New millionaire from Bedfordshire in December's jackpot draw

December’s Premium Bond millionaire

  • A man living in Bedfordshire
  • Bond Number: 90GM135935
  • Winning Bond bought in December 2003
  • Total holdings £30,000

For the December 2012 draw ERNIE paid out over 1.8 million prizes, together amounting to over £55 million in value. There were 44,360,407,040 eligible Bond numbers in the draw. 

Prize and value breakdown in December 2012

Value of prizes Number of prizes
£1,000,000 1
£100,000 5
£50,000 9
£25,000 18
£10,000 46
£5,000 93
£1,000 1,109
£500 3,327
£100 32,594
£50 32,594
£25 1,778,556
Total prize fund value
£55,450,500
Total number of prizes
1,848,352

In Bedfordshire there are 211,475 Premium Bonds holdings worth more than £425 million.

Unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes

Across the UK there are over 863,000 unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes worth more than £43 million. In Bedfordshire in particular, over 7,000 prizes worth more than £351,000 still remain unclaimed. There is a man from the region who is still due to receive £1,000 after failing to claim his prize in a previous draw. He has just £12 invested in Premium Bonds and the prize was won in September 1984.

Some of the highest unclaimed prizes in Bedfordshire

Winning Bond number Winner Month and year of draw Current holding balance Prize value

BB971091

Male Sep-84 £12 £1,000
2BF725711 Female Apr-86 £6 £1,000
KF556749 Female Jul-95 £10 £1,000

6KW833381

Male Dec-95 £110 £1,000
5FZ848671 Female Aug-97 £5 £1,000

Some of the oldest unclaimed prizes in Bedfordshire

Winning Bond number Winner Month and year of draw Current holding balance Prize value

1AZ309789

Male Mar-66 £1 £25

2QS888078

Female Feb-68 £55 £25

2AL719544

Male Feb-68 £1 £25

AN978865

Female Aug-68 £1 £25
FF332351 Male Nov-68 £6 £25

There are a number of other unclaimed prizes due to the residents of Bedfordshire, the oldest of these outstanding prizes having been drawn in March 1966. Premium Bonds holders can reduce the chances of their prizes becoming unclaimed by opting to have any prizes paid directly into their bank accounts by BACS, with notification by email.

There is no time limit for claiming prizes. Premium Bonds investors can check to see if they have won by visiting nsandi.com and using the Premium Bonds prize checker on the homepage.

December’s prize fund rate and odds

The Premium Bonds prize fund rate is 1.5% and the odds of each individual Bond number winning a prize are 24,000 to 1.

Premium Bond facts

Since the first Premium Bonds prize draw in 1957, more than 262 million tax–free prizes worth approximately £14.2 billion have been paid out.

Premium Bonds are an investment where, instead of interest payments, investors have the chance to win tax-free prizes. They were officially launched by Harold Macmillan, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his 1956 Budget.

Premium Bonds can be bought online at nsandi.com, by telephone on 0500 500 000(see note 5), by post and over the counter at Post Office® branches.

Premium Bonds offer investors 100% capital security, backed by HM Treasury, as well as the sense of fun that comes from potentially winning tax-freeprizes.

As at November 2012, customers have over 22 million holdings in Premium Bonds totalling more than £43 billion. Prizes range from £25 to £1 million.

Premium Bonds online

Savers can now manage their Premium Bonds online, and opt to have any Premium Bonds prizes won paid directly into their bank accounts by BACS, with notification by email. Savers can also:

  • view their holding in full, with a record of prizes won
  • opt to automatically reinvest prizes
  • opt to stop receiving paper confirmation for transactions
  • update their personal details – address, bank details etc
  • buy and cash in Bond

Look out for further information on this big win, together with details of other tax-free prizes, which will be issued on the first working day of the month (01 May 2012). Sometimes winners of the Premium Bond jackpot provide a quote, if so this will also be available on the first working day of the month.


Notes to Editors

1. All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.

2. The jackpot winner becomes ERNIE’S 268th Premium Bond millionaire.

3. Unclaimed Premium Bond prizes are defined as prizes over 18 months that have not been paid out (cashed). Addresses held for customers with unclaimed prizes might not be the current residential address of the customer.

4. Pictures of ERNIE (including the new ERNIE 4 machine), Agent Million and people buying Premium Bonds are available in high-resolution jpeg format from the NS&I media team.

5. Free phone number – calls from mobiles and some landline providers may be chargeable. Telephone calls may be recorded.

6. Further information on NS&I (National Savings and Investments), including press releases and product information, is available on the website at nsandi.com.