpected charges if you experience all of the following: - You cancelled your subscription but charges continued. - You are not receiving invoices or billing emails for those charges. - The charge amount matches a Search Atlas plan (for example, $99/month). If this matches your situation, the charge is likely coming from a second account registered under a different email address. 📧 Step 2: Check for a Misspelled Email at Sign-Up Think back to when you first created your Search Atlas account. Common typos include: - A missing or swapped letter in your username (for example, adim instead of admin). - A misspelled domain name (for example, wldm.io instead of wlmd.io)). If you remember or can guess the misspelled version of your email, note it down — you will need it in the next step. 🔑 Step 3: Log In to the Duplicate Account If you can identify the misspelled email address, try logging in to Search Atlas using that email. Use the password you set at the time of sign-up. If you do not remember the password, use the Forgot Password option on the login page — note that password-reset emails will be sent to the misspelled address, so you will need access to that inbox, or you will need our team's help (see the last section of this article). ❌ Step 4: Cancel the Subscription on the Duplicate Account Once you are logged in to the duplicate account, you will need to contact our support team to have the subscription on that account cancelled. Our team can locate the duplicate account, cancel the active plan, and ensure no further charges are processed. When you reach out, please have the following ready: - The misspelled email address associated with the duplicate account (if known). - The approximate date the unexpected charges began. - The charge amount per billing cycle. 💳 Step 5: Request a Refund for Incorrect Charges Cancelling the duplicate account stops future charges, but it does not automatically trigger a refund for amounts already billed. To request a refund for the period during which you were incorrectly charged, you will need to contact our support team. Refunds are reviewed and processed as courtesy refunds on a case-by-case basis. 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.

💳 Unexpected Charge From a Duplicate Account

🔍 Why Did This Charge Appear? If you see an unexpected charge from Search Atlas — especially on a card you don't recognise as being on file — it can be caused by a duplicate account created unintentionally during sign-up, or by a duplicate checkout where the same purchase was submitted twice (for example, clicking Pay again while checkout was processing, a browser timeout, or a retry after a network error). Search Atlas now guards against duplicate checkouts with duplicate-checkout protection. This commonly happens when you sign in with Google and your email address contains a typo (for example, @gamil.com instead of @gmail.com). Google may still authenticate the login, creating a brand-new Search Atlas account under the misspelled address. If a subscription is started on that duplicate account, your saved payment method can be charged even though your main account shows no active plan. ⚠️ Signs This May Apply to You - A charge appears on your card from Search Atlas that you did not intentionally authorise. - Your primary Search Atlas account shows no active subscription or payment method. - You previously used Sign in with Google and may have had an email typo at the time. - You do not recognise the account email associated with the charge. 🛠️ What Our Team Does to Resolve This When a customer contacts support with this issue, our agents follow these steps — understanding them helps you know exactly what to expect: 1. Identify the duplicate account: The agent searches for all accounts linked to your payment method and locates the account created with the misspelled or unintended email address. 2. Confirm the unintended subscription: The agent verifies that the subscription on the duplicate account was never actively used and that no services were consumed. 3. Cancel the subscription: The plan on the duplicate account is cancelled immediately in the payment processor so no further charges occur. 4. Process the refund: A full refund is issued to the original payment method. Refunds typically take 5 to 10 business days to appear on your statement, depending on your card issuer. 5. Escalate a technical report: A ticket is filed with our engineering team to investigate and prevent duplicate account billing from recurring. 📋 Information to Have Ready When You Contact Us To help our team resolve your case as quickly as possible, please have the following information ready before reaching out: - The last four digits of the card that was charged. - The charge amount and the date it appeared on your statement. - The email address you normally use to log in to Search Atlas. - Any alternative email addresses you may have used, including possible typos. 💡 How to Prevent This in the Future - When signing in with Google, always verify that the correct email address is selected before completing sign-in. - After signing up, check that the email shown in your Search Atlas account settings matches your intended address exactly. - If you ever see an account confirmation email for an address you do not recognise, contact support immediately to have it removed. 💬 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. Additional Notes Have ready: email of active account, email of duplicate account, charge amount and date, and last four digits of the charged card. Also covers SSO/password mismatch and browser autofill as duplicate-account triggers.

💳 Why do I see unexpected charges on my Search Atlas account, and how can I resolve them?

Unexpected charges on your Search Atlas account typically come from recurring add-ons, OTTO Sites top-ups, or currency conversion. Identify the charge type below, then follow the steps to cancel, correct, or dispute it. 🔁 Recurring Subscription Fees Recurring charges are linked to your base subscription plan or additional services you have opted into. - Base Subscription Plan: This fee corresponds to your selected pricing tier for Search Atlas services. - Universal Quota Top-Ups (including OTTO Sites): Charges may occur if you need more capacity than your base plan includes. Each top-up has its own independent billing date based on when it was first purchased. For example, if you added an OTTO Sites top-up on the 15th, it renews on the 15th of each month — not on your base plan renewal date. It is billed separately from the base plan. To confirm, review the Billing section of your account. Note: If you see the same top-up charge appearing twice in the same billing period (once on your subscription invoice and once as a separate charge), this may be a legacy migration issue. Contact billing immediately with both charge IDs for a review and refund. ➕ Add-On Charges Optional add-on services generate separate monthly charges even if you are on a yearly base plan. These appear as distinct line items in your billing history. - OTTO Google Ads Add-On ($199/month): This add-on unlocks OTTO Google Ads automation inside Search Atlas, letting you connect your Google Ads account and use AI to automatically manage and optimize PPC campaigns. This charge is monthly and applies regardless of whether your base plan is annual — which is why it can appear as a surprise charge on a yearly account. Note: If you joined on an Annual Pro Plan or a promotional offer (e.g., Summit promo), the OTTO Google Ads Add-On may be included at no cost for a defined period. If you believe you were charged in error, contact the billing team — a promo code can be applied retroactively and erroneous invoices can be voided. - Heatmaps Quotas: If your plan includes heatmaps, recurring fees may apply for quota usage. 🗑️ How to Cancel an Add-On Service To stop a recurring add-on charge, remove the service from your account: 1. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner of Search Atlas. 2. Select Billing. 3. Go to the Services tab. 4. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the add-on you want to remove. 5. Select Remove Service. After removing the service, check your billing history to confirm no further charges are scheduled. To see how long you have been billed for a specific add-on, review the Billing section — each entry shows its activation date and billing period. 🤖 OTTO Sites Billing and Quota Behavior OTTO Sites is one of the most common sources of billing questions. Here's what to know: - Quota math: Your total OTTO Sites quota equals the number included in your base plan plus the number of top-up sites you've activated. Example: 4 included + 6 top-up = 10 total OTTO Sites. - Per-site top-up billing: Each OTTO Sites top-up is billed on the date it was originally activated, not on your base plan renewal date. You may see multiple OTTO-related charges across the month. - Frozen projects still occupy a slot: When an OTTO project is frozen, it continues to occupy its quota slot for up to 14 days before being released. During this time, your Sites usage display may temporarily show a number higher than your purchased quota (e.g., 11/10). You are not charged extra for this — billing only reflects your base plan plus your active top-ups. - Deleting an OTTO project does not cancel its top-up: Removing an OTTO site project releases the project's slot, but the recurring top-up charge is a customer-level billing subscription that keeps billing until cancelled separately (Profile avatar → Billing → Services → ⋮ menu on the top-up → Cancel), or until your main plan's cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing period, which cancels its top-ups automatically. Deep Freeze also does not cancel the top-up. - Correcting an incorrect top-up count: If you've been billed for more or fewer top-up sites than you actually purchased, Search Atlas support can reactivate or remove individual top-ups and correct your total quota. Top-ups retain their original billing date when reactivated. - Unexpected OTTO additions: If the number of OTTO Sites in your Billing section does not match what you purchased, do not assume the charge is correct — contact billing to audit your OTTO count. OTTO site top-ups are never added automatically; they are only billed after an explicit purchase.- Enterprise and contract pricing: Enterprise and contract customers may be entitled to custom OTTO top-up pricing. If you believe you are being charged at the standard rate instead of a contracted rate, contact your account manager or billing support. Known issue (as of June 2026): Some accounts may see inflated OTTO top-up amounts displayed in the Billing section. This is a display bug only — your actual charged amount can be confirmed on your Stripe invoice or by contacting support. A fix is in progress. 💱 Currency Conversion and Displayed Amount Differences If your billing involves transactions across currencies, you may see small variations in displayed amounts. Exchange rates applied at the time of each transaction can cause a charge to appear slightly higher or lower than the listed price — for example, a $199 add-on may appear as approximately $201. Customers on accounts migrated to a new billing system may also notice a slight variance between the listed price and the charged amount due to migration adjustments. These differences are typically not additional fees; they reflect your payment processor's exchange rate or billing system adjustments at the time of billing. If the charged amount differs from the listed price, contact billing support with your invoice ID for a review. 💰 Requesting a Refund for an Erroneous Charge If you believe you have been charged in error or for a service you did not knowingly subscribe to, follow these steps: 1. Gather your invoice details: the charge date, amount, and invoice ID (available in your Billing section or on your Stripe invoice). 2. Contact Search Atlas billing support via the in-app chat or your support channel, referencing the specific line item in question. 3. Our billing team will review the charge and, where applicable, process a refund within 5–7 business days. ❓ Still Unsure About a Charge? If you have reviewed your billing history and still cannot identify or resolve a charge, contact our billing team via the in-app chat or support channel with your account email and the invoice ID. Our team can identify any charge within one business day. 🌀 You now know how to identify unexpected Search Atlas charges — whether they come from recurring add-ons like the OTTO Google Ads Add-On, OTTO Sites top-ups, or currency conversion — and how to remove any service you no longer need. If a charge still doesn't match what you expect, contact Search Atlas support with the charge date and invoice ID for a full billing audit.

⚡ Plan Upgrade Not Applied & Duplicate Charges

🔍 Overview In some cases, a plan upgrade may fail to apply to your account even though your payment was processed successfully. If you then attempt to upgrade again, you could end up with duplicate charges while your account still shows the old plan. This article explains what to do if this happens to you. ⚠️ Signs You May Be Affected - Your account still displays your previous plan (for example, Starter or Pro) after completing an upgrade payment. - You have two or more receipts or charge confirmations for the same upgrade. - Features associated with your new plan are not available in your account. 🛠️ Steps to Take Right Away 1. Do not attempt to upgrade again. Making additional payment attempts will not fix the underlying issue and may result in further duplicate charges. 2. Try logging out and back in. After a successful payment, your plan may take a moment to propagate. Log out of Search Atlas completely, wait 2–3 minutes, then log back in and check whether your plan has updated and the expected features are now available. 3. Clear your browser cache and hard-refresh. If the plan still shows incorrectly after logging back in, clear your browser cache (or open an incognito/private window) and reload your account page. Sometimes a stale cache causes the old plan to appear even after a successful upgrade. 4. Check your email for a confirmation receipt. Locate all payment confirmation emails you received for the upgrade attempt(s). Note the exact amounts, dates, and transaction IDs shown — you will need these if you need to escalate. 5. If the issue persists, gather your receipts and contact our support team. Collect all payment confirmations or receipts you received for the upgrade. Because applying the corrected plan and processing refunds for duplicate charges requires action from our billing and engineering team, please reach out to support so they can manually correct your account and issue any refunds owed. You can contact our team directly through Search Atlas support. 💡 What Happens After You Contact Support Once our team is notified, here is what you can expect: - Account correction: Our billing and engineering team will investigate and apply your upgraded plan to your account manually. - Duplicate charge refunds: Any duplicate payments will be identified and refunded to your original payment method. - Refund timeline: Refunds typically reflect in your account within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer. 📋 Information to Have Ready To help our team resolve your case as quickly as possible, please have the following available when you reach out: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - All payment confirmation emails or receipts for the upgrade attempt(s) - The exact amounts, dates, and transaction IDs from those receipts If you are still experiencing issues, please reach out to our support team and we will be happy to help.