Two fortunate Premium Bond holders from Liverpool and Bedfordshire have won a £1 million prize each, as confirmed by National Savings & Investments. The first winning Bond number, 489TB013219, belongs to a Central Bedfordshire resident who purchased the Bond in February 2022. The second £1 million winning Bond number, 040QJ919368, is held by a person in Liverpool who bought the bond in October 2004.
These winners are part of a pool of over 6.1 million Premium Bond prizes totaling £408 million drawn by ERNIE this month. ERNIE, which stands for Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment, employs advanced technology to generate random numbers for the monthly prize draw. Since the inception of Premium Bonds in 1957, a total of £40 billion has been awarded to holders, with 815 million prizes distributed.
While two individuals secured £1 million each, the majority of prizes are of smaller denominations. Notably, 78 Bond holders received £100,000 each, and 154 were awarded £50,000 each. Additionally, there were 2,643,007 prizes valued at £25 each.
Andrew Westhead, NS&I’s retail director, extended congratulations to the jackpot winners from Central Bedfordshire and Liverpool, noting the festive timing of the wins preceding Valentine’s Day. He emphasized the significant total of over 6.1 million prizes worth more than £408 million distributed this month, contributing to the £40 billion in winnings since the inception of Premium Bonds.
Premium Bonds provide a tax-free saving opportunity with chances to win prizes. Individuals can hold up to £50,000 in Premium Bonds, secured by the Treasury. New bond purchases must be held for one full calendar month before being eligible for the prize draw.
The jackpot prize was raised to £1 million in April 1994, resulting in two £1 million prizes awarded monthly. Bond holders can check their prize status via the Premium Bonds prize checker app or NS&I website the day after the first working day of each month.
Winners are notified of their prizes each month via email or text if contact details are registered. NS&I highlighted the importance of updating contact information to avoid missing out on prizes, as there are currently over 2.7 million unclaimed prizes worth nearly £114.8 million waiting to be claimed.