News
Premium Bonds million-pound jackpot scooped by two savers in record March
Two Premium Bonds savers scooped the million-pound jackpot in March as total prize money dished out this month reached a record £330m.
Some 62 prizes of £100,000 and 124 prizes of £50,000 were also issued as part of the latest draw.
Prize money awarded to savers has now exceeded £25 billion since the first ever draw in 1957, when the top prize stood at £1,000.
The first of the two new Premium Bond millionaires hails from Oxfordshire and is only the second top prize winner to come from the county. The winner holds £30,284 in Premium Bonds and purchased their winning bond in January 2018.
The second winner lives in Nottinghamshire and holds £50,000 in bonds. They bought the winning bond in October 2020. The county has proved to a lucky place to live for bond holders, with this latest scoop marking the 12th million-pound win for residents.
The first Premium Bonds prize draw was overseen by Ernest Marples, the Paymaster General and had 23,142 prizes, compared to 5,007,989 today. The top prize then was £1,000.
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Unclaimed prizes
Failing to update your contact details with NS&I if you have elected to receive a cheque and then move home could mean you miss out claiming your Premium Bond winnings.
In Nottinghamshire and Oxfordshire combined, there are close to 40,000 unclaimed prizes.
The largest unclaimed prize is £10,000 and is from the July 2020 prize draw. The oldest unclaimed prize in both counties is from 1965 and is worth £25.
Savers who think they may have an unclaimed Premium Bonds prize can check by using NS&I’s online prize checker or the prize checker app.
Savers will need their Premium Bonds holder’s number to use the website and their NS&I number or holder’s number to check using the prize checker app.
Related: Premium Bonds rate hike sees them ‘beat’ easy access savings deals: Are they worth considering?