A million reasons to celebrate the twenties as Ernie picks the first two Premium Bonds winners of the decade
The new decade starts with a bang for two lucky Premium Bonds holders who have won this month’s jackpot of £1 million each. Agent Million surprised two new winners in Hertfordshire and Cheshire East to share the good news on New Year’s Day.
The first number randomly selected by ERNIE – 244DT242763 – belongs to a man living in Hertfordshire who purchased his winning Bond in April 2015. He has a total holding of £40,000 in Premium Bonds and becomes the tenth jackpot millionaire from the county.
January’s second recipient is a woman from Cheshire East with the winning Bond number of 278CW859665. She bought the winning Bond back in August 2016 and holds the maximum amount allowed in Premium Bonds with a total holding of £50,000. She becomes the ninth winner in the Cheshire East area to be visited by Agent Million.
Jill Waters, NS&I’s Retail Director, said:
“This life changing sum of money is the perfect way for two winners to start both a new year and a new decade. 2019 was an eventful year in the world of Premium Bonds, with aunties, uncles, and family friends now able to purchase for children aged under 16, and a reduction in the minimum investment to £25, allowing more people than ever to start the new year with a regular savings habit.
“Premium Bonds continue to be one of the nation’s most popular ways to save, and with our Prize Checker app on iOS and Android customers, can check their winnings online by tapping the app, or with a simple voice command to their Alexa-enabled device.”
New Year, new habits
Make it a New Year’s resolution to check you haven’t missed out on any unclaimed prizes; it’s always worth making sure NS&I has an up to date record of your contact details. There are now more than 1.7 million prizes worth over £64 million still waiting to be claimed by Premium Bonds holders. Bonds purchased for children are often forgotten, so check with NS&I to find out if you have a prize to claim.
Customers can check their Bonds by going online at www.nsandi.com, via the Prize Checker app on iOS and Android, and through their Alexa-enabled device.
Customers can also join the growing number of Premium Bond holders choosing to have their winnings paid directly into their bank or building society accounts, making certain that their prizes will always be claimed. Register at nsandi.com/register to manage your Premium Bonds and NS&I accounts.
Waiting to be claimed
In Hertfordshire there are 38,407 unclaimed prizes worth over £1,366,000. The highest value unclaimed prize is worth £10,000, won in December 2017 with Bond number 148LB252543. The oldest unclaimed prize in Hertfordshire is £25 and was drawn in March 1962, the customer has a total holding of £13 and the winning Bond number was 1KS935512.
There are 9,094 unclaimed prizes in Cheshire East with a total value of £322,875. The highest value unclaimed prize in the area is £1,000 and there are six such unclaimed prizes. The oldest unclaimed prize is £25 and dates back to February 1970, with a total holding of £1 and winning Bond number AK466533.
January 2020 prize draw breakdown
In the January prize draw, a total of 3,471,112 prizes worth £99,215,975 will be paid out. There were 85,042,266,956 eligible Bonds for the draw.
Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 466 million prizes with a total value of £20.1 billion.
|
Value of prize |
Number of prizes |
|
£1,000,000 |
2 |
|
£100,000 |
6 |
|
£50,000 |
12 |
|
£25,000 |
23 |
|
£10,000 |
59 |
|
£5,000 |
119 |
|
£1,000 |
1,984 |
|
£500 |
5,952 |
|
£100 |
27,221 |
|
£50 |
27,221 |
|
£25 |
3,408,513 |
|
Total £99,215,975 |
Total 3,471,112 |
Notes to Editors
- 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
- 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 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 1.40% and the odds of each individual Bond number winning any prize are currently 24,500 to 1.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
NS&I media team
Chris Dowsett 020 7932 6799 chris.dowsett@nsandi.com
Jonty Alone 020 7932 6633 jonty.alone@nsandi.com
Sara Brown 020 7932 6874 sara.brown@nsandi.com
Sam Faulkner 020 7932 6801 sam.faulkner@nsandi.com
James Carr 020 7932 6829 james.carr@nsandi.com
Out of hours: All numbers above diverted to staff mobile phones
Follow us on Twitter: @nsandi
Website: www.nsandi.com