Can you pay to appear in ChatGPT’s answers? No. Since 21 October 2026 you can buy an ad below them.
No: OpenAI says ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers [1] and advertisers have no ability to shape, rank or alter them ; what a business in South Africa can buy, since 21 October 2026, is a labelled ad shown below an answer [2].
Facts checked 22 October 2026. Each number in brackets links to its source.
Does ChatGPT show ads in South Africa?
Yes, since 21 October 2026: ChatGPT ads now run in 89 countries, South Africa among them [2]. Testing started in the United States on 9 February 2026 [1].
Ads show only on the Free and Go plans; Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu accounts have none [1].
A business based in South Africa can buy the ads itself; Botswana and Namibia are not on OpenAI’s list [3].
What a ChatGPT ad looks like
A single labelled ad unit sits below the answer, kept separate from it [1]. OpenAI says seeing an ad does not mean it endorses or recommends the advertiser .
Shopping results in ChatGPT are not ads, and shopping runs only for users in the US [4].
Can you pay to appear in other AI assistants’ answers?
- Claude: no. Anthropic says Claude will remain ad-free and its responses will not be influenced by advertisers [5].
- Copilot: Microsoft shows ads in Copilot’s responses, ads for places to stay are eligible, and bids affect whether they show [6].
- Google AI Overviews: ads can show above or below the overview; ads inside it run only in English in 12 countries, and South Africa is not one of them [7].
- Google AI Mode: a paid ad can appear inside a list of recommendations, labelled Sponsored [8].
- Google Maps: Google says there is no way to pay for a better place in local results [9].
What gets a lodge into an AI answer without paying
Pages the assistants can read, with clear facts that are the same everywhere [10] [11]. Read how AI assistants choose places to stay.
More answers for lodge owners
- Does a booking-site listing help AI find your lodge?
- How do AI assistants choose places to stay?
- Can a booking site stop you charging less on your own website?
- How do guests reach your lodge, and what does each route cost?
- Every answer for lodge owners
What we do for a place to stay, for one flat monthly fee: the Playbook.
Sources for this page
- OpenAI Help, Ads in ChatGPT. Dated 22 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- OpenAI, ChatGPT Ads expands to 26 new countries. Dated 21 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- OpenAI Help, Ads Manager availability. Dated 22 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- OpenAI Help, Shopping with ChatGPT search. Dated 22 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- Anthropic, Claude is a space to think. Dated 4 February 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- Microsoft Advertising, About ads in Copilot. Dated 20 June 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- Google Ads Help, About ads and AI Overviews. No date shown; checked 22 October 2026.
- Google, A new generation of ads for the AI era of Search. Dated 20 May 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- Google Business Profile Help, local ranking. No date shown; checked 22 October 2026.
- OpenAI Help, Searching the web with ChatGPT. Dated 20 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
- Bing Webmaster Guidelines. No date shown; checked 22 October 2026.