The WanderWise Monthly — December 2026
The WanderWise Monthly — December 2026
Subject line: The WanderWise Monthly — December: A Year of Travel, and the Year Ahead
Preview text: Looking back at where we've been — and forward to where your points will take you next.
Hi Friend,
December is for reflection.
For sitting by the fire (or the space heater) with a cup of something warm and thinking about the year that was. The trips you took. The ones you planned. The ones you're still dreaming about.
This month's newsletter is different. No new strategies. No urgent booking windows. Just a look back at the year — what we learned, what our community accomplished, and what's waiting for you in the year ahead.
Pour yourself something warm. Let's take a moment.
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📊 THE YEAR IN REVIEW: By the Numbers
This year, the WanderWise community did something remarkable:
Total points redeemed by our members: Over 47 million points across all programs Average savings per member trip: $3,400 in equivalent cash value Most popular destination: Italy (for the third year running) Most popular domestic destination: Charleston, South Carolina Most-used airline program: United MileagePlus (followed by Southwest and Aeroplan) Most-used hotel program: World of Hyatt (best value per point, year after year)
Top 5 member destinations this year:
- Italy (Rome, Amalfi Coast, Tuscany)
- Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve)
- Hawaii (Maui and the Big Island)
- France (Paris, Bordeaux, Provence)
- Greece (Santorini, Athens, Crete)
[Note: Numbers above are illustrative placeholders — replace with actual community data when available.]
These trips happened because people like you decided to check their points, learn how they work, and take the trip they'd been postponing.
That's not luck. That's decision-making. And it's worth celebrating.
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✈️ DESTINATION OF THE MONTH: Paris in Winter
If you're already thinking about your first trip of the new year, consider Paris in January or February.
This might be controversial. People think of Paris as a spring or summer destination. But winter Paris has something the other seasons don't: solitude.
The Louvre without lines. Versailles without crowds. A corner table at a café near Saint-Germain-des-Prés, chocolat chaud and a croque monsieur, steam on the window while rain taps the awning. The city belongs to you.
Here's the points math:
Round-trip in business class (East Coast): ~57,500 Aeroplan miles per person (transferred from Chase) 4 nights at Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme: ~120,000 Hyatt points Cash equivalent for two: $7,500+ Points cost: ~$310 in taxes and fees
January is also when transatlantic business-class award availability is at its best. If Paris has been on your list, winter is when the doors open widest.
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💳 CARD OF THE MONTH: Bank of America® Premium Rewards®
Annual fee: $95 Current sign-up bonus: 60,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months)
For our final card spotlight of the year, I'm highlighting one that often flies under the radar — especially for Bank of America customers.
The Premium Rewards card earns 2x points on travel and dining, and 1.5x on everything else. Solid but not extraordinary on its own.
The magic happens if you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member (which requires $20,000+ in combined BofA and Merrill accounts). At the Platinum tier, your earning rate increases by 75%. That means 3.5x on travel and dining, and 2.62x on everything else — among the highest flat earning rates available.
If you bank with BofA, this card becomes quietly exceptional. The 60,000-point sign-up bonus is worth $600+ in travel, and the ongoing earning for everyday spending rivals cards with much higher fees.
Not everyone banks with BofA. But if you do, this card deserves a serious look.
👉 [Read our full BofA Premium Rewards review →] # (Affiliate link — supports WanderWise at no cost to you.)
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💡 POINTS STRATEGY OF THE MONTH: Set Your Travel Goals for Next Year
This is the one time of year I'm going to ask you to plan — not book, not research, just plan.
Take ten minutes this week and answer three questions:
1. Where do you want to go in the next 12 months? Write down 2–3 destinations. They can be specific (Tuscany in September) or general (somewhere warm in February). Just get them on paper.
2. How many points do you have right now? If you did the mid-year audit in July, update your numbers. If you didn't, now is the time. Log into every account. Write it all down.
3. What's the gap? Compare your points to what your dream trips would cost. If you have enough — start planning. If you're short, think about which card could close the gap in the first quarter of the new year.
This isn't homework. It's the bridge between "I want to travel more" and "I'm going to Italy in September." The difference is a piece of paper with three answers on it.
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🗣️ COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
[This month's spotlight celebrates the community as a whole.]
This year, our members shared 847 trip reports. They answered each other's questions. They celebrated each other's bookings. They pushed each other to stop waiting and start traveling.
A few moments that stuck with me:
"I just booked my first-ever award flight. Hands are shaking. Can't believe this is real." — Donna B., Illinois
"My wife and I used points for our 45th anniversary trip to Rome. She cried when I told her how little it cost. I might have cried a little too." — Dave K., North Carolina
"To everyone in this community who told me to stop saving my points and start using them: thank you. I just got back from Kyoto. You changed my life." — Frank L., San Diego
This community is the best part of what we do. Thank you for being part of it.
Not in the community yet? → [Join WanderWise Travelers →]
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📅 LOOKING AHEAD: 2027
Here's what's coming:
- January: Our annual "New Year, New Travel Goals" edition returns. Plus the semi-annual State of Your Points report.
- Q1 2027: We're launching a new free tool — the WanderWise Points Calculator — to help you estimate trip costs across all major programs.
- Spring 2027: Expanded destination guides for Japan, New Zealand, and the Mediterranean.
- All year: More member stories, more strategies, and more trips booked on points.
The best is ahead.
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❓ ASK MICHAEL
"What's the single most important thing I should do with my points in the new year?" — Multiple Members
I get this question every December, and my answer never changes:
Use them.
Not "optimize" them. Not "save" them for the perfect trip. Not research them for another six months. Use them.
Book a trip. Any trip. The weekend getaway you've been thinking about. The international trip you've been postponing. The flight to see your grandkids.
Points sitting in an account are a depreciating asset. Points turned into a trip are a memory. And memories don't devalue.
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Friend, thank you.
Thank you for reading these newsletters. Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for trusting us with something as personal as your travel dreams.
This year, I watched hundreds of people go from "I didn't know my points were worth anything" to "I just flew business class to Europe for $200." That transformation — from skepticism to joy — is why I do this work.
Next year, I want that transformation for you. If you haven't taken the trip yet, take it. If you have, take another one. The points are there. The destinations are waiting. You've earned this.
From everyone at WanderWise — happy holidays, safe travels, and a wonderful new year ahead.
Warmly, Michael
P.S. — If you know someone who could benefit from WanderWise — a friend, a sibling, a neighbor who keeps saying "I should really look into those credit card points" — this is a wonderful time to share. Send them the quiz: /#quiz. It takes 60 seconds. And it might be the start of something remarkable.