Two fortunate Premium Bond holders from Liverpool and Bedfordshire have each won a £1 million prize, as confirmed by National Savings & Investments. The first winning Bond number, 489TB013219, worth £1 million, belongs to a resident of Central Bedfordshire. They acquired the winning Bond in February 2022, holding the maximum allowed amount of £50,000 per person under NS&I’s regulations. The second £1 million prize-winning Bond number, 040QJ919368, is held by an individual in Liverpool, also with the maximum holding of £50,000 and purchased the winning Bond in October 2004.
These winners are part of over 6.1 million Premium Bond prizes, totaling £408 million, drawn by ERNIE this month. ERNIE, the Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment, utilizes cutting-edge technology to generate random numbers for the monthly prize draw. This month’s draw contributes to the total amount won by Premium Bond holders, reaching £40 billion since its inception in 1957, resulting in 815 million prizes awarded.
While two individuals secured £1 million each, the majority of prizes are of smaller denominations. Notably, 78 Bond holders received £100,000 each, and 154 were awarded £50,000 each. Additionally, there were 2,643,007 prizes valued at £25 each.
Andrew Westhead, NS&I’s retail director, extended congratulations to the two jackpot winners from Central Bedfordshire and Liverpool, who are now £1 million richer at the start of February. He emphasized that the month saw over 6.1 million prizes worth more than £408 million distributed, bringing the total winnings for Premium Bond holders since the first draw in 1957 to £40 billion.
Premium Bonds offer a tax-free opportunity for savers to potentially win prizes while keeping their money secure. Individuals can hold up to £50,000 in Premium Bonds, guaranteed by the Treasury. To be eligible for the prize draw, newly purchased Premium Bonds must be held for a full calendar month after acquisition.
The jackpot prize was escalated to £1 million starting from the April 1994 draw, resulting in two £1 million prizes being awarded monthly. Bond holders can check for prize wins using the Premium Bonds prize checker app or visiting the NS&I website the day after the first working day of each month, which for this month is Tuesday, February 3.
Winners of Premium Bonds prizes receive notifications of their winnings monthly via email or text if they have provided their contact details. NS&I cautioned that failing to update contact or bank details could lead to missed notifications, with over 2.7 million unclaimed prizes valued at nearly £114.8 million awaiting collection.