October’s Premium Bonds millionaires come from Outer London and Suffolk

This month’s Premium Bonds millionaire jackpot winners come from Outer London and Suffolk.

October’s prize draw also saw an extra £79 million added to the prize pot, with the prize fund rate increasing from 1.40% to 2.20% – the biggest single increase in more than 40 years – and the odds improving from 24,500 to 1 to 24,000 to 1.

The first winning Bond number drawn was 333XB827779 and belongs to a winner in Outer London. The jackpot winner holds £50,000 in Premium Bonds and purchased the winning Bond in June 2018. The win makes them the ninth winner from the Outer London area.

The second winning Bond number drawn was 226HV323415 and the winner comes from Suffolk. The winner holds £50,000 in Premium Bonds and purchased their winning Bond in July 2014. They are the ninth millionaire from Suffolk.

Jill Waters, NS&I Retail Director, said: “Congratulations to our two winners from Outer London and Suffolk. £1 million is a truly life changing sum of money and we wish them all the best for their future.

“Premium Bonds are not just about the £1 million jackpot prize – from this month, we’ve increased the prize fund rate and added a massive £79 million to the prize pot, meaning people up and down the country will have more chances to win prizes ranging from £50 up to £100,000, as well as our two jackpot prizes.”

Kick off your October savings with Premium Bonds

Premium Bonds are one of the nation's most popular savings products. They are the perfect way to start a savings habit, with the minimum investment starting at £25.

Premium Bonds customers can add to their Premium Bonds holding quickly and securely, both for themselves or their child, via bank transfer. By topping up regularly each month, customers are giving themselves further chances to win in the monthly Premium Bonds prize draws. Customers can find out how to make a bank transfer and set up a standing order into their Premium Bonds here.

October 2022 prize draw breakdown
In the October 2022 prize draw, a total of 4,972,506 prizes worth £218,790,200 will be paid out. There were 119,340,101,225 Bond numbers eligible for the draw. Since the first draw in July 1957, ERNIE has drawn 587 million prizes with a total value of £23.6 billion.

Unclaimed prizes
Premium Bonds prize winners are notified when they win a prize, but sometimes people move or change their contact details without letting NS&I know - this can lead to unclaimed prizes if they have opted to receive their prize by cheque.

In Outer London, there are 246,510 unclaimed prizes worth £8,613,300. The largest unclaimed prize is £100,000 and is from the February 2007 prize draw. The oldest unclaimed prize in Outer London is from November 1961 and is worth £25.

In Suffolk, there are 22,656 unclaimed prizes with a total value of £725,300. £1,000 is the largest unclaimed prize in Suffolk and there are nine of these that were won between the May 1986 and December 2020 prize draw. The oldest unclaimed prize is from May 1967 and is worth £25.

The best way to ensure that prizes do not go unclaimed is for customers to have them paid directly into their bank account or automatically reinvested into more Premium Bonds. Getting prizes paid directly is also quicker and more secure, with more than nine in ten prizes now paid this way. Customers can find out how to do this here.

Customers that think they may have an unclaimed Premium Bonds prize can check by using NS&I’s online prize checker or the prize checker app.

Checking prizes
Premium Bonds holders can check to see if they have won a prize in October’s prize draw, by using the nsandi.com prize checker, official prize checker app or their Alexa-enabled device from Tuesday 4 October 2022. Customers will need their Premium Bonds holder’s number to use the website and their NS&I number or holder’s number to check via the prize checker app. At the same time, they can check for any unclaimed prizes owed to them.

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Notes to Editors

1. NS&I announced on 27 September 2022 that the Premium Bonds prize fund rate would increase from 1.40% to 2.20%, with the odds changing from 24,500 to 1 to 24,000 to 1.
2. The changes were effective from the October 2022 prize draw and more information can be found here.
3. NS&I announced interest rate increases across its fixed and variable products on 21 July 2022. Details of the changes can be seen here.
4. NS&I has spokespeople available for interview, including Agent Million, as well as a wealth of national and regional facts and figures 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.
5. All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
6. 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 as NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.

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: NS&I.