NS&I warns Premium Bonds holders and gives them 'three options'

National Savings and Investments has urged Premium Bonds to use one of three options to check their winnings. The financial provider, which is backed by the Treasury, has issued a warning ahead of the December draw next week.

Dax Harkins, NS&I chief executive, said: “With millions of prizes drawn monthly, Premium Bonds remain a popular way to save while continuing to offer the thrill of potential tax-free wins. Remember, the best way to check if you’ve won this month is by using our app, website, or Alexa.”

In the November 2024 prize draw, a total of 6,025,741 prizes worth £463,982,050 will be paid out. There were 126,540,562,896 Bond numbers eligible for the draw. Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 725 million prizes with a total value of £33.7 billion.

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November marks the 68th anniversary of Premium Bonds going on sale, a savings product that's become a beloved British institution. Launched on 1 November 1956, Premium Bonds aimed to make saving accessible for all. Premium Bonds prize winners are notified when a prize is won, but sometimes people move or change their contact details without letting NS&I know.

This can lead to unclaimed prizes if the Bond holder has opted to receive prizes by cheque rather than paid directly into a bank account. People can check for unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes easily by using NS&I’s online prize checker or the prize checker app using their holder’s number.

There are currently 2,473,761 unclaimed prizes worth £89,696,075 waiting to be claimed by holders of Premium Bonds. November saw two winners in Warwickshire and Cornwall snap up NS&I’s maximum £1million prizes. In just these two areas, there are currently 17,129 unclaimed prizes worth £600,975 in Warwarkshire, while 20,530 prizes with a total value of £724,075 are waiting to be claimed in Cornwall.