Credits: Billing, Validity & Plans

💳 Understanding Trial Credits, Charges, and Duplicate Accounts

🔍 Overview If you were charged during or shortly after your trial period, have questions about trial credits, or suspect you may have more than one account under the same email address, this article explains how to review the relevant billing details and prepare your question for review. 💳 Questions About Trial Charges Review your billing records and compare the charge with the plan and account you intended to use. Check the charge amount, date, account email address, and any invoice or transaction details. Use these details to determine which account and plan the charge is associated with. 🎁 Questions About Trial Credits Check the related billing record and compare the credit amount you expected with the amount charged. Confirm which account and transaction the credit was associated with, and record any difference for review. 👥 Checking for Duplicate Accounts Review each account you may have created using your email addresses or billing details, then compare the account details, subscription information, charge dates, and amounts. Do not make account changes until the accounts and charges have been reviewed. 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 Trial Charges, Credits, and Duplicate Accounts

🔍 Overview If you were charged during or after your trial period and are unsure why, or if you believe you may have a duplicate account, this article explains what to check and how to get help. 💡 Trial Credits Review your account’s billing history and subscription details to check whether trial credits were applied when you upgraded. Compare the credit and charge amounts with the invoice or billing record. If the charge does not match your expectation, have the relevant account and charge details ready so the billing team can review them. 📊 Disputed Charges If you believe a charge is incorrect, review the charge amount, date, invoice, and account information in your billing records. Compare these details with your subscription and upgrade history. If the charge still appears incorrect, provide those details for review. 👥 How to Check for Duplicate Accounts Compare the account information and subscription details for each account you use. Check whether different email addresses are associated with separate subscriptions or charges. If you find an account that appears to be separate or cannot identify which account is associated with the charge, provide the email addresses, charge details, and other account information used so the team can check for duplicates. 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 Plan Seats, Credits, and Coupons

🪑 How Many User Seats Are Included in Each Plan? Each Search Atlas plan includes a set number of user seats, which determines how many team members can access your account simultaneously. Here is a breakdown by plan: - Starter: 1 user seat - Growth: 3 user seats - Pro: 5 user seats If you need more seats than your plan includes, you can purchase additional seats as a top-up from the Billing section of your account. Each extra seat is billed at a fixed monthly rate and added to your next invoice cycle. Important: Only seats that are actively assigned to users count toward your seat usage. If you remove a user mid-cycle, that seat remains allocated until the end of the current billing period — it does not generate a refund or credit for the unused portion. 🔄 Do Monthly Credits Reset Each Billing Cycle? Yes — monthly credits reset at the start of every new billing cycle, aligned to your plan renewal date. Credits do not roll over to the following month. Any unused credits at the end of a billing cycle are forfeited. Here is what you need to know about how credits work: - Reset date: Credits renew on the same date each month that your plan originally activated. - No rollover: Unused credits expire at the end of each cycle and cannot be carried forward or transferred. - Proration: If you upgrade your plan mid-cycle, you may receive a prorated credit allocation for the remainder of that billing period. The full credit amount applies from the next full cycle onward. - Annual plans: If you are on an annual billing plan, your credits still reset monthly — the annual commitment affects payment frequency, not credit cadence. You can check your current credit usage and remaining balance at any time by navigating to account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups inside the platform. 🏷️ Is My Coupon Valid for Monthly Billing? Coupon and discount code eligibility depends on the specific terms attached to each promotion. Not all coupons apply to every billing frequency or plan type. Here is how to verify your coupon: 1. Go to Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups inside your Search Atlas account. 2. Locate the Apply Coupon field during checkout or plan upgrade. 3. Enter your coupon code and click Apply. The platform will instantly confirm whether the code is valid for your selected plan and billing frequency. 4. If the coupon is accepted, the discounted amount will display on your order summary before you confirm payment. Keep the following coupon rules in mind: - Monthly vs. annual: Some coupons are exclusively valid for annual plans and will not apply to monthly subscriptions, or vice versa. - Plan restrictions: Certain promotions apply only to specific plans (for example, Growth or Pro). The platform will notify you if your coupon is incompatible with your selected plan. - One coupon at a time: Only one coupon code can be active on an account at any given time. Applying a new code will replace any previously applied discount. - Expiry dates: Coupons have expiry dates set by the promotion. An expired code will be rejected at checkout with an on-screen error message. ⚠️ Common Billing Issues to Watch Out For Based on frequent support topics, here are situations that can lead to unexpected charges or confusion: - Seat top-up overbilling: If you add extra seats and later reduce your team size, ensure you manually remove the top-up seats from your plan to avoid being charged for unused capacity. Seats do not auto-reduce when users are removed. - Seat quota on plan changes: Downgrading your plan reduces your included seat allowance. If your current number of active users exceeds the seat limit of the new plan, you will need to remove users or purchase top-up seats before the downgrade takes effect. - Coupon not applying at renewal: Some one-time coupons apply only to the first payment and do not repeat on renewal. Check the coupon terms to confirm whether the discount is recurring or one-time. 📋 Quick Reference Summary - Growth plan includes 3 user seats; additional seats can be purchased as top-ups. - Monthly credits reset every billing cycle and do not roll over. - Coupons must be verified at checkout — eligibility varies by plan and billing frequency. - Always review your Billing → Plans & Top-ups page to monitor seats and credits in real time. 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 Billing Charges and Credit Conversions

🔍 Why You May See an Unexpected Charge If you notice a charge on a date that doesn't match what you were told, it's usually caused by one of the following reasons: - Plan upgrade or add-on activation: Upgrading your plan or adding a new feature mid-cycle triggers an immediate prorated charge rather than waiting until your next renewal date. - Credit type conversion: When credits are converted between types (for example, from a promotional credit to a paid credit), this can generate a billing transaction outside your normal cycle. - Failed payment retry: If a previous payment attempt failed, the system will retry automatically, which may land on a different date than expected. - Manual account adjustment: Changes applied by the Search Atlas team to fix a billing issue can occasionally create a charge or adjustment on an unexpected date. 📅 How Billing Cycles Work Your billing cycle is based on the date your subscription originally started. Your renewal date is set to that same day each month. For example, if your subscription started on June 14, your next renewal would normally fall on June 14 of each month. However, the following actions can reset or interrupt your billing cycle: - Switching from a monthly plan to an annual plan (or vice versa) - Upgrading or downgrading your subscription tier - Applying a new coupon or promotional offer mid-cycle - A support team member making a manual correction to your account When any of these events occur, a prorated charge may be applied immediately to cover the difference, and your renewal date may shift accordingly. 💡 Understanding Credit Type Conversions Search Atlas uses different types of credits depending on your plan and any promotions applied to your account. Common credit types include: - Promotional credits: Applied from trial periods, referral bonuses, or special offers. These often have an expiry date. - Plan credits: Included as part of your active subscription tier and reset each billing cycle. - Add-on credits: Purchased separately for specific tools or features. When your account transitions between credit types — for example, when a promotional credit expires and converts to a paid credit — a charge may be generated at that moment rather than on your standard renewal date. This is expected behavior, but it can cause confusion if you weren't made aware of the conversion date in advance. 🛠️ What to Do If a Charge Looks Wrong If you've been charged on an unexpected date or for an unexpected amount, follow these steps before escalating: 1. Check your billing history: Go to account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing → Invoices to see a full list of transactions, dates, and descriptions. 2. Review any recent changes: Think about whether you upgraded your plan, activated a new feature, or had a support interaction around the time the charge appeared. 3. Check your credit balance: Go to account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups to see your current credit types, amounts, and expiry dates. 4. Compare the charge to your plan price: A prorated charge will typically be less than your full plan cost. If the amount matches your full plan price, it may be a standard renewal that landed on a shifted cycle date. ⚠️ A Note on Verbal Billing Estimates If a member of the Search Atlas team told you a specific future charge date, please be aware that dates can shift if any account changes are made after that conversation. A quoted date is an estimate based on your account state at that moment, not a guaranteed billing date. Always refer to your avatar in the top-right corner → Billing (Billing page) for the most up-to-date renewal information. 🤝 Need Help Reviewing a Specific Charge? If you've reviewed the steps above and still believe a charge was applied incorrectly, our team can look into it and issue a correction if needed. 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.

💳 Hyper Drive Credits Not Renewing on Promotional Plan

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

⚡ AI Credits, Billing Charges, and Pro Plan Explained

What Are AI Credits? AI credits are the currency that powers AI-driven features inside Search Atlas. Every time the platform generates a suggestion, creates content, or runs an AI-assisted task on your behalf, a small number of credits is consumed. Your account receives a credit allocation included with your subscription. If you need additional credits beyond what your plan includes, additional purchases may be available — check your billing or subscription settings for current options. What Are AI Credits Used For? AI credits are consumed across AI-driven features in Search Atlas. The more actively you use AI-powered features, the faster your allocation is consumed. If you need a specific breakdown of which features are consuming your credits, please reach out to our support team with your account email and they can review your usage with you. Understanding Your Billing Charges Your invoice may show charges related to your subscription and any additional credit purchases. Your base plan fee covers platform access and includes a set number of credits each billing cycle. To review your charges, log in to Search Atlas and navigate to your account settings to look for a billing or subscription area. If you are unable to locate your invoice details or have questions about a specific charge, have your account email and the invoice date ready when you contact support. How to View Your AI Credit Usage To check your current AI credit balance, log in to Search Atlas and explore your account or subscription settings. If you are unable to locate your credit balance or need a detailed breakdown of how credits were consumed, our support team can pull that information for you — have your account email and the approximate date range ready when you reach out. Where to Find Your Purchased Backlinks To locate backlinks you have purchased through Search Atlas, log in to your account and browse the platform's main navigation for a section related to backlinks or link-building. If you are unsure where to look, or if your purchased backlinks do not appear as expected, contact our support team with your account email and the approximate purchase date so we can locate them for you. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💡 Understanding Your Invoice, AI Credits, and Billing

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

📊 Understanding Ads Campaign Quotas and Smart Ads Pricing

📋 Overview Every Search Atlas plan includes a set number of active ad campaigns you can run each month. If you reach that limit, you won't be able to create new campaigns until the quota resets or you add more capacity. This article explains how quotas work, what happens when you hit the limit, and what your options are. 🎯 What Is the Campaign Quota? Your campaign quota defines the maximum number of active campaigns you can have running at one time within a billing period. The specific quota included with your plan depends on your subscription tier. This count includes all campaigns in your account, regardless of whether they are actively spending or paused. You can view your current campaigns by navigating to the Ads section of the platform. This page shows all campaigns tied to your account and how many you have created in the current period. ⚠️ What Happens When You Hit Your Limit? Once you reach your quota, the platform will prevent you from creating additional campaigns. This applies even if one of your existing campaigns was created by mistake. At that point, you have the following options: - Wait for the monthly reset: Your campaign quota resets at the start of each new billing cycle. This is the no-cost option if timing allows. - Delete an unwanted campaign: Removing an existing campaign may free up a slot, depending on how your plan counts active versus deleted campaigns. Check your quota count on the Campaigns page after deleting to confirm. - Upgrade with the Smart Ads addon: If you need more campaigns immediately, the Smart Ads addon provides additional capacity. 💡 About the Smart Ads Addon The Smart Ads addon is designed for users who regularly need more than the base campaign quota. It provides additional campaign capacity and access to advanced campaign features within Ads Studio. For current pricing and the exact number of additional campaigns included with the addon, please contact our team directly, as these details can vary by plan and may be updated over time. This addon is best suited for agencies, power users, or businesses managing a large number of campaigns simultaneously. If you only occasionally exceed your limit, the addon may not be the most cost-effective choice. 🤔 Accidentally Created a Campaign and Hit Your Limit? If you created an unwanted campaign and it pushed you to your quota limit, here is what to do: 1. Navigate to the Ads section of the platform and open your Campaigns list. 2. Locate the unwanted campaign. 3. Delete or archive the campaign. 4. Check whether your available quota has been restored on the same page. If deleting the campaign does not immediately restore a slot, this may be due to how your plan tracks campaign usage within the billing period. In that case, your options are to wait for the monthly reset or add the Smart Ads addon for immediate access. 📅 Next Steps If you are unsure which plan quota applies to your account, want to confirm the current Smart Ads addon pricing, or need your quota reviewed after deleting a campaign, reach out to our support team. When escalating, please have your account name, the exact error message you received, and the timestamp of when you hit the limit ready so our team can assist you quickly. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💸 Understand Billing, Indexing, and Plan Limits

🧾 Why Am I Being Charged Beyond My Base Plan? The Starter plan includes a set number of indexing credits each billing cycle. If you submit more URLs than your plan allowance covers, Search Atlas may apply top-up credits to keep your requests running. These additional charges will appear as a separate line item on your invoice. To understand your charges, review the billing section of your Search Atlas dashboard, where you can see a breakdown of your base plan credits and any additional top-up charges applied during the billing period. - Base plan credits: Included in your monthly fee and reset each billing cycle. - Top-up credits: Applied when base credits are exhausted, billed at the applicable top-up rate. - Unexpected charges: If you see charges you don't recognize, please reach out to our support team with your account details and the invoice date so we can review the billing activity with you. 🔍 How Does Indexing Work on the Starter Plan? The Starter plan uses two indexing methods to request that search engines crawl and index your pages: 1. Google Search Console (GSC) Integration: Search Atlas connects to your verified GSC property and submits URLs through the Google Indexing API. This method is subject to Google's daily quota limits, which are set by Google and cannot be changed by Search Atlas. 2. Bing IndexNow: Search Atlas simultaneously pings Bing via the IndexNow protocol, which typically processes submissions faster than GSC. For both methods to work, you must complete the integration setup within your Search Atlas account. If either connection is missing or broken, submissions may fail or remain pending without being sent. Important: Submitting a URL does not guarantee indexing. Search engines make the final decision on whether and when to index a page. Indexing requests are a signal, not a command. ⚙️ What to Do If Indexing Is Not Working If pages are not being indexed or submissions appear to be failing, the most reliable first step is to contact our support team directly. Because indexing issues can stem from GSC quota limits, integration configuration, or plan-tier restrictions — factors that vary per account — our team can review your specific setup and identify the root cause. When you reach out, please have the following ready to help us resolve your issue as quickly as possible: - Your Search Atlas account email or workspace name - The URLs you submitted that are not being indexed - The approximate date and time you submitted them - Any error messages or status labels you have seen in your dashboard - Whether your GSC property is verified directly in Google Search Console at search.google.com/search-console Unverified GSC properties cannot receive API submissions. 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 Prorated Credits When Upgrading Annual Plans

🔍 Overview When you upgrade from one annual plan to another — for example, from the Agency Yearly plan to the Summit Yearly Agency promo — Search Atlas calculates the unused value remaining on your current plan and applies it as a prorated credit toward your new plan. However, this credit is not always applied automatically and may require a manual review by our team. 💡 What Is a Prorated Credit? A prorated credit represents the monetary value of the time you have remaining on your current annual subscription at the point of upgrade. For example, if you are six months into a yearly plan and you upgrade to a higher-tier annual plan, you would be entitled to a credit equivalent to the remaining six months of your original plan's value. - Prorated credits reduce the cost of your new annual plan. - The credit is calculated based on the days remaining on your current billing cycle. - Credits apply to the new plan's invoice, reducing what you owe. ⚠️ Why the Credit May Not Apply Automatically In some upgrade scenarios — particularly when switching to a promotional or special pricing plan — the billing system may not automatically detect and apply the prorated credit. This can happen when: - You upgrade to a promotional annual plan (such as a limited-time promo offer). - The upgrade is processed outside of a standard self-serve flow. - There is a plan type mismatch that prevents automatic credit calculation. If you completed your upgrade and did not see a prorated credit applied to your invoice or account balance, do not worry — our team can review your billing history and apply the credit manually. ✅ Steps to Request Your Prorated Credit 1. Check your invoice or billing summary to confirm whether a credit was already applied. 2. Note the dates of your previous plan's start date and the date you upgraded to the new plan — this helps our team calculate the credit quickly. 3. Contact our support team and provide your account email, the previous plan name, and the new plan name. 4. Our team will verify your billing records and manually apply any outstanding prorated credit to your account. 📋 Information to Have Ready To speed up the process when you contact support, please have the following details available: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account. - The name of your previous plan (e.g., Agency Yearly). - The name of your new plan (e.g., Summit Yearly Agency Promo). - The approximate date you made the upgrade. 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.

🎯 Limited Time Challenge Promo Eligibility Explained

🔍 What Is the Limited Time Challenge Only Deal? The Limited Time Challenge Only Deal is a special promotional offer available exclusively to customers who sign up or activate the promo within a defined window. The deal includes a 30% discount and additional benefits tied to the Challenge promotion. Because this is a time-sensitive offer, it comes with a hard deadline — typically midnight on the final day of the promotion. Once that deadline passes, the promo cannot be reactivated or extended. ⏰ Can the Deadline Be Extended? No. The Challenge Only Deal deadline is firm and cannot be extended on an individual basis. This applies regardless of the reason — including technical issues experienced right before midnight, time zone differences, or a last-minute decision to upgrade. - The promo window closes automatically at midnight on the stated end date. - Support teammates are not able to manually reopen or extend the offer after it expires. - There are no exceptions to the deadline policy. If you are considering the deal, we strongly recommend activating it well before the deadline to avoid missing out. 💡 What If I Already Activated the Promo Before the Deadline? If you successfully activated the Limited Time Challenge Only Deal before the deadline, your promotional benefits are locked in — even if you have not yet upgraded your plan. Here is what that means in practice: 1. Your 30% discount is retained. The discount is attached to your account from the moment you activate the promo, not from the moment you upgrade. 2. Upgrading later does not void the deal. For example, if you activated the promo during the Challenge window and then upgrade from Starter to Pro in January, the 30% off and associated deal benefits will still apply to your upgraded plan. 3. All other deal benefits carry over. Any additional perks included in the Challenge promo will follow your account through the upgrade. 📋 What Counts as Successfully Activating the Promo? To be considered eligible, you must have completed the activation steps for the Challenge Only Deal before midnight on the deadline date. This typically means: - Signing up for the promotional plan or deal within the platform. - Receiving a confirmation that the promo has been applied to your account. - Seeing the discounted rate reflected in your billing or plan details. If you are unsure whether your activation was recorded in time, check your account's billing section for the discounted rate, or reach out via the chat widget to confirm. 🚀 Upgrading Your Plan While Keeping the Promo Upgrading from a lower-tier plan (such as Starter) to a higher-tier plan (such as Pro) after activating the promo is fully supported. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth upgrade: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner, select Billing, and open the Plans & Top-ups tab (Billing). 3. Choose the plan you want to upgrade to (e.g., Pro). 4. Review the pricing summary to confirm the 30% Challenge promo discount is applied before completing the upgrade. 5. If the discount does not appear automatically, do not proceed — contact support through the chat widget first. Important: Always verify the discounted rate is visible in the checkout or billing summary before confirming an upgrade. This ensures your Challenge deal benefits are correctly carried over. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions - I missed the deadline. Can I still get the deal? No. Once the promotion window has closed, the deal is no longer available. Keep an eye on future promotions inside the platform. - Will the 30% discount apply to every billing cycle after I upgrade? Yes — as long as the promo terms state an ongoing discount, it will continue to apply to your recurring billing after the upgrade. - What if I want to upgrade to a plan higher than Pro? The same rules apply. If you activated the promo before the deadline, the benefits should carry over. Verify the discount in your billing summary before confirming. - Is the Challenge Only Deal available for annual and monthly plans? Promo applicability may vary by billing cycle. Check the original deal details in your account or contact support to confirm. 🛠️ Need Help With Your Promo or Upgrade? 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 Plan Upgrades: Quota, Billing, and Visibility

Overview When you upgrade to a new plan — such as the Growth package — your account goes through a short provisioning process. During this window, your new quotas may not immediately appear in the platform, even though your payment has been processed. This article explains what to expect, when changes take effect, and what to do if something looks wrong after upgrading. When Do Quota Changes Take Effect? After a successful plan upgrade, quota increases are typically applied within a short period of time. In some cases the process may take longer to fully propagate across all parts of your account. The following types of resources are generally updated as part of a plan upgrade: - Seats — the number of users you can add to your account - Hyperdrive Credits — your monthly AI content generation allowance - Project and keyword limits — depending on your plan tier If your dashboard still shows your previous plan's limits immediately after upgrading, this is expected behaviour and does not mean the upgrade failed. Why Can't I See My New Quotas Yet? There are a few common reasons why updated quotas may not be visible right away: - Provisioning delay: Our system is still allocating your new resources. This typically resolves on its own within a reasonable window after purchase. - Browser cache: Your browser may be displaying a cached version of your account dashboard. Try a hard refresh (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows, Cmd + Shift + R on Mac) or open the platform in a private/incognito window. - Billing cycle alignment: If you upgraded mid-cycle, some quota adjustments are prorated and confirmed at the next billing cycle refresh. Your invoice will reflect the correct charges regardless. - Account session: Log out of Search Atlas completely, then log back in to force your account to reload the latest entitlements from our servers. What to Do If Your Quotas Still Look Incorrect If you have completed the steps above and your account still does not reflect your upgraded plan's quotas, follow these steps before escalating: 1. Confirm your payment was successfully processed by checking your billing or invoices section inside Search Atlas. 2. Note the exact quotas or limits still showing incorrectly (for example, seat count, Hyperdrive Credits, or project limits). 3. Record the date and approximate time you completed the upgrade. 4. Take a screenshot of the affected area in your dashboard so our team can investigate quickly. Having this information ready will allow our support team to locate your account, verify the provisioning status, and apply any necessary corrections as quickly as possible. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Search Atlas Credits Pricing and Billing Explained

💡 What Are Search Atlas Credits? Search Atlas uses a credit-based system for certain on-demand features. Credits are not AI credits — they are a separate currency used specifically for services like press release distribution and local citation building. Most core platform features do not require credits and are included as part of your monthly subscription. 📦 What's Included in Your Monthly Plan? Your Search Atlas subscription gives you access to a wide range of tools without spending credits. Included features vary by plan tier but typically cover: - Keywords — access the full suite via Left sidebar → Keywords, including Keyword Magic, Rank Tracker, and Keyword Gap analysis - Local SEO tools — manage your Google Business Profile projects, posts, reviews, and tasks via Left sidebar → Local → GBP Projects - Media Library and Local Citations management — found under Left sidebar → GBP Projects → Media Library and Left sidebar → Local → Local Citations - OTTO SEO — AI-powered on-page optimization recommendations - Content tools — briefs, blog posts, and on-page audits Check your plan details in your account dashboard to confirm the exact limits and features included at your subscription level. 🗂️ How Many Directories Are Available for Local Citations? Search Atlas provides access to a large network of local business directories for citation building through Left sidebar → Local → Local Citations. The exact number of available directories can vary as the network is regularly updated. For the most current count, visit the Local Citations section directly inside the platform — the available directories are listed there in real time. 💵 How Much Do Credits Cost? Credits can be purchased as add-ons to your existing subscription. Pricing is as follows: - Credits are sold in bundles — the more you buy, the lower the cost per credit - Exact bundle sizes and prices are displayed on the billing or add-ons page within your account - Credits are not a recurring monthly fee by default — you purchase them as needed unless you select an auto-refill option To view current credit pricing, navigate to Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab inside the platform. 📰 How Many Credits Does a Press Release Cost? Press release distribution is one of the primary credit-consuming features in Search Atlas. The credit cost per press release depends on the distribution tier you select: - Standard distribution — reaches a broad network of news and media outlets - Premium distribution — reaches a larger, higher-authority network of publishers The exact credit cost for each tier is shown at the point of purchase inside the press release tool, so you can review the cost before confirming. No credits are deducted until you submit your press release for distribution. 🔄 Do Credits Roll Over or Expire? Credit rollover and expiry policies depend on how you acquired them: - Purchased credit bundles — typically do not expire and remain in your account until used - Plan-included credits (if applicable to your tier) — may reset on your monthly billing cycle Check your Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab for the specific terms that apply to your credit balance. 📊 How Do I Check My Credit Balance? You can view your remaining credits at any time by visiting Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing inside the platform. Your current balance is displayed there alongside your subscription details and any recent credit usage history. 🛠️ 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. Additional Notes Hyperdrive Credits use a top-up billing model — not a recurring monthly fee. Credits do not expire on a monthly cycle. There is no automatic renewal for credit bundles. You purchase additional bundles manually as needed.

📊 Growth Plan Credits and Bonus Quota Explained

📋 Overview The Search Atlas Growth plan includes a set of monthly credits across three quota types, plus a one-time promotional bonus for customers who sign up on an annual billing cycle. This article explains exactly what you receive and how to verify your allocation. 💡 Your Monthly Credit Allocation Every billing cycle, your Growth plan account is refreshed with the following credits: - AI Generation Quota: a monthly allotment for standard AI content generation tasks (exact amount shown on your Billing page under Plans & Top-ups) - AI Premium Quota: a separate monthly allotment reserved for advanced AI outputs, including long-form content generation and premium model requests (exact amount shown on your Billing page under Plans & Top-ups). - Hyperdrive Credits: a separate monthly allotment applied toward high-speed content workflows and bulk processing tasks powered by Hyperdrive (exact amount shown on your Billing page under Plans & Top-ups). These credits reset automatically at the start of each new billing period. Unused credits do not roll over to the following month. 🎁 Annual Signup Bonus Credits Customers who purchase the Growth plan on an annual billing cycle receive a one-time promotional bonus added to their account at the time of signup. The bonus allocation is: - Annual signup bonus: an additional one-time credit bonus across all three quota types — the exact amounts are confirmed on your account’s Billing page under Plans & Top-ups after signup These bonus credits are added once and are separate from your recurring monthly allocation. Unlike monthly credits, bonus credits do not expire and are consumed before your regular monthly credits each cycle. 🔍 How to Verify Your Current Quota To check your current credit balances and confirm your bonus credits were applied correctly, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click on your avatar in the top-right corner of the dashboard. 3. Select Billing from the dropdown menu. 4. Navigate to the Plans & Top-ups tab. 5. Review the credit summary table, which displays your current monthly balance, bonus balance, and next reset date for each quota type. If the bonus credits are not visible within 24 hours of completing your annual signup, there may be a processing delay or an issue with your order confirmation. ⚙️ How Credits Are Consumed Understanding credit consumption order helps you get the most from your allocation: - Bonus credits are always used first, before your monthly credits are drawn down. - Each quota type is tracked independently — using AI Premium Quota does not affect your AI Generation Quota balance, and vice versa. - Hyperdrive Credits are only consumed when you run a Hyperdrive-specific workflow; standard tasks do not draw from this pool. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Do monthly credits roll over if I don't use them all? No. Monthly credits reset at the start of each billing cycle. Only your one-time annual bonus credits persist until they are fully used. Can I purchase additional credits if I run out mid-month? Yes. Credit top-ups are available directly from the top-right avatar menu under Billing → Plans & Top-ups. Select the quota type you need and follow the on-screen prompts to add credits instantly. I signed up annually but don't see my bonus credits. What should I do? First, allow up to 24 hours for the credits to appear. If they are still missing after that window, use the support channel below so our team can investigate your order. 🛠️ 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.

💳 Understanding AI Credits, Billing, and Backlinks

🔍 Overview This article explains the most common billing questions Search Atlas customers ask: what AI credits are, how top-ups and Pro subscription charges work, and where to locate purchased backlinks inside the platform. 🤖 What Are AI Credits? AI credits are the in-platform currency that powers Search Atlas's AI-driven tools. Every time you use a feature that relies on artificial intelligence — such as generating content, running AI-assisted SEO audits, or using QUEST LLM Visibility — the action consumes a set number of AI credits from your account balance. Common features that use AI credits include: - AI content generation — writing or rewriting page content and meta tags - QUEST LLM Visibility — analysing how your brand appears in large language model results - Automated SEO recommendations — generating prioritised action lists for your sites - AI-assisted drafting for Authority Campaigns — note: press release and Cloud Stack distribution itself draws from your shared Hyperdrive Credits balance, not AI credits 📦 What Is Included in the Pro Subscription? Your monthly Pro subscription charge covers your core plan entitlements. Depending on the tier you selected at sign-up, this typically includes: - A set monthly allocation of AI credits (refreshed on your billing renewal date) - Access to all core Search Atlas tools — keyword research, site audits, backlink analysis, rank tracking, and content editing - Access to the Authority suite, including Cloud Stacks, URL Indexer, Campaigns, Inbox, and Sent - Access to More Features, including Backlink Gap Analysis and Backlink Research - Agency Whitelabel capabilities (if included in your plan tier) Your exact credit allocation and feature limits are shown under the top-right avatar → Billing (Plans & Top-ups tab) inside the platform. ⚡ What Are AI Credit Top-Up Charges? If you exhaust your monthly AI credit allocation before your renewal date, you can purchase additional credits through an AI top-up. Top-up charges appear on your invoice separately from your regular Pro subscription fee. They are a one-time purchase — not a recurring subscription — and the credits are added to your balance immediately after payment is confirmed. To check your current credit balance or purchase a top-up, navigate to your account billing or usage settings inside the platform. 📊 How to Monitor Your AI Credit Usage Keeping an eye on your credit consumption helps you avoid unexpected top-up charges. To review usage: 1. Log in to Search Atlas. 2. Open your account settings or billing dashboard. 3. Go to Avatar → Billing → Plans & Top-ups (the "Your Plan and Credits" section) to see your quota totals. If your team uses credits faster than expected, consider reviewing which features are running automatically or how frequently AI-assisted tasks are being triggered. 🔗 Where to Find Your Purchased Backlinks Backlinks you have ordered or analysed through Search Atlas are accessible via the More Features section of the platform. There are two dedicated tools: - Link Gap Analysis — compare your backlink profile against competitors and identify link-building opportunities. Navigate to More Features → Backlinks → Link Gap Analysis. - Backlink Research — view a detailed breakdown of all backlinks pointing to your site, including new, lost, and existing links. Navigate to More Features → Backlinks → Backlink Research. If you have purchased backlinks as part of an Authority Campaign, you can track their status by going to Left sidebar → Authority → Campaigns and selecting the relevant campaign. Related communications are available under Left sidebar → Authority → Inbox and Left sidebar → Authority → Sent. 🛠️ Quick Troubleshooting If something does not look right with your billing or credits, run through these checks first: - Unexpected charge on your invoice? — Confirm whether it is labelled as a Pro subscription renewal or a one-time AI top-up. Both appear on the same invoice but are separate line items. - Credits not refreshing? — Credits reset on your billing renewal date, not a fixed calendar date. Check your renewal date in your billing settings. - Cannot see purchased backlinks? — Make sure you are looking under More Features → Backlinks and that you are logged into the correct workspace if you manage multiple accounts. - Top-up credits not applied? — Allow a few minutes after payment confirmation. If the balance has not updated after 10 minutes, contact support using the method below. 💬 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.

⚡ AI Credits and Task Renewal Frequency Explained

Overview Search Atlas uses separate renewal cycles for AI credits and AI-generated suggestions. Understanding how each resets helps you plan your SEO workflow and get the most out of the platform. AI Credits — Reset Frequency AI credits power content generation, rewriting, and other AI-assisted tasks across Search Atlas. Credits reset on a monthly basis. To find your specific reset date and current credit balance, check the billing or subscription area of your account settings within the platform. If you are unsure of your exact reset date or remaining balance, our support team can confirm these details for you directly. AI-Generated Suggestions — Refresh Cadence AI-generated suggestions (such as content improvement recommendations) are refreshed when a new analysis is triggered for your site. Each new analysis produces an updated set of prioritised suggestions based on your site's current state at that time. Key points to understand: - Suggestions are tied to analysis runs. A new analysis produces a new set of prioritised suggestions reflecting your site's current state. - Applied suggestions. Once you deploy a suggestion, it will generally not be repeated in future runs unless the underlying issue reappears. - Unactioned suggestions. Suggestions you have not yet acted on remain visible in the platform until you apply them or a new analysis updates the list. Best Cadence for Deploying Recommendations Acting on suggestions consistently — rather than letting them accumulate — means your site's on-page health improves incrementally, and each new analysis starts from a stronger baseline. A regular deployment cadence is generally recommended regardless of your site size. If you have specific questions about your credit reset date, current balance, or suggestion refresh status — including details that cannot be confirmed through your account settings — our team can look into this for your account directly. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

⚡ WILDFIRE Link Building: Pricing and Usage Limits

What Is WILDFIRE? WILDFIRE is Search Atlas's AI-powered link building feature, available inside the Authority section of the platform. It helps you discover link opportunities, manage outreach campaigns, and build high-quality backlinks — all from one place. Is WILDFIRE a Paid Add-On? Whether WILDFIRE link building is included in your current Search Atlas subscription or requires a separate add-on depends on the specific plan you are on. If you are unsure whether your plan includes WILDFIRE access, our support team can confirm this for you based on your account. Are There Usage Limits? Yes — WILDFIRE usage is governed by limits tied to your specific subscription tier. This means the number of link building requests, campaign contacts, and outreach actions you can perform may be capped depending on the plan you are on. Key points to keep in mind: - Your plan's allowances apply — you cannot perform outreach actions without restriction. - Different subscription tiers come with different limits on outreach volume and campaign activity. - The exact limits for your plan are determined by your subscription and can vary. How to Find Out Your Exact Limits Because pricing and usage limits vary by plan and are not published in a single in-platform location that applies universally, the most reliable way to confirm your exact limits is to contact our support team. When you reach out, have the following ready so we can assist you quickly: - Your Search Atlas account email or username - The name of your current subscription plan (if known) - A description of what you are trying to do (e.g., number of campaigns or contacts you need) - Any error messages or limit notifications you have encountered, including the exact wording and when they appeared What If I Need More Capacity? If you are consistently hitting your limits and need higher outreach volumes, upgrading your plan may increase the number of link building requests, campaigns, and contacts available to you. Our support team can explain the options available based on your current plan and needs. Quick Summary - Is WILDFIRE an add-on? It depends on your plan — contact support to confirm. - Are there usage limits? Yes — limits are tied to your subscription tier. - How do I find my exact limits? Reach out to the support team with your account details and any error messages you have seen. 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 Trial Plan Quota Showing 0/0

🔍 Overview Some users on a trial plan may encounter an issue where their quota utilization displays as 0/0 and key features stop working as expected. This is a known platform-side issue related to how trial quotas are calculated and tracked. It is not caused by anything you did wrong, and it can be resolved quickly by the support team. ⚠️ What This Issue Looks Like - Quota usage displays as 0/0 instead of showing your correct trial allowance. - Features that should be available on your trial plan appear unavailable or non-functional. - Your domain or project may not behave as expected during setup. 🛠️ Why This Happens This issue is caused by an internal quota tracking problem that can occur during trial plan activation, plan changes, or billing cycle recalculations. In some cases, the system does not correctly initialize or refresh the quota values assigned to your trial, leaving them stuck at zero. This is a backend issue and cannot be fixed by changing settings in your account. ✅ What You Should Do Because this issue originates on the platform's backend, there are no steps you can take inside the app to resolve it yourself. Follow the steps below to get it fixed as quickly as possible. 1. Confirm the symptoms. Check your current quota status in your account. If your trial allowances are showing as 0/0 and features are not working, proceed to the next step. 2. 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. 3. Share your account details. Let the agent know that your trial quota is showing 0/0 and describe which features are not working. Include the domain you are trying to set up if applicable. 4. Wait for confirmation. The support agent will investigate your account and restore your quotas on the backend. Once restored, you will be asked to verify that the correct values now appear on your end. 5. Refresh and verify. After the agent confirms the fix, refresh your browser and check that your quota now reflects the correct trial allowance and that your features are accessible. 💡 After Your Quotas Are Restored Once your quotas are correctly restored, you should be able to proceed with setting up your domain and using all features included in your trial plan. If any feature still appears unavailable after the quota is restored, let the support agent know so they can investigate further. 🔁 Preventing Future Disruptions This issue is triggered by backend processes rather than user actions, so there is no specific step you can take to prevent it. However, if you upgrade from a trial to a paid plan and notice quota values resetting unexpectedly, contact support right away. Prompt reporting helps the team restore access faster and flag any recurring technical issues. 💬 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.

💡 Understanding Universal Credits Consumption and Billing

🔍 Overview Universal Credits (UC) are a flexible currency used across Search Atlas to power features like Backlink Research, Atlas Brain recommendations, and more. If your credits appear to deplete faster than projected, or your billing ledger shows unexpected entries, this article explains the most common causes and what our team has already resolved. ⚙️ How Universal Credits Are Consumed Each action that uses Universal Credits deducts a set amount from your balance based on the feature used and the volume of data returned. The deduction is logged in your billing ledger in real time. A few important things to understand about how consumption works: - Credit costs are tied to data volume. Features like Backlink Research pull large datasets, and the credit cost scales with the number of results returned. - Projections are estimates. When Atlas Brain recommends a credit purchase, the estimate is based on average usage patterns. Actual consumption can vary depending on your site's backlog size, the complexity of fixes, and the features you use most. - Credits are deducted per action, not per session. Running the same report multiple times will consume credits each time. 🛠️ Known Issues We Have Already Fixed Our engineering team has identified and resolved several issues that caused Universal Credits to be consumed inaccurately. If you experienced unexpected depletion in the past, one or more of these may have contributed: - Backlink Research overconsumption: A bug caused the consume quantity in Backlink Research to be inflated, meaning more credits were deducted than the actual data retrieved warranted. This has been resolved. - Rounding overcharge in the deduction layer: The system previously rounded every deduction up to a minimum of 1 credit, even for actions that should have cost a fraction of a credit. This caused small actions to be billed at a higher rate than intended. A fix to support fractional (float) credit deductions is in progress and will reduce overcharges once released. - Silent audit event loss: A ledger issue caused approximately 449,000 audit events to be lost without visibility. This meant customers and our support team could not see a full history of credit usage. The underlying issue has been fixed and the ledger now captures all events correctly. - Zero-value consume rows: The system was generating deduction records showing +0.00, which cluttered the ledger without reflecting real usage. These have been corrected through a dynamic quota classification fix. 📊 Why Your Backlog May Not Have Decreased as Expected Purchasing credits funds the ability to run fixes — it does not automatically process your entire backlog. Here is why your backlog might remain largely unchanged even after a large credit purchase: - Credits are consumed per action triggered. If fixes are not actively run after purchase, the backlog will not change. - Some fix types require manual review. Certain recommendations from Atlas Brain are advisory and require you to implement the changes directly on your site. - Backlog size affects processing time. A large backlog may require multiple credit top-ups and processing cycles to work through completely. - Past overconsumption reduced available balance. If credits were deducted at an inflated rate before the fixes above were applied, your effective working balance was lower than it should have been. 💰 Billing Ledger Adjustments If your account was affected by any of the resolved issues above, our team can review your ledger and apply a credit adjustment where appropriate. To request a ledger review: 1. Open the Search Atlas platform and navigate to your billing or credits section to note your current balance and any recent large deductions. 2. Make note of the approximate date range when you believe overconsumption occurred. 3. Contact our support team using the chat widget (see below) with this information so we can investigate your specific account history. ✅ Best Practices to Manage Your Credits To get the most out of your Universal Credits and avoid unexpected depletion going forward: - Monitor your balance regularly. Check your credits dashboard before running large batch actions. - Run targeted reports. Narrow your Backlink Research and other queries to the data you need rather than pulling maximum result sets every time. - Review Atlas Brain recommendations carefully. Treat credit purchase suggestions as estimates and consider your recent usage rate before purchasing large volumes. - Check the ledger after bulk actions. Reviewing deduction entries after a large session helps you spot any anomalies early. 🆘 Need Further Help? If you believe your account was affected by any of the issues described above, or if your credits are still depleting faster than expected after reviewing this article, please reach out. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Understanding Credit Validity and Plan Renewal Dates

📋 Overview Search Atlas plans include a set of credits (also called quotas) that refresh on a recurring schedule. Understanding when your credits expire and how renewal dates work helps you plan your usage and avoid running out mid-cycle. This article explains how credit validity periods and renewal dates generally work across plan types. 🗓️ How Credit Validity Works Your credits are tied to your billing cycle. Each time your cycle renews, your credit quota resets — unused credits from the previous period do not carry over to the next cycle. - Monthly plans: Credits reset every month on your billing date. - Annual plans: Credits reset every month on your monthly quota-reset date, even though your plan itself renews once per year. This means that even on an annual plan, you receive a fresh batch of credits each month — you do not have to wait a full year for your quota to replenish. 🔍 Annual Plans — Plan Renewal vs. Monthly Quota Reset If you are on an annual plan, there are two distinct dates to be aware of: - Plan renewal date: The date your annual subscription renews and you are billed for the next year. - Monthly quota-reset date: The date each month when your credit quota refreshes. This is the date that matters for day-to-day credit availability. If you are unsure which date applies to your credits or notice an unexpected date displayed in your account, our support team can confirm the correct quota-reset date for your specific plan. 📅 Credit Validity by Cycle Regardless of plan type, credits issued for a given billing month are valid for that month only. Once your quota-reset date passes, the previous month's unused credits expire and a new batch is issued for the next cycle. Credits do not roll over between cycles. 📊 Checking Your Renewal and Reset Dates To review your current credit balance and plan dates, log in to Search Atlas and click your avatar in the top-right, then select Billing. If the date shown does not match what you expect — for example, if it appears to show an annual renewal date rather than your monthly reset date — please contact our support team with your account details so we can clarify the correct dates for your plan. When contacting support, please have the following ready: - Your Search Atlas account email or project name - The date currently displayed in your account for credit reset or renewal - Your plan type (monthly or annual) and any active add-ons 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.

💳 Unrecognized Credit Card Charge Explained

🔍 Why You May See an Unrecognized Charge If you noticed a charge on your credit card statement that doesn't match your Search Atlas invoices, you're not alone. Unexpected or unrecognized charges can happen for a variety of billing-related reasons. This article explains what to do if you believe you've been charged incorrectly and how to escalate the issue to our team for resolution. ⚠️ Common Reasons for an Unexpected Charge - A previously used card was still billed: A card you no longer intended to use may have processed a charge depending on when your payment method was last updated relative to your billing cycle. - Timing of a payment method update: If you updated your payment method shortly before a billing cycle, the charge may have processed on your previous card depending on the exact timing of the update. - Charge amount doesn't match your invoice: Your invoice may reflect a different amount or date than what appears on your bank statement due to currency conversion, processing fees applied by your bank, or a slight delay in statement reporting. - Other billing discrepancies: In some cases, a charge may appear for reasons specific to your account configuration. Our team can investigate the root cause directly. 📋 How to Identify the Charge 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your billing settings. 2. Review your invoice history and match the charge amount and date to your bank statement. 3. Check the payment methods listed in your billing settings to confirm which card is currently active. 4. If you see a card you no longer use still listed, remove it to prevent future unintended charges. 5. Note the exact charge amount, date, and the last four digits of the card that was billed — you'll need these details if you escalate to our team. 🛠️ What to Do If the Charge Is Incorrect If you've reviewed your billing history and believe you were charged in error, take the following steps: 1. Do not file a chargeback immediately. Filing a dispute with your bank before contacting us can delay your resolution and may temporarily affect your account access. Reach out to our team first so we can investigate and issue a refund directly if warranted. 2. Gather the following details before escalating: the exact charge amount, the date it appeared on your statement, the last four digits of the card that was billed, and your account email address. 3. Contact our support team using the chat widget described below with these details so we can look into your billing history and work toward a resolution. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Understanding Unrecognized Credit Card Charges

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

💳 Understanding Billing Changes and Universal Credits Migration

💡 Overview If you have noticed a change in your monthly plan rate or seen a higher figure when exploring the Universal Credits migration, you are not alone. Recent infrastructure updates to Search Atlas billing systems introduced several known issues that our engineering team has since resolved. This article explains what happened, what the numbers mean, and what to do next. 🔍 Why Did My Plan Rate Increase? Some customers on legacy pricing plans saw their monthly rate increase unexpectedly — for example, from $319/month to $400/month. This was caused by two confirmed bugs in our billing system: - Duplicate billing event: A split-brain bug incorrectly enrolled new-billing customers into a legacy CustomerPlan at the same time, resulting in overlapping charges. - Incorrect OTTO site pricing: A misconfiguration applied the wrong price tier to certain OTTO site packages, raising the billed amount above what was agreed. - Summit Special Offer not reflected: For customers on a Summit Special promotional rate, that discount was not being passed through correctly to the customer dashboard or Stripe invoices. All three issues have been identified and resolved by our engineering team. If your rate was increased as a result of these bugs, you are eligible for a correction and, where applicable, a credit or refund for any overcharged amount. ⚙️ Can My Legacy Pricing Be Restored? Yes. If you were on a confirmed legacy or promotional rate and your price changed due to a platform bug rather than a plan change you initiated, your original rate can be restored. Our billing team will review your account history and reinstate the correct pricing. No action is required on your end other than reaching out to our team so we can locate your account and apply the fix. 📊 Why Does My Universal Credits Migration Show $4,800/Month? When you preview the Universal Credits plan inside the platform, the figure displayed is often the full list price for a comparable credits package — not a quote based on your current contract rate. This means the preview does not automatically account for: - Your existing legacy discount or promotional pricing - Any negotiated enterprise rate on your current plan - Credits you have already accumulated or prepaid So if your current bill is around $1,400/month, seeing $4,800/month in the migration preview does not mean your bill will jump to that amount. It is a default catalogue figure that is adjusted during the actual migration process based on your account terms. 🚀 What Happens During the Actual Migration? When our team processes your migration to Universal Credits, the following steps take place: 1. Your account history and current contract terms are reviewed. 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 Billing Proration and Credit Application

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

💡 Universal Credits After a Plan Downgrade Explained

🔍 What Are Universal Credits? Universal Credits (UC) are a flexible currency inside Search Atlas that let you run tools and reports across the platform without being locked into fixed per-tool quotas. Your UC balance depends on the plan you are subscribed to, and changes to your plan directly affect how those credits are assigned and refreshed. ⚠️ What Happens to Universal Credits When You Downgrade? When you downgrade from a higher-tier plan — such as a trial Growth plan — to a lower-tier plan such as the Starter plan, your Universal Credits balance is recalculated to match the credit allowance of your new plan. This means: - Any unused credits from your previous plan do not carry over to the new plan. - Your UC balance is reset to reflect only what the new plan includes. - If your new plan includes a lower UC allowance, your displayed balance will drop accordingly. This is expected behaviour and is not a billing error or a technical fault. 📊 Does the Starter Plan Include Universal Credits? Yes, the Starter plan does include Universal Credits, but at a lower allocation than Growth or higher-tier plans. The exact number of credits included in each plan is shown on the Pricing page. If your balance appears to be zero immediately after downgrading, allow a few minutes for the system to apply your new plan's credit allocation. If the balance remains at zero after some time, this may need to be reviewed by our team. 🛠️ What to Have Ready When Escalating If your Universal Credits balance does not update correctly after a plan downgrade, our team will need to investigate your account. Please have the following ready before reaching out: - Your account email address or project name - The plan you downgraded from and the plan you downgraded to - The approximate date and time the downgrade took place - A description of your current UC balance and what you expected it to show - Any error messages displayed on your screen, copied exactly as they appear 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 Billing Quota Section

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

🔍 Understand Exhausted Quota After Renewal

🔎 Why quota may still appear exhausted Renewing a plan does not always mean your quota has reset immediately. The platform may still be processing the payment, applying the renewed plan, or updating quota records. In some cases, usage from the previous billing period or an active quota grant can temporarily affect the available balance. A displayed exhaustion message can also result from a delayed status update or a temporary quota service issue. This does not necessarily mean you used your new quota. ✅ Check your renewal status 1. Open the account menu from your avatar in the top-right corner. 2. Go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups. 3. Confirm that your expected plan is active and the renewal date is correct. 4. Open Billing → Invoices and check whether the renewal invoice shows a successful payment. 5. Review Billing → Activity Log for subscription, payment, or quota-related updates. 📊 Check whether quota was consumed Review the activity or usage area for the affected feature and confirm whether actions ran after renewal. Team members, automated workflows, scheduled tasks, and retries may consume quota even when you have not personally started a new task. Also check whether another user has access to the account. From the account menu, open Team Members to review active members and deactivate access that is no longer needed. 🛠️ What to do next 1. If payment is pending, wait until the invoice and plan status show as active before retrying tasks. 2. If the payment succeeded but the quota remains exhausted, sign out and back in, then reload the affected page. 3. Avoid repeatedly starting the same task while the quota status is updating, as retries may consume additional quota. 4. If the account remains over its allowed quota after a successful renewal, record the plan name, renewal time, affected feature, and any relevant error message. ⚠️ When to contact support Contact support when your invoice shows a successful renewal but the plan is active and quota still shows exhausted, or when an error blocks actions after renewal. Include screenshots and the details listed above so the issue can be investigated faster. 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 AI Credits Billing Charges

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

📊 Understanding Quotas and Billing Limits

🔒 No Automatic Charges Beyond Your Plan (By Default) Your monthly subscription includes a fixed set of quotas. When you reach a limit, the system stops the action and shows a quota notice. It will not upgrade your plan or charge your payment method automatically unless an account admin has explicitly enabled Automatic top-up for Universal Credits from the Billing dashboard (Plans & Top-ups tab) (off by default). Otherwise, you will only pay more if you manually add a top-up or upgrade your subscription in the billing settings. 📈 Where to See Your Quotas 1. Open the left sidebar and go to Local → Overview. 2. Click the Quotas button at the top of the page. 3. Review the current usage bars for each resource (keywords, audits, content, etc.). 🤖 OTTO vs Non-OTTO Project Usage OTTO projects are OTTO SEO campaigns created under OTTO SEO in the left sidebar. They consume quotas from the OTTO SEO pool (scans, content generations, deployments). Non-OTTO projects include GBP Projects, Local SEO Heatmaps, and manual audits. They draw from the Local SEO quota pool (GBP posts, review requests, heatmap scans). Both pools are separate. Hitting a limit in one does not affect the other. ⚠️ What Happens When a Quota Is Reached - The specific feature pauses (e.g., you cannot start a new scan or generate content). - A banner appears explaining which quota is exhausted. - You can wait for the monthly reset, manually purchase a top-up, or upgrade your plan. 🛡️ You Stay in Control No surprises. No hidden fees. Automatic top-up for Universal Credits is off by default; only an account admin can turn it on or change it from the Billing dashboard (Plans & Top-ups tab), and an admin can turn it off there at any time. OTTO site top-ups are never added automatically — you buy them. 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.