Good things come to those who wait: July’s Premium Bonds prize winners

People invest in Premium Bonds for many different reasons and many have had a long attachment with one of the country’s most popular savings products. Some invest to keep money safe for a savings goal, others for a bit of fun with the chance of winning tax-free prizes, while others keep their money in Premium Bonds for a considerable period of time in the hope of winning the jackpot prize. For one lucky person this July, that long-term hope has paid dividends as they are one of two people this month to scoop the top prize.

July’s winners will have a summer that will live long in the memory as our Agents Million personally deliver the news of the £1 million wins to a man in East Sussex and another in County Durham.

The launch of Premium Bonds on 1 November 1956, by then Chancellor Harold Macmillan, inspired a new generation of Britons to step forward and begin their savings journey with an exciting chance to win prizes. On the first day of sales alone, £5 million worth of Bonds were bought and in those days, Bonds had to be held for six months before they were entered into the draw.

July's Premium Bonds jackpot winner from East Sussex was certainly motivated by this new era of saving, and decided to buy a £1 Bond within those first few days. His Bond continued to be entered into prize draws for the next 57 years, when he added to his pot with a £25,000 investment six years ago in July 2013. The man’s winning Bond number is 209CR931692.

July's second jackpot winner is from County Durham and will be receiving a visit from Agent Million this month instead of having his prizes reinvested as usual. The winner has £25,350 invested in Premium Bonds and bought the winning Bond 290BG876230 in December 2016. He becomes just the fourth Premium Bonds jackpot winner from the region.

Jill Waters, NS&I Retail Director, said : "Premium Bonds have been in the life of East Sussex’s winner since before the prize draws began, and I’m delighted that his investment has scooped him the jackpot prize.

“Our Agents Million will no doubt return to their Blackpool base this week after hearing a bucket full of stories from this month’s jackpot winners, however there are many other stories of Premium Bonds winning joy that will come out of July’s prize draw, with over three million other tax-free prizes between £25 and £100,000 being paid out.”

Customers can share their winning stories online at nsandi.com/winning-stories or submit them via our Facebook page: Premium Bonds made by ERNIE.

Still waiting for winning news? Your prizes could be unclaimed

While this month's winner from East Sussex kept in touch with his £1 Bond, there are many early adopters of Premium Bonds that are unaware they've won a prize.

In East Sussex alone, there are over 25,000 unclaimed prizes, worth over £925,000. These prizes date back to July 1959 with £25 being won from a holder that currently has just £5 invested. The highest prize that remains unclaimed in the county is £5,000, and was won in July 2012.

In County Durham, almost 7,000 prizes remain unclaimed, worth just over £261,000. The oldest prize dates back to May 1973 – it was worth £25 and was won by a holder who currently has £100 in Premium Bonds. There are currently 10 £1,000 unclaimed prizes remaining in the county.

In total, there are 1.6 million unclaimed prizes worth over £62 million.

Jill Waters continued : "There are many Premium Bonds customers that are currently missing out on their prize winning experience as their prizes are going unclaimed. This may be for a number of reasons, but ensuring customer details are up to date avoids the chance for the good news to get lost on its way to a prize winner."

“To avoid prizes going unclaimed, customers can either choose to have their prizes reinvested, or to have them paid directly into their bank account. Customers can check if they have an unclaimed prize by using NS&I’s online prize checker, or by asking Amazon Alexa.”

July 2019 prize draw breakdown

In the July 2019 draw, a total of 3,332,530 prizes worth £95,254,775 will be paid out. There were 81,646,957,120 eligible Bonds for the draw.

Notes to editors

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. A total of 1.6 million prizes remain unclaimed, totalling over £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.