AI NewsGo-to-marketAnnouncement
OpenAI retires Max Bid on ChatGPT Ads, Target CPA takes over
OpenAI told ChatGPT Ads advertisers that Target CPA replaces Max Bid. Target CPC replaces Max CPC. The change takes effect on Monday 9 November 2026. The older options retire on 1 January 2027.
Image: Search Engine Roundtable
Why it mattersAn advertiser who sets a hard cap for each click or action now sets an average target instead. Autobid becomes the main lever. Campaigns that relied on a strict ceiling need a re-plan this weekend.
An advertiser who runs campaigns on ChatGPT Ads has a change to plan for this weekend. OpenAI emailed advertisers that Target CPA replaces Max Bid and Target CPC replaces Max CPC, starting Monday 9 November 2026. The older options retire on 1 January 2027. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable reported the change on 5 November 2026, with a copy of OpenAI's email.
OpenAI's wording, from the email: starting Monday, November 9, an advertiser can "optionally choose a cost target in Ads Manager". Target CPC "lets our system bid above or below your target in each auction". It "aims to deliver as many clicks as possible from your budget while working toward your desired average CPC".
What is changing for conversion campaigns
Max Bid set a hard ceiling per conversion. An advertiser said "pay no more than X dollars per signup" and the system never went over. Target CPA is an average, not a cap. The system can pay more than the target on one auction and less on another. The goal is the average over the campaign, not any single bid. That is a different cost shape to plan for.
A team that uses Max Bid today has two choices. Switch to Target CPA when the change takes effect on 9 November. Or stay on Max Bid until 1 January 2027, when the option retires. OpenAI did not offer a third path.
What is changing for click campaigns
Max CPC was the same ceiling idea for a cost per click. Target CPC replaces it. The system can bid above or below the target in each auction. The goal is an average CPC over the whole campaign. OpenAI frames this as a way to catch more clicks within the same budget.
Intelligent bidding, which OpenAI calls autobid, continues as the default. A team that already uses autobid has nothing to change. A team that uses Max Bid or Max CPC to cap costs has a plan to revisit.
Who it is for
The target is any advertiser running paid campaigns on ChatGPT. The scope covers two campaign types: conversion campaigns using Max Bid and click campaigns using Max CPC. OpenAI's prior piece on creative enhancements, cited in the same note, had another auto-enable date in late October. The pattern is that OpenAI prefers automated bidding over a hard cap.
The honest trade is that an average removes the reassurance of a worst-case cost. A campaign whose unit economics only work below a cap can overshoot on one auction. The company still spends on average inside the target. A finance team used to the Max Bid ceiling has to agree the trade before 1 January.
What a buyer should do
Three steps. First, list every campaign that uses Max Bid or Max CPC today. Second, pick a target that matches the cap most of the time. A team can set the target at 90 percent of today's cap and keep a buffer. Third, watch the first week closely. OpenAI's own figures for how Target CPA tracks against the target are not published yet. The only safe source is a team's own ads account.
Source
- Primary source: Creative enhancements for ChatGPT Ads.
- Reporting: Search Engine Roundtable.
This item was written by an AI system from the linked source. Reveneau is responsible for what it publishes.
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