November 6, 2026. OpenAI is replacing the two legacy bid controls in ChatGPT Ads. Starting Monday, November 9, Target CPA replaces Max Bid for new conversion campaigns that work toward a cost per conversion, and Target CPC becomes available for new click campaigns. OpenAI's help article, updated this week, says Max Bid and Max CPC "will retire on January 1, 2027 for existing campaigns." For anyone buying leads in ChatGPT, the number you enter stops being a ceiling on each bid and becomes an average cost the system works toward.
Key numbers
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Target CPA and Target CPC start (new campaigns) (a Monday) | November 9, 2026 |
| Legacy API fields start acting as targets (when used to create a campaign or change a bid type) | November 18, 2026 |
| Legacy API fields supported through | December 31, 2026 |
| Max Bid and Max CPC retire (for existing campaigns) | January 1, 2027 |
| OpenAI example: $400 spend, 10 purchases | $40 actual CPA |
| OpenAI example: $50 target, 1.2x multiplier | $60 segment target |
OpenAI Help Center articles read on 6 November 2026; email wording as quoted by Search Engine Land on 5 November 2026.
What changes, and when
- November 9, conversion campaigns. "Target CPA replaces Max Bid as the bidding option for advertisers creating new conversion campaigns who want to work toward a specific cost per conversion." OpenAI's example: "a $50 Target CPA tells the system to work toward an average conversion cost of $50. Some conversions may cost more and others less."
- November 9, click campaigns. Target CPC "lets our system bid above or below your target in individual auctions," where Max CPC capped each bid.
- Existing campaigns keep running for now. Search Engine Land, which published the list of changes OpenAI emailed to advertisers, reports that existing campaigns "will continue to serve as Max Bid campaigns," with the option to switch. The email adds: "Starting Monday, November 9, you can optionally choose a cost target in Ads Manager when you create a campaign or update an existing one." The help article says to begin moving campaigns "from November 9, 2026."
- November 18, API. From that date, using the legacy Max Bid or Max CPC fields to create a campaign or change a bid type "will select Target CPA or Target CPC," and "submitted values will represent average-cost targets rather than maximum bids." The legacy fields stay supported through December 31.
- January 1, 2027. Max Bid and Max CPC retire for existing campaigns, and the API fields are deprecated.
The automatic option stays: Intelligent bidding, "formerly Maximize Results (Autobid)," is for when "you want the system to pursue results within your budget without specifying a target average CPA or CPC."
What it means for operators
In our view, the practical risk is reading a target as a cap. OpenAI says a target "is not a fixed price per conversion or click, and actual average costs may be higher or lower than your target." What you pay is still set in the auction: "The final winning auction bid sets the price you pay." Here is how we would prepare in the 3 days before the switch.
- Set targets from your own numbers. OpenAI's example: "$400 in spend and 10 attributed purchases gives an actual CPA of $40 for that reporting scope." It adds that "Setting a $20 target does not mean the system can deliver purchases at half the observed cost," and that "A target below recent performance may restrict delivery."
- Check the conversion signal first. OpenAI says to set up the OpenAI Pixel, the Conversions API or both, and to verify "that real events are arriving." It warns: "Weak or missing conversion signals can reduce delivery and leave budget unspent." Its conversion campaign guide adds that custom conversion events "are not currently supported," so a conversion campaign optimizes toward a supported standard event, such as a purchase, sign-up or lead submission, not a custom CRM stage.
- Billing is a separate setting. "Your bidding goal and billing event are separate settings." A conversion campaign can still be billed per click or per impression.
- Recheck any new-customer multiplier. OpenAI's example: "A $50 Target CPA with a 1.2x new-customer multiplier gives that segment a $60 target."
- Audit scripts before November 18. Any tool that creates campaigns or changes bid types through the legacy Max Bid or Max CPC fields will be setting average-cost targets from that date, not ceilings.
Paid placement is one way into ChatGPT; being named in its answers without paying is another, and that is what our AI search optimization work aims at. If ChatGPT leads need routing into a CRM, our AI automation agency team can build that workflow. Earlier coverage: ChatGPT Ads cost per lead, ChatGPT Ads conversion tracking and ChatGPT Ads in HubSpot.
Frequently Asked Questions
On Monday, November 9, 2026, Target CPA replaces Max Bid for new conversion campaigns and Target CPC becomes available for new click campaigns. Max Bid and Max CPC retire for existing campaigns on January 1, 2027.
No. OpenAI says Target CPA and Target CPC are average-cost goals, not fixed prices, and actual average costs can be higher or lower than the target.
Not necessarily. OpenAI says the bidding goal and the billing event are separate settings; a conversion campaign can still be billed per click or per impression.
Max Bid and Max CPC retire for existing campaigns and the API fields are deprecated. OpenAI says Target CPA replaces Max Bid and Target CPC replaces Max CPC, and tells advertisers to begin moving campaigns from November 9. It does not say what happens to a campaign nobody moves.