ERNIE makes the 350th Premium Bond millionaire
The lucky recipient of this landmark prize is a man from Bristol, who purchased the winning Bond just over 20 years ago, in October 1996. The Bond number is 64ST558712 and the man has the maximum £50,000 invested.
The 349th millionaire was a man from Norwich, the first time ever that the city has celebrated a Premium Bonds jackpot win. The man has £25,100 invested in Premium Bonds and purchased the winning Bond (Bond number: 196XC935430) in September 2012.
While Bristol has been a slightly more trodden path for Agent Million delivering the surprise news – with this month’s win making it ‘seven heaven’ for the city – it is the first £1million delivery to Norwich.
Premium Bonds are not all about the big winners, however. In fact over 2.1 million prizes were paid out this month alone, ranging from £25-£1 million in tax-free prizes. There are also over 1.3 million people who have won prizes in previous draws, worth over £53.9 million, who are unaware of the fact, and NS&I is urging Premium Bonds holders to reduce the chance of their prizes becoming unclaimed by registering to have any prizes paid directly into their bank account (with notification by email). Over one million NS&I customers have already signed up to have their prizes paid in this way.
In Norwich, there are 5,927 unclaimed prizes worth more than £228,000. The highest value unclaimed prize in the city is worth £1,000, with one owing to a woman with just £2 invested, and the prize was won in May 2014. The oldest unclaimed prize in Norwich dates back to December 1971 and is a £25 prize belonging to a man, with just a £3 Premium Bonds holding.
In Bristol meanwhile, there are 7,991 unclaimed prizes worth over £321,000. The highest value unclaimed prize is also of £1,000, and one of these is owed to a woman with £2 invested in Premium Bonds, and was won in the February 2000 draw. The oldest unclaimed prize in Bristol is £25 and was won back in August 1964, by a man with a £10,011 investment.
Jill Waters, Retail Director, NS&I, said:
“Premium Bonds have made a real impact on people’s lives in the 60 years since their launch, not only to our 350 millionaire winners but also to those who have received one of the 355 million prizes we have given out.
“Premium Bonds continue to excite the millions of people that invest in them every month and we are just as thrilled to visit Norwich for the first time to deliver the life-changing news as we are to go to Bristol which we have ventured to on a few occasions previously.
“Premium Bonds have changed significantly in the last six decades, from more prizes to higher investment limits, but the one thing we haven’t changed is the tax-free nature of the product and the fact that we offer 100% security on every penny invested. We’re always striving to offer customers what they want and have now made it easier to manage their Bonds through our online and phone service, and we are delighted that over a million of our customers are now choosing to have their prizes paid directly into their nominated account.”
Premium Bonds are celebrating their 60th anniversary this November and we want to hear your story, 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 November 2016
| Value of prizes | Number of prizes |
|---|---|
| £1,000,000 | 2 |
| £100,000 | 3 |
| £50,000 | 5 |
| £25,000 | 10 |
| £10,000 | 27 |
| £5,000 | 53 |
| £1,000 | 1,335 |
| £500 | 4,005 |
| £100 | 68,088 |
| £50 | 68,088 |
| £25 | 1,993,644 |
| Total prize fund value £66,726,800 |
Total number of prizes 2,135,260 |
For the November 2016 prize draw, ERNIE paid out over 2.1 million prizes of more than £66.7 million in value. There were 64,057,711,819 eligible Bond numbers in the draw. This brings the grand total of prizes won since the first draw in July 1957 to 355 million and the value of those prizes to £17 billion.
The full prize results will be available on nsandi.com tomorrow, where customers can use the online prize checker or download the Premium Bonds prize checker app, to find out instantly if their Bonds have won a prize in the latest draw, or a prize in the past six months, as well as any prizes older than 18 months that have yet to been claimed. The Premium Bonds app is available from the Apple Store or Google Play, and is free to download.
A new version of the Premium Bond prize checker app has recently been launched for iOS and Android devices. This version includes enhancements based on feedback from customers and a totally new design. Customers can now check their results using their NS&I number or their holder’s number, and they can also name the numbers they have entered so they know whose results they are checking.
Notes to Editors
- Premium Bonds 60th anniversary is being celebrated today (1 November 2016). If you would like further information on this, please visit or http://nsandi-corporate.com/media-centre/ or contact the NS&I media team.
- 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 but calls from mobiles and some landline providers may be chargeable. 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