Premium Bonds savers are being urged to check their numbers to see if they’ve won any prizes are millions of pounds are still up for grabs.
The prizes, which were collectively worth around £88.8million in September 2023, belong to more than two million people across the country, according to NS&I.
NS&I savers can win sums worth anything between £25 and £1million every month through randomly generated prize draws, so it’s worth people checking their numbers.
Lucky bondholders are typically notified when they win a Premium Bonds prize, however, some people may move or change their contact details without updating NS&I, which can lead to unclaimed prizes. This is particularly apparent for those who opt to receive prizes via cheque.
Taking March’s million-pound winners’ locations as an example, there are currently 34,312 unclaimed prizes worth £1,131,800 by Bondholders in West Sussex.
The oldest unclaimed prize is worth £25 and is from the April 1962 draw. The largest unclaimed prize in West Sussex is worth £5,000 and was from the March 2007 draw.
In Hampshire, where March’s second million-pound winner is based, there are 64,797 unclaimed prizes worth £2,132,025.
The oldest unclaimed prize is worth £25 and is from the August 1963 draw. Meanwhile, the largest unclaimed prize in Hampshire is also worth £5,000 and is from the January 2019 draw.
According to NS&I, the “fastest” and “more secure” way to receive prizes is to opt for automatic bank deposits or reinvestment into more Premium Bonds, which is how 90 percent of prizes are handled.
Customers can find instructions on how to change payment preferences here.
How to check if you’ve won a Premium Bonds prize
The quickest way to check for unclaimed prizes is to use NS&I’s online prize checker or the NS&I prize checker app.
Customers will just need their Premium Bonds holder’s number or NS&I number.
To prevent prizes from going unclaimed, customers are urged to ensure they constantly update NS&I with any changes to their details, such as their email address, phone number, name or address.
NS&I is among the UK’s largest savings organisations, backed by HM Treasury, and serves over 24 million customers with a variety of savings and investment options.
All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
