[Answers for lodge owners](https://nicetofindyou.com/truth)

# 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 [\[1\]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001047-ads-in-chatgpt "OpenAI Help, Ads in ChatGPT") 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 [\[2\]](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-ads-expands-26-new-countries/ "OpenAI, ChatGPT Ads expands to 26 new countries").

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 [\[2\]](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-ads-expands-26-new-countries/ "OpenAI, ChatGPT Ads expands to 26 new countries"). Testing started in the United States on 9 February 2026 [\[1\]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001047-ads-in-chatgpt "OpenAI Help, Ads in ChatGPT").

Ads show only on the Free and Go plans; Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu accounts have none [\[1\]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001047-ads-in-chatgpt "OpenAI Help, Ads in ChatGPT").

A business based in South Africa can buy the ads itself; Botswana and Namibia are not on OpenAI’s list [\[3\]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001245-ads-manager-availability "OpenAI Help, Ads Manager availability").

## What a ChatGPT ad looks like

A single labelled ad unit sits below the answer, kept separate from it [\[1\]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001047-ads-in-chatgpt "OpenAI Help, Ads in ChatGPT"). 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 [\[4\]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11128490-shopping-with-chatgpt-search "OpenAI Help, Shopping with ChatGPT search").

## 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 [\[5\]](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-is-a-space-to-think "Anthropic, Claude is a space to think").
-   Copilot: Microsoft shows ads in Copilot’s responses, ads for places to stay are eligible, and bids affect whether they show [\[6\]](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/msa-help/hlp_ba_conc_adsforcopilot "Microsoft Advertising, About ads in Copilot").
-   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 [\[7\]](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16297775?hl=en "Google Ads Help, About ads and AI Overviews").
-   Google AI Mode: a paid ad can appear inside a list of recommendations, labelled Sponsored [\[8\]](https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/google-marketing-live-search-ads/ "Google, A new generation of ads for the AI era of Search").
-   Google Maps: Google says there is no way to pay for a better place in local results [\[9\]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en "Google Business Profile Help, local ranking").

## What gets a lodge into an AI answer without paying

Pages the assistants can read, with clear facts that are the same everywhere [\[10\]](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-searching-the-web-with-chatgpt "OpenAI Help, Searching the web with ChatGPT") [\[11\]](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a "Bing Webmaster Guidelines"). Read [how AI assistants choose places to stay](https://nicetofindyou.com/truth/how-ai-chooses-places-to-stay).

## More answers for lodge owners

-   [Does a booking-site listing help AI find your lodge?](https://nicetofindyou.com/truth/booking-site-listing-and-ai)
-   [How do AI assistants choose places to stay?](https://nicetofindyou.com/truth/how-ai-chooses-places-to-stay)
-   [Can a booking site stop you charging less on your own website?](https://nicetofindyou.com/truth/booking-site-price-parity)
-   [How do guests reach your lodge, and what does each route cost?](https://nicetofindyou.com/truth/how-guests-reach-you)
-   [Every answer for lodge owners](https://nicetofindyou.com/truth)

What we do for a place to stay, for one flat monthly fee: [the Playbook](https://nicetofindyou.com/playbook).

## Sources for this page

1.  [OpenAI Help, Ads in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001047-ads-in-chatgpt). Dated 22 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
2.  [OpenAI, ChatGPT Ads expands to 26 new countries](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-ads-expands-26-new-countries/). Dated 21 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
3.  [OpenAI Help, Ads Manager availability](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001245-ads-manager-availability). Dated 22 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
4.  [OpenAI Help, Shopping with ChatGPT search](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11128490-shopping-with-chatgpt-search). Dated 22 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
5.  [Anthropic, Claude is a space to think](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-is-a-space-to-think). Dated 4 February 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
6.  [Microsoft Advertising, About ads in Copilot](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/msa-help/hlp_ba_conc_adsforcopilot). Dated 20 June 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
7.  [Google Ads Help, About ads and AI Overviews](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16297775?hl=en). No date shown; checked 22 October 2026.
8.  [Google, A new generation of ads for the AI era of Search](https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/google-marketing-live-search-ads/). Dated 20 May 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
9.  [Google Business Profile Help, local ranking](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en). No date shown; checked 22 October 2026.
10.  [OpenAI Help, Searching the web with ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-searching-the-web-with-chatgpt). Dated 20 October 2026; checked 22 October 2026.
11.  [Bing Webmaster Guidelines](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a). No date shown; checked 22 October 2026.

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