Payment Methods & Failed Payments

💰 Changing Your PayPal Email for Publication Media Payouts

Manage Payment Cards and OTTO Access

💳 Remove a payment card Payment card removal is handled by the Search Atlas support team as a backend action. You cannot always remove a card directly from the platform — for example, if the card is the only payment method tied to an active subscription, the self-serve option may not be available. To request card removal, please have the following ready when you contact support: - The last four digits of the card you want removed - Confirmation of whether you have another active payment method on file - Your account email address - Whether you have any active subscriptions or upcoming renewals on the account The support team will verify your account details and remove the card on your behalf. 📊 Check your OTTO plan access Your OTTO access — including how many sites or projects are included — is determined by your current plan, any active add-ons, and account-level entitlements. Because this can vary by account, the support team can confirm the exact number of OTTO sites your plan includes. When escalating a question about OTTO site limits, have the following ready: - Your account email address - The plan you are currently on (if known) - The number of OTTO sites you currently see versus what you expect to have access to - Any recent plan changes, upgrades, or downgrades on the account The support team can review your entitlements and clarify what is included with your current plan or any available upgrade options. 🔄 Plan changes and billing questions If you have questions about changing or cancelling your plan, or about how a plan change would affect your OTTO access or billing, contact support with your account email and a description of what you would like to change. The team can walk you through available options and confirm the impact before any change is made. 🧾 Payment and billing history If you need to review past invoices or payment activity and cannot locate them in your account, contact support with your account email and the approximate date range you need. The team can provide or resend billing records. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Fix a Failing Monthly Subscription Card Charge

🔍 Overview Some customers notice that their active, funded card is not being charged for their monthly Search Atlas subscription — and in some cases this happens in consecutive billing cycles. This article explains the most common reasons this occurs and the steps you can take to resolve it. ⚠️ Why Your Card Charge May Be Failing Even when your card appears active and has sufficient funds, a charge can fail for several reasons: - Outdated default payment method: If you recently added a new card or updated your billing details, the system may still be attempting to charge a previous card that is no longer valid. - Card issuer decline: Your bank or card issuer may be blocking the charge due to security rules, international transaction flags, or soft declines — even if the card is funded. - Billing account sync issue: In rare cases, a technical mismatch between your subscription record and your payment method on file can prevent the charge from processing correctly. - Add-on or top-up conflict: If your account has add-ons or top-up charges associated with it, a failed charge on one item can sometimes affect the processing of your base subscription. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve the Issue 1. Verify your default payment method. Log in to Search Atlas, navigate to your billing settings, and confirm that the correct card is set as the default. If you have added a new card recently, make sure it is selected as the primary payment method and that any old cards have been removed. 2. Check the card details. Ensure the card number, expiry date, CVV, and billing address saved in your account exactly match what your bank has on file. Even a small mismatch can cause a decline. 3. Contact your bank. Reach out to your bank and ask whether any charges from Search Atlas have been blocked or flagged. Request that your bank whitelist future charges from us. 4. Remove and re-add your card. If the details look correct but charges are still failing, try deleting the card from your account and adding it again. This can clear any sync issues between your payment method and our billing system. 5. Try an alternative payment method. If the issue persists, consider adding a different card to see whether that card processes successfully. 📋 What Happens If the Charge Keeps Failing If a subscription charge cannot be collected after multiple attempts, you may receive an email notification about the failed payment. Your account status and plan access may be affected if the balance remains unpaid across billing cycles. Resolving the payment method issue promptly will prevent any interruption to your service. Note: If you receive a notification about a charge failure, please check the details carefully and follow the steps above to update your payment method as soon 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.

💳 Fix a Failed Subscription Payment Fast

🔍 Why Did My Payment Fail? A failed subscription payment can happen even when your card is active and your account has sufficient funds. The most common causes include: - Bank or card issuer blocking the charge — Some banks flag large or recurring SaaS charges as suspicious and decline them automatically. - Temporary network or gateway error — A brief interruption between our payment processor (Stripe) and your bank can cause a charge to fail without any issue on your end. - Outdated card details — An expired card, a recently reissued card with a new number, or a billing address mismatch can all trigger a decline. - Payment method sync issues — In some cases, an existing card on file may lose its connection to our billing system and need to be re-added. - Soft declines — Your bank may issue a temporary soft decline that resolves on its own within 24–48 hours. ⚙️ What Search Atlas Does Automatically Search Atlas has an automated failed payment handling system designed to minimise disruption to your account. Here is what happens after a payment fails: 1. Immediate retry — Our system attempts to charge your payment method again shortly after the initial failure. 2. Scheduled retries — If the first retry fails, additional automatic retry attempts are made over the following days. 3. Email notifications — You will receive email alerts at each stage so you are kept informed and can take action if needed. 4. Account visibility — Your billing section will show the failed payment status so you can see exactly what is outstanding. In most cases, the automated retry process resolves the issue without any action needed from you. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve a Failed Payment If your payment has failed and you want to resolve it quickly, follow these steps: 1. Check your payment method. Go to Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups inside the platform and confirm your card details are current. If your card was recently reissued, remove the old card and add the new one. 2. Verify your billing details. Ensure the billing address on file matches what your bank has on record. A mismatch is a common cause of silent declines. 3. Contact your bank. Call the number on the back of your card and ask whether a charge from Search Atlas or Stripe was blocked. Request that your bank whitelist future charges from us. This is the fastest way to unblock large recurring payments. 4. Retry the payment manually. Once your card details are confirmed and your bank has cleared any block, return to Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups and use the option to retry the failed payment. 5. Wait for the next automatic retry. If you have updated your payment method, our system will attempt the charge again automatically on the next scheduled retry date shown in your billing dashboard. 💡 Tips for Preventing Future Payment Failures - Keep your card details up to date, especially after a card renewal or replacement. - Notify your bank in advance if you expect a large recurring charge — this is particularly helpful for invoices above $1,000. - Add a backup payment method in account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing so our system has a fallback option if your primary card is declined. - Make sure the email address on your account is current so you receive payment failure notifications promptly. 🚀 Requesting a Manual Charge Investigation If you have completed all of the steps above and your payment is still failing despite no issues on your end — such as a confirmed active card, sufficient funds, and your bank showing no blocks — our team can investigate and, where appropriate, initiate a manual charge on your behalf. To request this, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team. Please have the following information ready to speed up the investigation: - The exact amount of the failed charge (e.g. $2,569) - The date the payment failed - Any error message or decline code shown in your billing dashboard - Confirmation that you have already spoken with your bank Our team will review your account, coordinate with our payment processor, and work to get your subscription restored as quickly as possible. ❓ Will My Account Be Suspended? Search Atlas aims to give customers reasonable time to resolve payment issues before any service interruption. You will receive clear notifications at each stage of the retry process. If you act quickly — updating your payment method or contacting your bank — your access is unlikely to be affected. If you are concerned about your account status during a payment dispute, reach out via the chat widget for clarification. 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 Account Locked After Failed OTTO Payment

🔍 Overview If you log in and are unexpectedly redirected to a "Choose a Plan" screen — even though you have an active Pro plan and existing projects — your account may have been locked due to a failed OTTO top-up payment. This article explains why this happens and what steps to take to restore full access. ⚠️ Why This Happens Search Atlas uses recurring billing for OTTO AI top-up quotas. If a scheduled top-up payment fails (for example, due to an expired card, insufficient funds, or a temporary bank decline), the system may flag your account as having an incomplete billing status. In some cases, this can cause the platform to treat your subscription as inactive, redirecting you to the plan selection screen despite your underlying Pro plan remaining valid. Common scenarios that trigger this issue include: - A recurring OTTO top-up invoice that failed to process automatically - A payment method that expired or was replaced since your last billing cycle - A temporary bank or card processor decline that was not retried successfully - A billing period that became frozen following a failed payment recovery attempt ✅ Steps to Restore Access 1. Check your payment method. Navigate to your account menu by clicking your avatar in the top-right corner of the platform, then go to Billing → Plans & Top-ups. Confirm your card on file is current and has not expired. 2. Look for a failed invoice. In your billing section, review recent invoices for any marked as failed, past due, or unpaid. A failed OTTO top-up invoice is the most common cause of this lock. 3. Update your payment method if needed. If your card has expired or changed, add a new payment method and set it as the default before attempting to pay the outstanding invoice. 4. Pay the outstanding invoice manually. Once your payment method is confirmed, locate the failed invoice and select the option to pay it manually. After successful payment, the system should recognise your subscription as active. 5. Refresh and log back in. After the payment processes, log out of Search Atlas and log back in. You should be directed to your normal dashboard instead of the plan selection screen. 6. Verify your projects and OTTO quota. Navigate to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) via the left sidebar (or go to /seo-automation-v3) and confirm your projects are intact and your OTTO quota has been restored. 🛠️ If Access Is Still Blocked After Payment In some cases, a system sync delay may prevent access from being restored immediately after payment. If you have paid the outstanding invoice but are still being redirected to the plan selection screen, try the following: - Wait up to 15 minutes and then log out and back in again - Clear your browser cache and cookies, then reload the platform - Try accessing the platform in a different browser or an incognito window If none of these steps resolve the issue, it is possible that your account requires a manual billing reconciliation on our end. This can occur when a top-up charge does not appear correctly in the billing system even after payment, or when the billing period remains frozen due to a previous failed recovery attempt. 📋 What to Prepare Before Contacting Support To help our team resolve your issue as quickly as possible, please have the following ready: - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The date and approximate amount of the failed or disputed invoice - A confirmation or receipt of any payment you have already made - A brief description of what you see when you log in (for example, the exact screen or error message displayed) 💬 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.

💳 Manage Billing Accounts and Payment Methods

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

⚠️ Charge Failures After Removing a Payment Method Outside Search Atlas

If a payment method was removed outside Search Atlas, our system may still show it as active — causing charge attempts to fail. Add a new default payment method in Search Atlas Billing Settings to stop further failures while our billing team resolves any affected charges on your account. 🔍 What's Happening When you remove a payment method directly in Stripe — rather than through Search Atlas Billing Settings — our system may not receive the update right away. The removed payment method can remain listed as active in your Search Atlas account. When Search Atlas attempts to charge that method, Stripe rejects it because the payment method ID no longer exists. Who is affected: You are affected if you removed a payment method through your Stripe account or another external tool, rather than through Search Atlas Billing Settings. Symptoms you may see: - Charge attempts fail with a payment error. - A removed payment method still appears as active in your Search Atlas Billing Settings. - Subscription or plan charges are not processing as expected. If you recognize any of these symptoms, the workaround steps below will stop further charge failures. 🛠️ Workaround Steps Follow these steps to add a valid payment method and stop further charge failures: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. Go to Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups tab . Click Add Payment Method and enter your new card or payment details. Set the new payment method as your Default . Contact Search Atlas Support to confirm that any previously failed charges are retried against your new payment method. Once your new default payment method is saved, future charges will use it automatically. A member of our billing team will follow up to confirm that any failed charges from the affected period are properly resolved. 📡 Engineering Status Our engineering team is aware of this issue and is actively working on a fix. The update will ensure that when a payment method is removed in Stripe, Search Atlas automatically updates your billing records — removing the stale entry and preventing future charge failures. This article will be updated as soon as the fix is deployed. No further action is required on your end beyond the workaround steps above. 📞 When to Contact Support Reach out to our billing support team if any of the following apply: - You completed the workaround steps but charges are still failing. - A charge on your account was not applied correctly, or you need a previously failed charge retried. - A stale payment method still appears in your Billing Settings after adding a new default. - You want to confirm the status of a previously failed payment. Important: Reviewing failed charge history and cleaning up stale billing records requires a human billing agent. Our team will verify your charge history and handle all necessary charge retries or reversals directly — these actions must go through our billing team, not automated tools. Contact us via the live chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform (type human teammate to reach a member of the team). 🌀 Billing issues are stressful — our team is actively working to resolve this and prevent it from happening again. Once you've added your new default payment method, contact our billing support team and we'll take care of the rest.

🐦 Fix Twitter Cards Write Button Not Generating AI

🔍 What Is This Issue? When you open a Twitter Card in the OTTO SEO V3 section and click the Write button, you expect Search Atlas to automatically generate AI-powered fix suggestions. Instead, a blank manual input box appears and no AI content is produced. This happens because the Twitter profile URL stored in your Knowledge Base is outdated or not properly saved. Search Atlas uses this URL to pull context for AI generation — if it is missing or stale, the AI cannot proceed and falls back to a manual input prompt. 🗺️ Where This Happens This issue occurs inside the OTTO SEO V3 tool. To get there, go to the left sidebar and click OTTO SEO V3. From your site's overview, navigate to the Twitter Cards section and locate any card flagged for a fix. Click Write on any flagged card to reproduce the issue. 🛠️ How to Fix It The solution is to re-enter and save your Twitter profile URL in the Knowledge Base. Follow these steps carefully: 1. In the left sidebar, click OTTO SEO V3 to open the OTTO SEO V3 dashboard. 2. Locate the Knowledge Base section within the OTTO SEO V3 settings. This is typically found in the site configuration or settings panel for your connected property. 3. Find the field labelled Twitter Profile URL (it may currently be blank, contain an old handle, or show a broken link). 4. Clear the existing value completely, then type or paste your correct, full Twitter profile URL. Use the format https://twitter.com/yourhandle or https://x.com/yourhandle — both are accepted. 5. Click Save or Update to confirm the change. 6. Return to OTTO SEO V3 in the left sidebar, navigate back to the Twitter Cards section, and click the Write button on a flagged card again. The AI content generator should now activate automatically and produce suggested fixes instead of opening a manual input box. ✅ How to Confirm the Fix Worked After completing the steps above, the Write button should immediately trigger AI-generated copy suggestions for your Twitter Card fields — such as the title, description, and image alt text — without showing a blank manual input prompt. If AI content appears, your Knowledge Base URL has been successfully refreshed. ❓ Frequently Asked Questions Why does the URL go stale? If your Twitter handle was recently changed, your account was migrated from Twitter to X, or the Knowledge Base was set up without a URL initially, the stored value may be missing or no longer valid. Search Atlas cannot auto-detect handle changes, so a manual update is required. Will this fix affect other AI features? Yes — keeping your Twitter profile URL current in the Knowledge Base also improves AI suggestions in other social metadata fields that reference your brand's social presence. What if I do not have a Twitter or X profile? If your site does not use Twitter Cards or you do not have a profile, leave the field blank and consider disabling Twitter Card audits in your OTTO SEO V3 settings to avoid false flags. Do I need to re-crawl my site after updating? No re-crawl is needed. The Knowledge Base update takes effect immediately for AI generation tasks. 💬 Still Need Help? If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

🔐 Fix Login Failures After a Failed Payment

🔍 Why This Happens If a recent payment attempt on your Search Atlas account was declined or interrupted, your account may be placed in a restricted state. This can prevent you from logging in at the Search Atlas login page even if your email and password are correct. The platform requires an active, valid billing status to grant full access. ⚠️ Common Signs of This Issue - You enter your credentials correctly but cannot get past the login screen. - You are redirected back to the login page after attempting to sign in. - You see an error message related to your account status or subscription. - Your login was working previously but stopped after a billing date. 🛠️ How to Fix Your Login 1. Check your email inbox. Search Atlas sends a notification when a payment fails. Look for an email from Search Atlas in your primary inbox and your spam or junk folder. 2. Follow the payment link in the email. The email contains a direct link to update your billing information. Click it to go to the payment page without needing to log in first. 3. Update your payment method. Enter a valid credit or debit card, or update your existing card details if they have expired or changed. 4. Complete the payment. Confirm the outstanding balance or subscription renewal. You will receive a confirmation once the payment is processed successfully. 5. Return to the login page. Go to the Search Atlas login page and sign in with your usual credentials. Your access should be fully restored. 💡 Tips to Prevent Future Login Blocks - Keep your payment method up to date before your card expires. - Make sure billing notification emails from Search Atlas are not going to your spam folder. - If you use a virtual or prepaid card, confirm it supports recurring charges. - Check with your bank if a valid card is still being declined — some banks block automatic subscription payments by default. 🙋 Still Cannot Log In? If you have updated your payment details but are still unable to access your account, our support team can manually verify your billing status and restore access. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Fix a Wrong Card Charge or Billing Discrepancy

🔍 Why Was the Wrong Card Charged? If you have multiple payment cards saved in your Search Atlas account, our payment processor charges the card marked as the default at the time the billing cycle runs. Removing a card after a billing cycle has already begun — or after an invoice has been generated — may not redirect the charge, as the transaction can be locked to the card that was active when the cycle opened. Common reasons the wrong card gets charged: - A card was removed but the billing cycle had already begun before the removal was processed. - A new card was added but not yet set as the default before the renewal date. - A previous failed payment triggered a retry attempt against the original card on file. 📊 Why Doesn't the Amount Match Your Records? A billing discrepancy — where the amount charged differs from what you expected — can occur for several reasons: - Currency conversion: If your plan is priced in one currency and your card is billed in another, your bank applies its own exchange rate on the transaction date, which may differ from the rate you anticipated. - Mid-cycle plan changes: Upgrading or downgrading during a billing period may create a prorated charge or credit that adjusts your invoice total. - Taxes and fees: Depending on your billing country, local taxes or fees may be added to your invoice automatically. - Pending retries: A previously declined payment that is retried successfully may appear as a separate charge. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve a Wrong Card Charge 1. Check your default payment method. Log in to your Search Atlas account and review your saved payment methods to confirm which card is set as default. Update it if needed to prevent the issue from recurring on your next billing date. 2. Review your invoice. Access your billing history in your account to download your latest invoice. Compare the amount, currency, and card details shown on the invoice with your bank statement. 3. Gather the discrepancy details. Before contacting support, collect the following information so our team can resolve your case quickly: the last four digits of the card that was charged, the last four digits of the card that should have been charged, the exact amount charged, the transaction date, and your invoice number. 4. Contact our support team. Our billing team can verify the charge, correct the payment method for future cycles, and initiate a refund where applicable. 💡 How Refunds Work If a charge is confirmed to have been processed against the wrong card in error, our billing team will review the transaction and issue a refund to the originally charged card. Refund timelines vary depending on your bank or card issuer. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Fix a Past Due Status After Payment

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

💳 Fix a Subscription Expired After Failed Payment

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

💳 Set Your Default Payment Card in Billing

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

🛠️ Fix a Stuck or Unremovable Stripe Payment Method

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

💳 Update Your Primary Payment Method Card

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

💳 Fix a Charge Billed to the Wrong Card

🔍 Overview If a payment was charged to an incorrect card on file, our support team can refund the amount to the wrong card and re-bill it to the correct one. This article explains what that process looks like and what you may need to do on your end to complete the correction. ⚠️ What Causes This Issue This can happen when multiple payment methods are saved to your account and the system processes a charge against a card other than your intended primary card. No double billing is intended — the goal is always to move the charge cleanly from one card to the other. 🛠️ How the Correction Works Our billing team handles this process in two steps: 1. Refund to the incorrect card: The full charged amount is refunded to the card that was billed by mistake. Refund timing depends on your card issuer but typically takes 5–10 business days to appear. 2. Re-bill to the correct card: A new invoice is created and tied to your preferred payment method. Our team will attempt to charge the correct card directly. 💡 What You May Need to Do In some cases, the charge to your correct card may not go through automatically — for example, if the card requires verification or has a temporary hold. If that happens, here is how to pay the invoice manually: 1. Go to Billing in your account. 2. Select Invoices. 3. Locate the open invoice created for the re-bill. 4. Follow the on-screen steps to complete payment using your preferred card. If your preferred card is not listed or is no longer valid, add a new payment method in the Billing section before attempting to pay the invoice. You may also want to confirm with your card issuer that no hold or block is preventing the charge. ✅ How to Avoid This in the Future - Review the payment methods saved to your account and remove any cards you no longer use. - Confirm which card is set as your primary payment method before your next billing cycle. - If you update your card details, verify the change is saved correctly in the Billing section. 💬 Need Help with a Wrong-Card Charge? This correction cannot be completed without our billing team — it requires a manual refund and invoice on our side. If you notice a charge on the wrong card, contact us as soon as possible so we can process the refund and re-bill before your next cycle. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

Twitter Cards

🐦 What Are Twitter Cards? Twitter Cards are snippets of HTML metadata that tell Twitter (now X) how to display your content when someone shares your webpage link. Note: Even after the platform rebranded to X, the official meta tag name remains twitter:card. The terms "Twitter Cards" and "X Cards" refer to the same feature, and the implementation has not changed. When properly implemented, Twitter Cards automatically create a rich preview — with a title, image, description, and attribution — instead of showing only a plain link. Without them, your posts may appear bland or uninviting. With them, your content looks professional, branded, and worth clicking. 🚀 Benefits of Twitter Cards Adding Twitter Cards helps improve visibility and engagement both on social media and indirectly for SEO. Here's how they help: - ✅ More clickable content – visually appealing previews boost CTR - ✅ Greater brand control – ensure your logo, title, and image display consistently - ✅ Higher engagement – increase likes, retweets, and shares - ✅ Indirect SEO benefits – more visibility means more opportunities for backlinks Even though Twitter Cards are not a direct ranking factor, they improve brand visibility — which can lead to organic growth through user engagement and referral links. The indirect SEO pathway works like this: stronger social previews increase sharing and content distribution, which raises the probability that other websites discover your content and link to it organically, ultimately strengthening your backlink profile. 🧩 Types of Twitter Cards Twitter offers four card types in total. We focus on the two most commonly used for SEO and content marketing purposes below. The other two — App Card (used to promote mobile app downloads with install buttons) and Player Card (used to embed video or audio players directly in tweets) — are less relevant for typical SEO and content marketing workflows, so they are not covered in depth here. 1. Summary Card Displays a title, short description, and small thumbnail image. Use for: Blog posts, news articles, and informational content. 2. Summary Card with Large Image Displays a larger, more prominent image for higher visual impact. Use for: Landing pages, visual content, and promotional articles. ⚙️ Twitter Card Properties and Best Practices Here are the main properties you should include in your page's <head> section. Required Properties These two must be present for a valid Twitter Card: <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Your Content Title"> Optional but Recommended Properties twitter:description Provides a short summary of your page content. <meta name="twitter:description" content="Learn how to optimize your website's SEO performance with proven strategies that drive real results."> Best Practices: - Keep under 125 characters - Make it engaging and relevant - If missing, Twitter uses your og:description or meta description twitter:site Specifies your website's official Twitter handle. <meta name="twitter:site" content="@YourBrandHandle"> Best Practices: - Use your business or brand handle - Builds connection between your site and Twitter account - If unavailable, define twitter:site:id instead (numeric Twitter ID) twitter:image Defines which image appears in your tweet preview. <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/images/seo-guide.jpg"> Best Practices: - Summary Card: 1:1 ratio (min 144×144px) - Summary Card with Large Image: 2:1 ratio (min 300×157px) - Accepted formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP, or GIF - Max file size: 5MB twitter:creator Identifies the author or creator of the content. <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@AuthorHandle"> Best Practices: - Use a real, active account - Strengthens author credibility and E-E-A-T signals 🧠 Example: Complete Summary Card with Large Image html <head>` `<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">` `<meta name="twitter:title" content="10 Proven SEO Strategies for 2025">` `<meta name="twitter:description" content="Boost your organic traffic with these data-backed SEO strategies and best practices.">` `<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/images/seo-tactics.jpg">` `<meta name="twitter:site" content="@YourBrandHandle">` `<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@AuthorHandle">` `</head> ⚠️ Common Twitter Card Issues (and Fixes) 1. Missing Twitter Properties The most common problem is simply not adding Twitter Card metadata. ✅ Fix: Add the required twitter:card and twitter:title tags to your HTML header. 2. Invalid Character Counts Titles or descriptions that exceed recommended lengths may be truncated. ✅ Fix: Keep within 55 characters for titles and 125 for descriptions. 3. Incorrect Image Sizes or URLs Low-quality or broken images prevent the card from rendering. ✅ Fix: Use the proper image ratio, ensure URLs are absolute (include https://). 🔍 How to Test and Validate Twitter Cards Use the Twitter Card Validator to preview how your content will appear when shared. It will also show you if your implementation is missing any tags or violates best practices. 🧩 How to Add Twitter Cards Option 1: Use an SEO Plugin If your website runs on WordPress, Shopify, or Wix, you can use tools like: - Yoast SEO - All in One SEO Pack - RankMath These automatically generate Twitter Cards based on your post's metadata and Open Graph tags. Option 2: Add Tags Manually For custom websites, paste the appropriate <meta> tags directly into your <head> section. Option 3: Configure in Search Atlas (Brand Vault) Within Search Atlas, social profile information that feeds into Twitter Card attribution (such as your brand's Twitter/X handle for twitter:site) is managed in Brand Vault. From there, you can store your brand's official social handles so they are referenced consistently across content generated and optimized in the platform. Steps: - Open Brand Vault from the header apps-grid icon → More Features → Brand Vault in Search Atlas. - Select the brand profile you want to update. - Add your Twitter/X handle (and any other social profile links) under the social media fields. - Save your changes. For page-level metadata (titles, descriptions, and images that map to twitter:title, twitter:description, and twitter:image), use Search Atlas's on-page SEO tools to update each page's metadata, then publish the changes to your CMS so the meta tags render in the page's <head>. ⚠️ Known Issue: Social media links in Brand Vault — including Twitter/X profile links — may not save correctly at this time due to an active bug (SPE-732) affecting all accounts. Our engineering team is working on a fix. If you experience this, please check back later or contact Search Atlas support so your case can be tracked alongside the existing escalation. 🧾 Conclusion Twitter Cards make your shared links more attractive, clickable, and branded, which improves engagement, visibility, and traffic. While they don't directly boost SEO rankings, they enhance your content's reach and perception across social media — leading to long-term growth in visibility and backlinks.

💳 Fix a Wrong Card or Currency Billing Mismatch

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

💳 Fix Updated Payment Card Not Reflecting in Billing

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

📢 Republish Failed PR Channels Without Extra Charges

💰 Refunds Issued as Hyper Drive Credits When PR distribution channels fail, refunds are automatically issued as Hyper Drive credits to your account. These credits cover the cost of the failed channels and can be used for future PR distributions. ✅ Channels Already Republished by Authority Team The Authority team has manually published the "Local & National" and "News & Media Coverage" channels. Live links for these channels are available in the attached reports. Note that the 28 links referenced belong specifically to the "Local & National Digital News Media" channel. 🔧 Still-Failing Channels Require New PR Creation For channels that continue to fail (NewsRamp, Street Insider), the recommended action is to create a new PR. Due to system constraints, previously failed channels cannot be republished on the same PR without triggering duplicate charges. A new PR ensures clean distribution and proper credit usage. 🛡️ System Fixes Prevent Future Issues Recent engineering updates ensure that failed PRs no longer consume quota and can be properly managed. Admin actions can now remove undistributed channels, and the "already published" error for empty channels has been resolved. 💬 Need Further Help? If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

✍️ Twitter Card Write Button Explained

🔍 Overview When working with Twitter Card meta tags in Search Atlas, you may notice that clicking the Write button does not generate AI-suggested content. Instead, it opens a manual text input box. This is expected behaviour — Twitter Card fields are designed for manual input, not AI generation. 💡 Why the Write Button Opens a Manual Input Box The AI fix feature in Search Atlas is available for certain on-page SEO elements such as meta titles, meta descriptions, and body content. However, Twitter Card fields work differently for the following reasons: - Twitter Card tags (such as twitter:title, twitter:description, and twitter:image) are social sharing meta tags that should reflect your own specific branding, messaging, and creative decisions. - Because these fields are highly customised and context-dependent, Search Atlas intentionally provides a manual input experience rather than auto-generating content. - The Write button opens a text box so you can enter your preferred copy directly — giving you full control over how your content appears when shared on Twitter (now X). 📋 How to Fill In Your Twitter Card Fields 1. In the left sidebar, navigate to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation). 2. Select the page you want to optimise and open its on-page details. 3. Scroll to the Twitter Cards section. 4. Click the Write button next to the field you want to update. 5. Type your preferred content directly into the input box that appears. 6. Save your changes to apply the updated Twitter Card tags to your page. ✅ Best Practices for Twitter Card Content To get the most out of your Twitter Card tags, follow these tips when writing your content manually: - twitter:title — Keep it under 70 characters. Match or closely align with your page title for consistency. - twitter:description — Aim for 100–200 characters. Write a compelling summary that encourages clicks when your link is shared. - twitter:image — Use a high-quality image URL. Twitter recommends a minimum size of 1200 × 628 pixels for best display results. - Avoid duplicating your standard meta description word-for-word — tailor the tone for a social media audience. 🛠️ Troubleshooting If the Write button is unresponsive or the input box does not appear, try the following steps: - Refresh the page and navigate back to the Twitter Cards section. - Clear your browser cache and reload the platform. - Try a different supported browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. - Confirm you have the correct editing permissions for the site in your Search Atlas account. 🙋 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.

💳 Billing Charging the Wrong Card

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

💳 Handle a Declined Payment

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

💳 Fix Payment Method Update Timeout and Display Issues

🔍 Overview Some customers experience an issue where updating a credit card on file causes the billing page to time out and reload, and the new card does not appear in the payment methods list — even after multiple attempts across different devices and browsers. This article explains what is known about this issue and what to have ready if you need to escalate it. ⚠️ Why This Happens This issue involves a payment method update timeout and a visibility glitch where the updated card does not display correctly after the attempt. The root cause is handled on the backend and requires investigation by our support team. 🛠️ Steps to Take Before Escalating 1. Clear your browser cache and cookies, then reload the billing page. Stale session data can sometimes cause display issues. 2. Try a different browser or device. This helps confirm whether the issue is local to your browser or account-level. 3. Attempt the update one more time and note exactly what happens — for example, whether the page times out before completing, or whether the card appears to save but does not show up afterward. 📍 What to Have Ready When Contacting Support Because this issue requires a backend investigation, please gather the following before reaching out: - Your account or project name - The exact error message or behavior you see (e.g., page timeout, blank payment methods list) - The date and approximate time of each failed attempt - The browser and device you were using 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.

💳 Verify a New Payment Card

💳 Why card verification can fail A new card may not be accepted if the bank declines the verification request, billing details do not match, the card requires additional authentication, or the payment method was not saved as the default. Temporary billing or checkout issues can also prevent the new card from appearing immediately. ⚙️ Add the new payment method 1. Open the account menu from your avatar in the top-right corner. 2. Select Billing, then open the Plans & Top-ups tab. 3. Select Add Payment Method. 4. Enter the card details exactly as shown by your bank, including the billing address and postal code. 5. Complete any verification or authentication request from your bank. 6. Save the card and, if available, select it as the default payment method. 🔍 Check the card and billing details - Confirm the card is active and supports online and recurring payments. - Check that the card has sufficient available funds or credit. - Make sure the card has not expired and that the security code is correct. - Use the billing name and address registered with your bank. - Ask your bank whether it blocked a small verification authorization or recurring payment. - Do not retry repeatedly if your bank is declining the request, as this may create additional temporary holds. 🔄 Confirm the card is being used After adding the card, return to Billing → Plans & Top-ups and confirm that the new payment method is shown. If an invoice or subscription still attempts to use the old card, refresh the page, sign out and back in, then check the billing details again. Allow a short time for the updated payment method to sync before retrying a failed charge. 🧾 Review billing activity Open Billing → Activity Log to review recent payment or setup attempts. You can also open Billing → Invoices to check whether an invoice remains unpaid. If the new card appears in the payment methods list but billing continues using the old card, do not remove cards repeatedly; this may indicate a synchronization issue that requires review. 🛠️ If setup still fails Capture the exact error message, the approximate time of the attempt, and the affected workspace. Never share the full card number, security code, or banking credentials. If the card is accepted by your bank but does not appear in Search Atlas, or if billing continues attempting the old card, contact our team through the platform. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Fix Updated Payment Card Not Billing Correctly

🔍 Why This Happens After adding a new card, some customers notice that charges still attempt on their old card. This can occur due to a short sync delay between the Search Atlas billing system and our payment processor, Stripe. During this window, the old card may remain active for pending or scheduled charges even though your new card appears saved in your account. Our engineering team has resolved the root cause of this issue. If you are still experiencing it, follow the steps below to confirm your new card is correctly set as the default payment method. ✅ How to Confirm Your Default Payment Method 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Click your profile icon or navigate to Account Settings. 3. Select the Billing section (Top-right corner (avatar) → Billing). 4. Locate your new card in the list and confirm it is marked as Default or Primary. 5. If it is not set as default, click the option to Set as Default next to the new card. 6. Save your changes and refresh the page to verify the update is reflected. 🗑️ How to Remove Your Old Card Once your new card is confirmed as the default, we recommend removing the old card to prevent any future confusion or incorrect charges. 1. In the Billing section, locate the old card you want to remove. 2. Click Remove or Delete next to that card. 3. Confirm the removal when prompted. Important: The Remove option only appears when you have more than one saved card — the last remaining card cannot be removed this way. To replace your only card, add a new one first via Add Payment Method, set it as primary, then remove the old card. If you need to remove your only saved card, contact support. ⚠️ What to Do If the Old Card Is Still Charged If your next billing cycle charges the old card despite completing the steps above, this is likely caused by a temporary sync mismatch that our team can resolve quickly. Do not attempt to dispute the charge before contacting us, as we can issue a correction directly. - Check your email for a payment receipt to confirm which card was charged. - Note the last four digits of the card that was charged versus the card you intended to use. - Contact our support team with this information so we can investigate and correct the charge promptly. 💡 Tips to Avoid This Issue - Add your new card and set it as default at least 3–5 days before your next billing date to allow time for the systems to sync. - After setting a new default, refresh your billing page and confirm the change is saved before closing the browser. - Avoid having multiple cards saved unless necessary. Keeping one active card reduces the chance of charges going to the wrong method. - If you are unable to delete the old card or the Set as Default option does not appear to save, contact support immediately — this may indicate a sync issue that requires manual resolution on the back end. 🛠️ Known Issue: Default Card Not Saving A small number of customers experienced a bug where setting a new card as primary had no visible effect, or the old card could not be deleted. This issue has been fixed by our engineering team. If you are on an older session or cache, try logging out, clearing your browser cache, and logging back in before updating your payment method again. 🤝 Still Need Help? If you have followed the steps above and your billing is still not reflecting the correct card, our team is ready to investigate your specific account. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

🛠️ Fix a Payment Card Discrepancy on Your Account

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

🔧 Fix Payment Method Errors During Free Trial

Overview Some users on a free trial encounter an error or a loading freeze when trying to add a credit card as a payment method. Because this issue can have different causes depending on your account and browser environment, the steps below will help you resolve it on your own in most cases. Self-Serve Troubleshooting Steps Work through the following steps in order. After each one, try adding your payment method again to see if the issue is resolved. 1. Try a different browser. If you are using Chrome, try Firefox or Edge (or vice versa). Some payment form issues are browser-specific. 2. Open an incognito or private window. In Chrome press Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac). In Firefox press Ctrl+Shift+P. Then navigate to Search Atlas and attempt to add your card again. 3. Clear your browser cache and cookies. In Chrome go to Settings → Privacy and Security → Clear browsing data, select Cookies and Cached images, then click Clear data. Reload the page and try again. 4. Disable browser extensions. Ad blockers, privacy extensions, and script blockers can interfere with payment forms. Disable all extensions temporarily, then retry adding your card. 5. Try a different card. If you have access to another credit or debit card, attempt to add that one instead to rule out a card-specific issue. 6. Check that your card details are correct. Ensure the card number, expiry date, CVC, and billing postal code are entered exactly as they appear on your card. If the Issue Persists If you have worked through all of the steps above and still cannot add your payment method, please contact our support team so we can resolve this for you manually. When you contact us, please share: - The exact error message or behaviour you see (screenshot if possible). - The browser and device you are using. - Your account email address. Our team will work with the billing and engineering team to ensure your payment method is added successfully before your trial expires.

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

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

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

If your card is being declined during sign-up or you're redirected to the 'Choose Your Plan' page after logging in, a bank restriction or card verification issue is almost always the cause — and both are fixable. 🔄 Redirected to 'Choose Your Plan' When Logging In If you're an existing Search Atlas user and find yourself redirected to the 'Choose Your Plan' page instead of your dashboard, your bank is most likely blocking the recurring Search Atlas charge. This typically happens when: - Your card was replaced due to fraud or expiration. - Your bank flagged a recurring Search Atlas charge as suspicious. - New security restrictions were placed on your card. To restore your account access: 1. Contact your bank and ask them to whitelist the Search Atlas charge so it can go through. 2. Update your payment information in your Search Atlas account if you have a new card. 3. Once the charge processes successfully, your account access is restored automatically. On your next login, you'll go straight to your dashboard. 💳 Why Is My Debit Card Being Declined During Sign-Up? Search Atlas places a temporary $1 authorization charge on your card when you sign up for the free trial. This is not an actual charge — it's a standard step to confirm your payment method is valid. Debit cards are often declined at this step for two reasons: - Bank restrictions: Many banks block debit cards from online pre-authorization holds, even temporary ones. - System compatibility: Search Atlas's verification process is optimized for credit cards, which ensures smoother processing throughout the trial and any future billing. The $1 hold is removed from your account automatically — you are not charged unless you continue with a paid subscription after the trial ends. ✅ Solution: Use a Credit Card for Sign-Up To start your free trial, use a credit card. This allows the $1 authorization to complete and finishes your registration. The hold is removed automatically, and you are not charged unless you choose to continue with a paid plan after the trial ends. ❓ What If I Don't Have a Credit Card? If you don't have a credit card, try one of these alternatives: - Use a virtual credit card from a payment app or online banking service. - Contact your bank and ask them to lift the restriction on your debit card for online pre-authorization transactions. 🛠️ Still Having Trouble? If you're still unable to start a trial or regain access to your account, contact our customer support team. Click "Talk to a Person" to reach a live agent — we can verify whether your bank is blocking charges and guide you through the next steps. 🎯 You now know the two most common causes of payment issues on Search Atlas — bank-blocked recurring charges and debit card pre-authorization restrictions — and the steps to fix each. If none of these steps resolve the issue, our support team is ready to help.

🔄 Fix a Stuck Payment or Please Wait Screen

🔍 What Is This Issue? When your Search Atlas subscription requires a plan selection or payment update, you may be redirected to a checkout screen. In some cases, clicking a plan — such as the Growth plan — triggers a "Please wait" loading screen that never completes. This can lock you out of your dashboard entirely, making it impossible to pause projects, manage campaigns, or navigate the platform. This article explains what causes the issue and the steps you can take right now to recover access. ⚙️ Why Does This Happen? This loading freeze is a known intermittent issue that can occur during the plan selection or Stripe checkout flow. Common triggers include: - Clicking a plan button while the payment processor (Stripe) is still initialising in the background. - Returning to the platform after a Stripe checkout session times out or encounters an error. - A pre-selected plan passed via a URL parameter conflicting with your account state. - Browser cache or session data from a previous incomplete checkout attempt. 🛠️ Steps to Recover Access 1. Wait 60 seconds. If the "Please wait" screen appeared just after clicking a plan, give it up to one minute before taking any action. Occasionally the request resolves on its own. 2. Refresh the page. Press F5 (Windows) or Cmd + R (Mac) to reload. Do not click the plan button again immediately — let the page fully load first. 3. Clear your browser cache and cookies. Cached session data from a previous checkout attempt can cause the screen to loop. Clear your cache, then close and reopen your browser before logging back in. 4. Try a different browser or an incognito window. Open Search Atlas in a private/incognito window or a different browser entirely. This rules out any browser extension or session conflicts interfering with the checkout flow. 5. Log out and log back in. From any page you can access, log out of your account. Then log back in and navigate to your account settings to attempt plan selection again. 6. Check your email for a payment confirmation. In some cases, the payment processes successfully in the background even though the loading screen appears stuck. Check your inbox for a Search Atlas or Stripe receipt before attempting to pay again. 🚫 How to Pause Projects Before Selecting a Plan If your goal before selecting a plan was to pause active projects, but the stuck screen is blocking access to your dashboard, follow these steps once you regain entry: 1. Log in using the incognito or alternative browser method described above. 2. Navigate to your Projects section from the main sidebar. 3. Open each active project and select Pause before proceeding to update your plan. If you are still unable to reach the dashboard after completing all steps above, our team can pause your projects on your behalf — see the section below. ✅ What to Do If You Are Still Locked Out If none of the steps above restore access, do not attempt the checkout multiple times, as this may result in duplicate charges. Instead, contact our support team immediately so we can manually resolve your account state and, if needed, pause your projects on your behalf. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

🛠️ Fix a Stuck Payment Screen and Platform Confusion

Overview If you're seeing a "Please wait" screen that never moves, or if the platform feels unfamiliar after signing up, you're not alone. These two issues often happen together — a payment page stalls during initial setup, leaving you unsure where to go next. This article walks you through what to do if you get stuck at the payment screen and how to reach support if it doesn't resolve. What to Do If the Payment Screen Is Stuck Before taking any action, wait at least 60 seconds — the screen sometimes takes a moment to finish processing. Do not refresh the page immediately, as this can interrupt the checkout flow. 1. Check your email. If you received a confirmation or welcome email from Search Atlas, your payment went through successfully and your account is ready. Go to searchatlas.com and log in directly rather than waiting on the stuck screen. 2. Hard-refresh the page. Press Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac) to reload without using cached data. 3. Try a private or incognito window. This bypasses stored cache and many browser extensions in a single step. 4. Switch browsers. If the issue persists, try accessing the platform in a different browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If you complete these steps and still cannot access your account, do not attempt to re-enter your payment details. Contact support first to confirm whether a charge was applied before trying again. Getting Oriented Once You're Inside If the platform feels unfamiliar after signing up, our support team can walk you through where to find the tools you need and how to set up your first project. Don't hesitate to reach out — getting started guidance is something we're happy to provide directly. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

⚠️ Fix Payment Failure Alerts and Dashboard Sync Issues

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

💳 Resolve Payment Failures and Dashboard Sync Issues

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

💳 Fix Recurring Subscription Payment Issues

🔍 Why your payment may not be charged An active, funded card does not always mean the recurring subscription payment will process. The subscription may be linked to a different payment method, have a past-due or paused status, use a different billing date, or require a payment retry. For migrated accounts, the subscription may also still be associated with an older card even after a new default payment method was added. A discount, promotional price, or billing configuration change can also affect the amount shown or charged. 🧾 Check your subscription and payment method 1. Open the account menu from your avatar in the top-right corner. 2. Select Billing, then open the Plans & Top-ups tab. 3. Review the subscription status, recurring amount, next billing date, and payment method. 4. Select Manage Subscription to review the subscription details. 5. If needed, select Add Payment Method and confirm that the intended card is available and current. 🔄 What to do when the card is correct 1. Confirm the card has not expired and can accept recurring online payments. 2. Check with your card provider for declined recurring, international, or online transactions. 3. Review the Billing area for an unpaid invoice or payment failure notice. 4. Do not remove the current payment method until you confirm another valid method is available. 5. After updating payment details, allow time for the billing system to retry the payment. Avoid repeatedly adding and removing cards, as this can make it harder to identify the payment method connected to the subscription. 📅 If the same issue happened last month Recurring billing problems that repeat each month usually indicate a subscription-level issue rather than a lack of funds. The subscription may be using an old payment method, have a failed retry state, or show a billing amount that does not match the current plan configuration. Take a screenshot of the subscription status, recurring amount, next billing date, and any invoice or payment error shown in Billing. This information helps the team identify whether the payment needs to be retried or the subscription needs to be corrected. ✅ Confirm the charge was successful Open the account menu, select Billing, and review the Invoices tab for the affected billing period. You can also check the Activity Log for payment attempts, failures, or subscription updates. A successful card authorization may take some time to appear as a completed invoice. If no payment attempt or invoice appears by the expected billing date, the subscription may not be synchronized correctly. Do not assume that manually paying another invoice will resolve the recurring subscription; the underlying subscription status should be reviewed. 💬 Get help with an unresolved charge Include your account or workspace name, the expected monthly amount, the affected billing dates, the last four digits of the intended card, and screenshots of the Billing status and invoice details. Never share your full card number or security code. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.

💳 Fix a Persistent Payment Failure Banner

🔍 Why This Banner Appears A Your payment has failed banner may appear on your dashboard even if you believe your account and payment method are in good standing. This banner typically indicates that the platform has detected an issue with your subscription's billing status. ✅ What to Do Next Because resolving a persistent payment failure banner requires backend verification of your billing and subscription status, this issue needs to be handled directly by our support team. When you reach out, please have the following information ready to help us resolve it as quickly as possible: - The exact wording of the banner or error message you are seeing on your dashboard - The email address associated with your Search Atlas account - The date and time you first noticed the banner - Whether you have recently updated your payment method or completed a checkout flow 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 Italian Credit Card Declines at Checkout

🔧 Fix Hyperdrive Credits Checkout Card Selection Error

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

💳 Pending Payments and Missing Accounts

💡 What this issue means A subscription payment may remain pending while your bank or payment provider completes processing. During this time, your Search Atlas access or accounts may not appear correctly. Do not submit the payment again while the original transaction is pending. A second attempt could create a duplicate charge. 🔍 Check your billing status 1. Open the account menu from your avatar in the top-right corner. 2. Select Billing, then open the Invoices tab. 3. Review the payment status and look for a recent invoice. 4. Check the Activity Log tab for recent billing updates. 👤 Check your account access If your payment shows as completed but your accounts are missing, confirm that you are signed in to the correct Search Atlas workspace and user profile. You can also open the account menu and select Team Members to confirm that your user is still active and has the expected role. ⏳ If the payment is still pending - Wait for the payment provider to finish processing. - Refresh Search Atlas after the payment status changes. - Do not cancel or retry the payment unless instructed by a team member. - Keep your payment confirmation and invoice details available if the issue continues. 💰 Requesting a refund If you paid today and want a refund, first check whether the payment is pending or completed. A pending payment may not be eligible for processing until it settles. If the charge is completed, submit your refund request through the platform so the team can review the transaction and account status. Refund eligibility and processing time can vary based on the transaction and subscription status. Do not start a payment dispute with your bank while a platform review is in progress. 🛠️ Get help with missing accounts When contacting support, include the workspace name, the email used to sign in, payment date, invoice or transaction reference, and a screenshot of the billing status. Do not share full card numbers or security codes. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.