August’s Premium Bonds millionaires come from Hereford & Worcester and Essex

This month’s Premium Bonds jackpot winners come from Hereford & Worcester and Essex.

The August draw saw the prize fund rate increase to 4%, and the odds improve from 24,000 to 1 to 22,000 to 1, meaning that each £1 Bond now has its best chance of winning a prize in almost 15 years. This month also saw an extra £30 million added to the prize fund, with 455,390 extra prizes available for Bond holders to win. A prize fund of more than £404 million will be paid out to winners across the country.

The first Bond number drawn by ERNIE for August was 522MP682337 and is held by a winner based in Hereford & Worcester. The winner has the maximum holding of £50,000 in Premium Bonds, and purchased their winning Bond just last year in December 2022. They become the eleventh winner in Hereford & Worcester.

The second Premium Bonds millionaire bought their Bonds just a few months ago and is based in Essex and holds Bond number 535RC655361. The winner has £23,700 in Premium Bonds and purchased their winning Bond in April 2023. This win makes them the 22nd millionaire from Essex.

Jill Waters, NS&I Retail Director, said:
“Congratulations to our two millionaires from Hereford & Worcester and Essex. Both of our winners waited under a year to win the jackpot, with one winning after eight months and the other after just four months. This shows that big prizes can be won at any time, regardless of how long you’ve had your Premium Bonds. We hope each of our millionaires enjoys their winnings.

“The Premium Bonds prize fund rate has now hit 4%, the highest it’s been since 2007, meaning we’ll be paying out over £404 million in prizes this month to lucky winners up and down the country.”

Start a savings habit with Premium Bonds
Premium Bonds are one of the nation's most popular savings products. They are the perfect way to start a savings habit, with the minimum investment starting at £25. Premium Bonds customers can add to their Premium Bonds holding quickly and securely, both for themselves or their child, via bank transfer or online. By topping up regularly each month, customers are giving themselves further chances to win in the monthly Premium Bonds prize draws. Customers can find out how to make a bank transfer, pay online or set up a standing order into their Premium Bonds here.

August 2023 prize draw breakdown
In the August 2023 prize draw, a total of 5,516,739 prizes worth £404,560,900 will be paid out. There were 121,368,267,494 Bond numbers eligible for the draw. Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 637 million prizes with a total value of £26.8 billion.

Unclaimed prizes
Premium Bonds prize winners are notified when they win a prize, but sometimes people move or change their contact details without letting NS&I know – this can lead to unclaimed prizes if they have opted to receive their prize by cheque.

In Hereford & Worcester, there are 19,033 unclaimed prizes worth £668,775. The largest unclaimed prize is worth £100,000 and this was from the August 2014 prize draw. The oldest unclaimed prize in Hereford & Worcester is from the August 1965 prize draw, and is worth £25.

In Essex, there are 50,596 unclaimed prizes with a total value of £1,530,625. The largest unclaimed prize is £10,000. There are two of these in total and they were won in the December 2007 and March 2016 prize draws. The oldest unclaimed prize in Essex is from February 1964 and is worth £25.

The best way for customers to ensure they receive their prizes is to have them automatically paid directly into their bank account or reinvested into more Premium Bonds. More than nine in ten prizes are now paid this way as it is quicker and more secure than waiting for a cheque. Customers can find out how to switch here. Customers that think they may have an unclaimed Premium Bonds prize can easily check by using NS&I’s online prize checker or the prize checker app.

Checking prizes
Premium Bonds holders can check to see if they have won a prize in August’s prize draw from Wednesday 2 August 2023. They can do this by using the nsandi.com prize checker, official prize checker app or their Alexa-enabled device. Customers will need their Premium Bonds holder’s number to use the website and their NS&I number or holder’s number to check via the prize checker app. At the same time, they can check for any unclaimed prizes owed to them.