How to read these Qantas Wine deal trends

Cost per point is the price of a case divided by the Qantas Points it earns, written in cents. It is the only figure that lets you compare a $180 six-pack against a $720 dozen fairly, because it strips out the size of the order and leaves you with the price you are really paying for points.

The chart above plots two lines. Average cost per point is the mean across every live offer, and it tells you what the market as a whole looks like on a given day. Best deal tracks the single cheapest offer available, which is the number that matters if you are ready to buy.

When the two lines sit close together, promotions are broadly similar and there is little advantage in hunting. When the best-deal line drops well below the average, one standout offer is running and it is usually worth acting before it sells out.

As a rule of thumb, anything at or below 2.3c per point is a strong buy, 2.3c to 2.6c is solid, and above 3.2c is rarely worth taking. The Qantas Wine Tracker records these figures every day, so the history here is a genuine record of what was actually available rather than an estimate.

Category breakdowns below show where the value tends to sit. Reds usually make up the bulk of promotions, but the cheapest cost per point is not always in the largest category.