ChatGPT Ads: Max Bid and Max CPC retire January 1, 2027

OpenAI is adding cost-target bidding to ChatGPT Ads on Monday, November 9, and retiring the Max Bid and Max CPC options on January 1, 2027. If your ads run on either of those older settings, the switch will decide how your budget gets spent, so it's worth an hour this week.

What changed

OpenAI emailed advertisers about the change, and Search Engine Roundtable reported the details. We haven't seen the email itself, so the points below come from that report.

Two new options are arriving:

• Target CPA (target cost per action) is for conversion campaigns. A conversion is any action you care about, such as a purchase or a lead. You enter the average you'd like to pay for one, and the system adjusts bids toward it. Target CPA replaces Max Bid for new conversion campaigns.
• Target CPC (target cost per click) is for click campaigns. You enter the average you'd like to pay per click. Unlike Max CPC, which caps each bid, Target CPC lets the system bid above or below the target in each auction, as long as the average works out.

Existing campaigns keep running as Max Bid or Max CPC for now. You can switch them to a target if you want. On January 1, 2027, both older options retire. Conversion campaigns still on Max Bid move to Target CPA, and click campaigns still on Max CPC move to Target CPC.

The existing automatic bidding option, Maximize results, is now called intelligent bidding. OpenAI says it works the same way.

OpenAI's email also asks advertisers to check conversion tracking, review bids against actual results, and avoid targets that are too tight. It says restrictive targets or weak conversion signals can reduce delivery and leave budget unspent.

What it means for you

This matters if you run ChatGPT Ads on Max Bid or Max CPC. It matters most if your campaigns are conversion campaigns, because those campaigns depend on the pixel or Conversions API sending the right signal back.

If you already use intelligent bidding, the change is mostly a new name. Keep an eye on it anyway, since the announcement is the only source we have for how things will behave.

Doing nothing has a real cost. After January 1, your campaigns move to a target you didn't choose, and the email doesn't say what number the system will use for the switch. A target set too low can slow delivery, and a target set too high can waste money on expensive conversions. Either way, the choice gets made for you on a date you didn't pick.

What to do

1. List your campaigns. Open Ads Manager and write down each campaign's type and current bidding option. Sort them into conversion campaigns (Max Bid) and click campaigns (Max CPC).
2. Check your conversion tracking before November 9. For each conversion campaign, confirm the Pixel or Conversions API is sending the event you picked to the data source linked to that campaign. Look for Event Quality Score warnings and fix any gaps.
3. Pull your real numbers. Note your recent actual cost per conversion or cost per click over a period that matches your normal sales cycle. Those figures are your starting point for a target.
4. Set targets near what you already pay, not well below it. Starting slightly above your current average gives the system room to deliver. This is our suggestion, not OpenAI's wording.
5. Move one campaign first. Switch a single campaign on or after November 9, then watch its spend against budget for a week or so before moving the rest.
6. Schedule the rest before January 1. Don't leave the last campaigns to the retirement date.

If your campaigns are already on intelligent bidding, skip steps 3 through 5 and just confirm your tracking.