Premium Bonds millionaires are made in Hertfordshire and Cheshire West and Chester

Two scoops for August’s Premium Bond jackpot winners

Agent Million has been working through the summer heat to deliver a cool £1 million windfall to August’s jackpot prize winners in Hertfordshire and the region of Cheshire West and Chester.

The first eligible number generated this month - 287NJ414708 - belongs to a man from Hertfordshire who has £19,900 invested in Premium Bonds and purchased his winning Bond in November 2016. This is Agent Million’s second visit to Hertfordshire in two months with June’s winner also from the region. This month’s winner is the 10^th Premium Bonds millionaire from the county.

August’s second winner is a woman from Cheshire West and Chester, and she purchased her winning Bond 13 years ago, in January 2006. The winning Bond number is 105VW884980 and she holds £30,000 in Premium Bonds. She is the eighth Premium Bonds millionaire from the region and the second within the last year, with the last jackpot there being won in November 2018.

Jill Waters, Retail Director at NS&I, said:

“A big part of what makes Premium Bonds such a special product is its ability to surprise and delight – not only for this month’s two millionaire winners but for all those who have received one of the three million plus tax-free prizes paid out this month.

“Whether you have been lucky enough to win this month or not, Premium Bonds can help to create exciting adventures and opportunities for our customers, whether they’re winning big or regularly tucking away pockets of savings.

“One way to build a regular savings habit through Premium Bonds is to set up a standing order. When we reduced the minimum investment into Premium Bonds to £25 at the start of February, we also reduced the minimum monthly standing order purchase. Money put aside monthly builds up quickly over time and the unique charm of Premium Bonds is that those regular investments can lead to life-changing sums.

“Setting up a standing order can be done in only a few minutes online, and means that you’ll have more chances of winning a Premium Bonds prize every month with no extra effort.”

£62 million remains unclaimed but there are more ways to check

As well as the three million plus prizes being paid out this month, you may have landed a Premium Bonds prize that you are not aware of. There are over 1.6 million prizes worth more than £62 million that currently remain unclaimed. Premium Bonds may go unclaimed for reasons including if NS&I don’t hold your current address details or if you had Bonds bought as a child but have since forgotten about them. Customers can make sure that their details are up to date and choose to have any future prizes paid directly into their bank account, by registering to manage their Premium Bonds and NS&I accounts online at nsandi.com/register. This will help reduce the likelihood of prizes becoming unclaimed.

There are 36,475 unclaimed prizes in Hertfordshire worth more than £1.3 million. The highest unclaimed prize is worth £10,000 and was won in December 2017. The customer has £2,460 invested in Premium Bonds and the winning Bond number is 148LB252543. There is also a prize worth £5,000 that remains unclaimed in the county as well 35 £1,000 unclaimed prizes. The oldest unclaimed prize dates back to March 1962 and is worth £25 from an investment of £13. The Bond number is 1KS935512

In the region of Cheshire West and Chester, there are 7,683 unclaimed prizes worth more than £275,000. The highest value unclaimed prize in the region is worth £5,000 and was won in May 2014. The customer has £4,375 invested in Premium Bonds and the winning Bond number is 45ZJ656991. There are a further eight unclaimed prizes of £1,000 in the area. An unclaimed prize from February 1965 still remains unclaimed in Cheshire West and Chester and is a prize worth £25 with just a £1 investment. The Bond number is 1AF306431.

We are now providing customers with more ways than ever to find out if they’ve won in our monthly draws. Customers can use the prize checker on nsandi.com, download the official Premium Bonds prize checker app - free on iOS or Android – or use our new NS&I Premium Bonds prize checker skill on Amazon Alexa. Once you’ve put in your details you just need to ask Alexa if you’ve won. Alexa will also let you know what you have won in the previous six draws and if you have any unclaimed prizes.

August 2019 prize draw breakdown

In the August 2019 draw, a total of 3,346,095 prizes worth £95,642,500 will be paid out. There were 81,979,282,936 eligible Bonds for the draw.

Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 449 million winning prizes, to the value of £19.7 billion.

Notes to Editors

NS&I media team

Chris Dowsett 020 7932 6799 chris.dowsett@nsandi.com

Jonty Alone 020 7932 6633 jonty.alone@nsandi.com

Annie Shields 020 7932 6799 ann.shields@nsandi.com

Out of hours: All numbers above diverted to staff mobile phones

Follow us on Twitter: @nsandi

Website: www.nsandi.com

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. Some prizes that ERNIE 5 has generated numbers for may also become unclaimed after 18 months, as a result of Premium Bonds holders changing their addresses and not keeping other details up to date with NS&I. Over 1.6 million prizes remain unclaimed, worth more than £62 million.
7. Customers can buy Premium Bonds online at nsandi.com and over the phone by calling 08085 007 007. This is a freephone 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.
8. 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.