Microsoft Ads Drops Max CPC on New Campaigns

Microsoft Advertising stopped letting advertisers add a Max CPC cap to new non-portfolio campaigns on October 1, 2026.

If you run Bing Search or Shopping ads for a high-ticket store, which is who we write for at Ecommerce Paradise, the price ceiling that kept one expensive click cluster from eating a margin is gone on every new campaign you build. The same week, Microsoft made A/B testing generally available for Shopping campaigns and shipped a HubSpot connection, and those two changes decide how you replace the cap.

Existing campaigns keep their caps. New ones do not. My guide to high-ticket dropshipping explains why a single order carries thousands of dollars of revenue, and that is exactly why a loose bid strategy hurts more here than in a $40 product store. Below is what Microsoft changed, why, what it does to your math, and five moves for this week.

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Microsoft Ads Removes Max CPC From New Campaigns Oct. 1

Microsoft Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins told advertisers on August 20, 2026 that the change would land on October 1, according to Relevant Audience. From that date, Max CPC is no longer available when creating new non-portfolio campaigns, and the change applies globally.

Per Search Engine Journal, the affected setups are new non-portfolio campaigns using Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value, or Maximize Clicks. Campaigns created before October 1 are unaffected. So are portfolio bid strategies, Enhanced CPC, and Target Impression Share.

Hopkins put it this way, as quoted by PPC Land: “Target impression share, eCPC, and Portfolio bidding strategies will retain the ability to add a Max CPC.”

Microsoft’s stated reason, per Search Engine Journal, is that Max CPC “can interfere with its automated bidding systems” by sending conflicting instructions, even when the cap sits above your average CPC. Microsoft points advertisers to campaign budgets, Target CPA and Target ROAS goals, conversion value rules, and seasonality adjustments instead. That last one matters with Prime Big Deal Days starting October 6 and Q4 demand close behind.

Rollout details differ by source. Techwyse, published September 9, reports that the removal hits the online interface and Microsoft Advertising Editor on October 1, and hits API users, tool providers, and Google Import on January 12, 2027. Search Engine Journal said in August that Editor timing had not been announced.

Techwyse also reports that an existing campaign can keep its cap, but once the cap is removed, advertisers will not be able to add it back. Relevant Audience notes that Microsoft’s announcement “does not describe a migration path, an automatic conversion, or a deadline by which existing configurations must change.” How campaigns created through experiments, the API, or bulk tools are treated is also unclear, per PPC Land.

Optimization experiments go generally available

Also on October 1, Microsoft made optimization experiments generally available across Search, Shopping, Audience, and Performance Max campaigns, according to Search Engine Roundtable. Microsoft describes them as controlled A/B tests for “bidding, targeting, creative, and more.”

The tool splits a treatment campaign off an eligible control campaign, divides budget and traffic between the two, and shows results side by side. A winning treatment can be applied to the original campaign or launched as a new one. Microsoft’s August 31 product post also lists Performance Max uplift experiments, which measure conversion uplift when Performance Max runs alongside other campaign types.

HubSpot connection, LinkedIn lists, and an API deadline

Per Search Engine Land, published October 1, Microsoft Advertising now connects to HubSpot. Advertisers can build audiences from HubSpot contacts and target them across Bing, Copilot, Outlook, Xbox, and other Microsoft properties. When a campaign produces a lead, HubSpot can trigger actions such as sales rep assignment or a nurture email sequence. Advertisers also get reporting on which Microsoft campaigns contribute to pipeline and revenue.

Plan eligibility is not settled. Relevant Audience reports that Microsoft called the integration its top story of the month but referred readers to HubSpot documentation for plan details. A HubSpot agency partner blog describes it as free across all hubs and tiers, so confirm inside your own account before you plan around it.

Two smaller items in the same update. LinkedIn company lists grew from 1,000 to 10,000 companies, which matters for B2B targeting and excludes users in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland. Microsoft also kept new features shipping in both SOAP and REST APIs until the full SOAP shutdown on January 31, 2027, per Search Engine Land and Relevant Audience.

Why Bid Caps Keep Disappearing From Ad Platforms

Microsoft is following a pattern. PPC Land reports that Google sunset Enhanced CPC by March 2025, that Apple replaced CPA caps with target-based systems in February 2026, and that Microsoft itself removed standalone Target CPA and Target ROAS in August 2025. Each move pushes advertisers from controlling the price of a click toward controlling the outcome they want.

That logic has a real argument behind it. If you tell an algorithm to hit a $50 acquisition cost and also forbid it from paying more than $2 for a click, the two instructions can collide. Microsoft says that collision is the problem.

The counterpoint is that these two controls do different jobs. Techwyse makes the point directly: a $50 acquisition target does not set a per-click maximum, because conversion costs can vary while the average still looks acceptable. A cap limits the worst single click. A target limits the average outcome. Search Engine Journal’s author says the change demands a mindset shift for advertisers who treated Max CPC as a bid safeguard.

I found no published data showing that accounts perform better or worse once the cap is removed, and Microsoft has not released any. Treat the claim that caps interfere with automation as Microsoft’s position, not a measured result.

For an earlier look at how platforms are reshaping Google Shopping placement, see my breakdown of Google’s sponsored grid test. The direction is the same: less manual control, more weight on your feed and your conversion data. My look at a study showing AI shopping picks big retailers nine times in ten points the same way.

What Losing Max CPC Does to a High-Ticket Store’s Math

This section is my analysis, not reporting. My read is that the change is small for stores with steady conversion volume and meaningful for stores with sparse data, which describes most high-ticket stores.

Here is hypothetical math, not figures from Microsoft or any store. Say your average order is $3,000 at a 20% gross margin, which leaves $600 of gross profit per order. At a 1% click-to-order rate, break-even CPC is $6. A bid strategy that pays $9 for a cluster of clicks loses $3 on each of them. A Max CPC of $6 would have stopped that cluster. Without it, your protection is the budget and whatever the algorithm has learned.

The catch is the learning. High-ticket campaigns often produce a handful of conversions a month. Automated bidding with that little data leans on noisy signals, and a few early expensive clicks can distort it. My rule of thumb: below roughly 15 conversions a month per campaign, I would not trust Target CPA or Target ROAS to find its own ceiling.

That points to three scenarios.

Scenario one: steady volume. If a campaign converts reliably, Target ROAS or Target CPA with a sensible daily budget is fine. Set the target from your real margin, not from a hunch. A bookkeeping tool such as Finaloop shows true margin per order after ad spend, which is the number the target should come from.

Scenario two: sparse data. Use one of the strategies that still allows a cap. Enhanced CPC and Target Impression Share both keep Max CPC, and a portfolio bid strategy lets you set one shared ceiling across several campaigns. For a new high-ticket campaign, I would start in that group and graduate to Target CPA once conversions pile up.

Scenario three: campaigns you already have. Leave them alone. Per Techwyse, a removed cap cannot come back, and Microsoft has said nothing about migration. Do not rebuild a working campaign just to tidy the structure. Cloning one may also drop the cap, though the sources do not say either way.

The new experiments tool is the safe way to test all of this. Run a capped portfolio treatment against an uncapped Target CPA control on the same Shopping campaign, split the budget, and let results decide. Search Engine Roundtable describes exactly that setup. If you are still building the conversion tracking that experiment depends on, my piece on why high-ticket ads need a complete conversion system covers the pieces.

The HubSpot connection matters for a different reason. Many high-ticket sales happen on a phone call or a quote request, not at checkout. If Microsoft only sees the click and your CRM sees the sale, the bid strategy optimizes toward the wrong thing. Feeding closed deals back through HubSpot gives the algorithm something worth chasing. The LinkedIn company list expansion is a B2B feature, so if you sell to consumers, skip it. Microsoft is not alone in adding ad tooling, as my note on ChatGPT Ads bulk product campaigns shows.

Microsoft’s August post says its Advertising MCP server connects live ad data to Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude for reports, audits, and keyword research. That is useful if you already live in Claude.

I covered a broader workflow in my guide to building a leaner high-ticket business with AI.

The honest downside is workload. Bid caps, experiment splits, CRM syncs, and API migrations are a lot of moving parts for an owner who also handles suppliers and customer calls. If that sounds like a second job, my team’s turnkey done-for-you build exists to take it off your plate.

Ad platforms keep taking bid controls away, and the setup work keeps growing. Want my team to build and run your high-ticket store for you? See the turnkey done-for-you service →

Five Bing Ads Changes to Make This Week

Here are five moves, in the order I would do them.

Inventory every campaign that carries a Max CPC. Open each one in the Microsoft Advertising interface and record the bid strategy and the cap in a sheet. Do not edit or rebuild them yet, because a removed cap cannot be added back per Techwyse.
Rebuild your new-campaign template. For a campaign with fewer than about 15 monthly conversions, start with Enhanced CPC or a portfolio strategy that carries a shared Max CPC. Set the ceiling at your break-even CPC: gross profit per order times your click-to-order rate. If you want a second set of eyes on the numbers, book a free discovery call with me.
Launch one Shopping experiment. Pick your highest-spend Shopping campaign, create a treatment with a different bid strategy, and split the budget evenly. Let it run long enough to collect real conversions before you judge it, and write down the decision rule before you start. Tracking is getting shakier across the web, as iOS 27 blocking Trade Desk ads in Safari shows, so check your conversion counts against actual orders.
Connect HubSpot if you run quotes or phone sales. In HubSpot, go to Marketing, then Ads, and link your Microsoft Advertising account, as the partner blog describes. Install the UET tag, sync your conversion goals, and build a follow-up workflow. My HubSpot Free setup guide walks through the CRM side.
Ask your tool vendors about the API dates. If you use a third-party bid tool, a script, or Google Import, ask whether they have migrated from SOAP to REST before January 31, 2027, and when the cap change reaches them on January 12, 2027 per Techwyse.

Two follow-ups round this out. Keep your email follow-up in a tool like Klaviyo so leads from Bing do not sit cold. Omnisend works too if you want a simpler setup.

Before you copy a whole Google account across, check which of your keywords carry over to Bing using SEMrush.

If you are still choosing a niche, grab my free high-ticket niches list before you spend a dollar on any ad platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Max CPC removal change my existing campaigns?
Not on October 1. Per Search Engine Journal, campaigns created before that date are unaffected, and Techwyse says they can keep their caps. Microsoft has not described a migration path, per Relevant Audience.

Which bid strategies can still use a Max CPC?
Portfolio bid strategies, Enhanced CPC, and Target Impression Share, according to Hopkins as quoted by PPC Land. New non-portfolio campaigns on Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value, and Maximize Clicks lose the option.

Can I test bid strategies on Shopping campaigns now?
Yes. Optimization experiments went generally available across Search, Shopping, Audience, and Performance Max, per Search Engine Roundtable. Pair them with the tracking setup in my guide to turning Google Shopping clicks into sales for high-ticket products.

Is the Microsoft Advertising and HubSpot integration free?
Unconfirmed. Microsoft referred readers to HubSpot documentation for plan details, per Relevant Audience, and one agency partner blog calls it free on every tier. Check your own HubSpot account first, and start with my HubSpot setup walkthrough if you are new to the tool.

Should I move my budget to Bing because of this?
No. This is a control change, not a performance change. Test Bing with a small budget slice through an experiment and compare it with your own Shopify numbers, then decide. My newer piece on performance platforms for DTC advertisers compares the options.

What happens to Google Import and API users?
Techwyse reports that the cap change reaches API users, tool providers, and Google Import on January 12, 2027. Until then, imports may still carry caps over. Treat that as a reported date and confirm it in your account.

Want to work through ad platform changes like this with other store owners and me inside the community? Join the Skool community →

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Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.