A very Happy New Year as two Premium Bonds millionaires are made in Hampshire and West Sussex
Agent Million will be making a New Year’s trip to a woman in West Sussex and a man in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, who become the 353rd and 354th millionaires drawn by ERNIE.
The West Sussex winner, a woman with £31,020 invested (Bond number: 244PR471632), purchased her winning Bond in April 2015.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight man had a more modest Premium Bonds investment of £9,375 (Bond number: 246AD564653), and the winning Bond was purchased in May 2015.
There have been six previous winners from West Sussex – the last two both coming in July 2016 – while it has been nearly 10 years since the last of the seven previous jackpot winners from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight was randomly selected by ERNIE.
Jill Waters, NS&I’s Retail Director said:
“Congratulations and the happiest of New Year’s to our two newest Premium Bond jackpot millionaires, joining over 350 winners since we introduced the £1 million monthly prize in 1994.
“In 2017 we are continuing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Premium Bonds and how they have changed during that time. Premium Bonds are now easier to manage for our valued customers – taking the hassle out of the busy festive period. Customers can register on nsandi.com and choose to have their future tax-free prizes paid directly into their nominated account, so they receive the benefit of their new prizes more quickly.”
As well as the newly-made millionaires, there are over 2.2 million prizes worth more than £68.9 million working their way to Premium Bond holders this month. There were 66,163,126,053 eligible Bond numbers in January’s draw, and since the first draw in June 1957, there have been 360 million prizes paid out worth more than £17.1 billion.
As well as the January 2017 prizes, you can check for historic wins that you may not have been aware of, with over 1.3 million unclaimed prizes worth more than £54 million currently waiting to be collected by the rightful owners.
Savers can check online to see if they are one of the millions of monthly winners via www.nsandi.com/prize-checker, or by downloading the free Premium Bonds prize-checker app – available in the Apple Store and Google Play. As well as seeing if they have won a prize in this month’s draw, Premium Bonds customers can also see if they have won a prize in any of the draws in the previous six months and if they have any unclaimed prizes outstanding. This will be updated on the second working day of the month.
In Hampshire and Isle of Wight there are 35,837 unclaimed prizes worth more than £1.4 million. The highest value unclaimed prize in the region is £10,000, won by a woman in August 2012, who has £29,992 invested. The oldest unclaimed Premium Bond prize in Hampshire and Isle of Wight was won in the August 1963 draw, worth £25 and is due to a woman who currently has just £4 invested.
In West Sussex, 18,759 prizes totalling more than £758,000 are still unclaimed, the highest of which is £25,000 won by man in the April 2008 draw, who owns £24,375 worth of Premium Bonds. The oldest unclaimed prize dates back to April 1962 and was a £25 prize won by a man with only a £2 holding.
Premium Bonds holders can also reduce the chance of their prizes becoming unclaimed in the future by registering to have any prizes paid directly into their bank account (with notification by email).
What would you do with £1 million? As part of Premium Bonds’ 60th anniversary, we want to hear your stories, whether it be the memories of buying your first Bonds or prizes won, no matter how big or small. Join the conversation on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or submit your story at http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PB60th
Prize and value breakdown in January 2017
| Value of prize | Number of prizes |
|---|---|
| £1,000,000 | 2 |
| £100,000 | 3 |
| £50,000 | 6 |
| £25,000 | 11 |
| £10,000 | 28 |
| £5,000 | 58 |
| £1,000 | 1,378 |
| £500 | 4,134 |
| £100 | 70,345 |
| £50 | 70,345 |
| £25 | 2,059,127 |
|
Total prize fund value £68,919,925 |
Total number of prizes 2,205,437 |
Notes to Editors:
- NS&I has a wealth of facts and figures (including regional) about Premium Bonds. If you require any further details, please contact the NS&I media team or tweet your question to @nsandi
- You can read more about Premium Bond prize winners at www.nsandi.com/winning-stories
- All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax
- NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK, offering a range of savings and investments to more than 25 million customers. All products offer 100% capital security, because NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.
- The annual Premium Bonds prize fund rate is currently 1.25% and the odds of each individual Bond number winning any prize are 30,000 to 1.
- Pictures of ERNIE (including the new ERNIE 4 machine), NS&I’s Agent Millions and people buying Premium Bonds are available in high-resolution jpeg format from the NS&I media team.
- Customers can buy Premium Bonds online at nsandi.com and over the phone by calling 08085 007 007. This is a new freephone number and calls are free from both landlines and mobiles. Telephone calls may be recorded.
- Further information on NS&I (National Savings and Investments), 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