ERNIE SHARES THE LOVE THIS FEBRUARY WITH JACKPOT WINNERS IN SURREY AND NOTTINGHAM

ERNIE may be more machine than man, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help spread the love this February, with our two Premium Bonds jackpot winners in Surrey and Nottingham.

The first eligible number drawn this month – 350ZA848545 – belongs to a woman living in Nottingham, who purchased her winning Bond just last year in January 2019. She has a total holding of £37,575 and becomes the seventh jackpot millionaire in Nottingham.

This month’s second millionaire is a man from Surrey who bought his winning Bond in October 2002. The winning Bond number 050RE855967 is part of a total holding of £4,014, and he becomes the 24^th jackpot winner from the county.

Jill Waters, NS&I’s Retail Director, said:

“Premium Bonds offer a special way to save that can surprise and delight in equal measure, not just for our two jackpot millionaires, but for all those who have received one of over three million tax-free prizes paid out this month.

“Since reducing the minimum investment to £25 in February of last year we’ve seen an encouraging rise in the number of new younger savers, with almost half of all those who made an initial investment of less than £100 now aged under 25.

“Premium Bond holders can choose to have their prizes paid directly into their bank account, or to be reinvested up to the maximum holding amount of £50,000. Money put aside each month can quickly build into a small nest egg with no extra effort and the added bonus of a potentially life-changing prize.”

Lonely this Valentines

There are more than 1.7 million prizes worth over £64 million still waiting to be claimed by Premium Bonds holders. Help us reunite prizes with claimants by keeping NS&I up to date with changes to contact details and home addresses. Bonds bought for children can also often be forgotten, so make sure to check with NS&I that you haven’t missed out on any prizes.

Join the growing number of customers who choose to have their winnings paid directly into their bank accounts, ensuring prizes will never go unclaimed. Register online with NS&I at www.nsandi.com/register to manage your Premium Bonds and other savings.

Customers can also check whether they’ve won by going to our website www.nsandi.com, or through our prize checker app available on iOS and Android, and through their Alexa-enabled devices.

Forgotten but not gone

In Nottingham there are 12,437 unclaimed prizes worth £455,900. There are six unclaimed prizes worth £1,000 won between August 1985 and August 2014. The oldest unclaimed prize in Nottingham is £25 and was drawn in June 1964, with a total holding of £1. The winning Bond number is AK712860.

There are 46,761 unclaimed prizes in Surrey with a total value of £1,676,600. The highest value unclaimed prize in the area is £10,000 and there are two such unclaimed prizes. The first was drawn in March 2014 with Bond number 22KZ175159. The second was drawn in March 2018 and the winning Bond was 5JT290436. The oldest unclaimed prize in the county is £25 and dates back to September 1963, with a total holding of £1 and the winning Bond number of 1AS033592.

February 2020 prize draw breakdown
In the February prize draw, a total of 3,483,529 prizes worth £99,570,850 will be paid out. There were 85,346,436,256 eligible Bonds for the draw.

Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 469 million prizes with a total value of £20.2 billion.

Notes to Editors

1. NS&I has spokespeople available for interview, including Agent Million, as well as a wealth of facts and figures (including regional) about Premium Bonds. If you require any further details, please contact the NS&I media team on the contact details below or tweet your question to @nsandi
2. All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
3. NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK, offering a range of savings and investments to 25 million customers. All products offer 100% capital security, because NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.
4. The annual Premium Bonds prize fund rate is currently 1.40% and the odds of each individual Bond number winning any prize are currently 24,500 to 1.
5. Pictures of ERNIE 5, the previous ERNIEs and Premium Bonds, including the Premium Bonds app are available in high-resolution jpeg format from the NS&I media team.
6. Customers can buy Premium Bonds online at nsandi.com and over the phone by calling 08085 007 007. This is a free phone number and calls to it from the UK are free from both landlines and mobiles. Calls may be recorded. Customers can also buy by post. Existing customers can also buy by bank transfer and standing order. Each investment must be at least £25.
7. Further information on NS&I, including press releases and product information, is available on the website at nsandi.com. Follow us on Twitter: @nsandi or join the conversation on Facebook: Premium Bonds made by ERNIE.