Alaska Mileage Plan Unlocked: New Experiences Marketplace

As part of the Alaska Mileage Plan changes for 2025, we knew that the airline would be introducing an experiences marketplace this year. Well, it’s now live, so we have all the details.

Alaska Mileage Plan launches experiences marketplace

Alaska Mileage Plan Unlocked is the name of Alaska’s new experiences marketplace. We’ve increasingly seen airline and hotel loyalty programs introduce experiential redemption options, giving members the opportunity to redeem points for things other than flights, hotels, or merchandise.

Alaska’s new experiences marketplace offers experiences that can exclusively be booked with miles, and they start as low as 10,000 miles. The company highlights how options include the following:

• Premier entertainment, with passes to Coachella and Stagecoach, exclusive access to Alaska Airlines suites at sporting events and concerts, comedy shows, and other exclusive entertainment experiences
• Dream getaways to places like Alaska, Guatamala, and beyond
• Culinary adventures, like dinner at Napa’s Church restaurant, as well as events with Seattle’s renowned chefs Renee Erickson and Shota Nakajima in partnership with ForeverOut, a new Pacific Northwest initiative from EverOut

In some cases these opportunities are available as auctions that last for a certain amount of time, while in other cases there’s a published price and you can make a purchase and unlock the reward instantly. To start, there aren’t too many redemption options available, though I imagine the number of options will increase over time.

Keep in mind that with Alaska’s new milestone perks program, at select thresholds members can select discounts off of these redemptions as their rewards. If you actually value these kinds of experiences, then that could represent a good deal.

My thoughts on these experiences marketplaces

Generally speaking, I think these kinds of redemption opportunities are most interesting for two kinds of loyalty program members.

First of all, they can be useful for road warriors who have more miles than they know what to do with, and where traveling more than they already do has limited appeal. In those situations, redeeming points for a sporting event or a special meal might be a great way to get rewarded.

Second of all, in some situations these marketplaces do give you access to events that you might not otherwise be able to buy with cash. So whether it’s extra availability to an event, or seating in a suite or box that the public couldn’t usually buy, there are cases where it could make sense.

Beyond that, though, I see limited situations where I’d consider this to represent a good value. Typically it’s not a great deal in terms of the cent per mile redemption amount, but it’s just about how much you value a special experience. Personally, there are lots of other ways I’d rather redeem Mileage Plan miles.

Bottom line

Alaska Mileage Plan Unlocked is the name of Alaska’s new experiences marketplace, giving members the opportunity to redeem miles for special experiences. This comes in the form of both auctions and packages that can be outright purchased with miles. It’s worth taking a look at what’s available, though at least initially, the selection isn’t huge.

What do you make of Alaska Mileage Plan Unlocked?