TWO NEW PREMIUM BONDS MILLIONAIRES AS ERNIE SPREADS FESTIVE CHEER IN WEST SUSSEX AND HIS HOME COUNTY, LANCASHIRE

December’s Premium Bonds millionaires come from West Sussex and Lancashire, as ERNIE picks a Premium Bonds jackpot winner from his home county for the first time since September 2016.

The first Bond number drawn was 306VK958372 and belongs to a winner based in West Sussex. The jackpot winner holds £46,000 in Premium Bonds and purchased the winning Bond in July 2017. They become the ninth millionaire chosen by ERNIE from West Sussex.

437QD081540 was the second Bond number drawn and the winner comes from ERNIE’s home county, Lancashire. The winner holds £14,725 in Premium Bonds and purchased their winning Bond in February 2021. They become the thirteenth Premium Bonds millionaire from Lancashire.

Give the gift of Premium Bonds this Christmas

Aside from the two jackpot winners, there were over 3.3 million other prizes paid out this month worth between £25 and £100,000, and parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends can give the gift of Premium Bonds this Christmas to children under the age of 16 to help them start a regular savings habit.

Adults can buy Premium Bonds for children from just £25 and can find out how here on NS&I’s website.

Receive Premium Bonds prizes faster and checking prizes

Customers can choose to have their prizes paid directly to their bank account or have their wins reinvested into more Premium Bonds. This will reduce the chance of Premium Bonds going unclaimed. Almost nine in ten prizes are now paid in this way, and this is quicker, easier and more secure than receiving them via cheque.

Customers can find out more about the benefits of getting their prizes paid directly into their bank accounts or automatically reinvested into more Premium Bonds here.

Customers can check to see if they have won a prize in December’s prize draw, or see if they have any unclaimed prizes, by using the nsandi.com prize checker, official prize checker app or their Alexa-enabled device from Thursday 2 December 2021. 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.

Jill Waters, NS&I Retail Director, said: “A massive congratulations to our Premium Bonds jackpot winners in West Sussex and Lancashire. A month on from the 65th anniversary of Premium Bonds going on sale, ERNIE has gone back to his roots and picked a winner from Lancashire where he is based.

“With more than 3.3 million other prizes being dished out in December, Christmas will definitely be coming early for those Premium Bonds customers up and down the country. This Christmas, you can also choose to give children the gift of Premium Bonds, sharing the potential for them to be surprised and delighted each month, and helping them to start a savings habit with one of the nation’s favourite savings products.”

December 2021 prize draw breakdown
In the December 2021 prize draw, a total of 3,331,069 prizes worth £95,768,225 will be paid out. There were 114,921,860,273 Bond numbers eligible for the draw. Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 545 million prizes with a total value of £22.4 billion.

-Ends-

Notes to Editors

1. Any adult can buy Premium Bonds for a child under the age of 16. The minimum limit for Premium Bonds is £25, and this amount also applies to subsequent sales. When purchasing Premium Bonds for a child, customers should check that that child’s parent or guardian is happy for them to do so. NS&I may need to check identity and address of everyone named on a customer’s application, and may need to ask for documentation to prove this. Those wishing to purchase Premium Bonds can do so here.
2. 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
3. All Premium Bonds prizes are free of UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
4. 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.
5. The annual Premium Bonds prize fund rate is currently 1.00% and the odds of each individual Bond number winning any prize are currently 34,500 to 1. The prize fund rate and the odds of winning are variable, so they can change from time to time.
6. 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.
7. 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.