Two fortunate Premium Bond holders in Liverpool and Bedfordshire have each won a £1 million prize, confirmed by the National Savings & Investments (NS&I). The winning Bond number for the first £1 million prize this month is 489TB013219, belonging to a resident of Central Bedfordshire who bought the bond in February 2022, maximizing the allowed £50,000 per person limit.
The second £1 million prize Bond number is 040QJ919368, held by an individual in Liverpool who also holds the maximum £50,000 and purchased the winning Bond in October 2004.
These winners are part of over 6.1 million Premium Bond prizes totaling £408 million drawn by ERNIE this month. ERNIE, the Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment, uses advanced technology for the random prize draw, bringing the total amount won by Premium Bond holders to £40 billion since its inception in 1957, with 815 million prizes awarded.
While two winners received £1 million each, the majority of prizes are smaller. Notably, 78 bond holders won £100,000 each, and 154 received £50,000 each, with 2,643,007 prizes valued at £25 each.
Andrew Westhead, NS&I retail director, congratulated the two jackpot winners from Central Bedfordshire and Liverpool, each becoming £1 million richer in February. He highlighted that beyond the jackpot winners, this month saw over 6.1 million prizes worth more than £408 million being paid out, contributing to the £40 billion total won by Premium Bond holders since the first draw.
Premium Bonds provide a tax-free saving opportunity with chances to win prizes. Individuals can hold up to £50,000 in Premium Bonds, backed by the Treasury, and newly purchased bonds must be held for a full calendar month before qualifying for the prize draw.
The jackpot prize was raised to £1 million starting from the April 1994 draw, with two £1 million prizes now awarded monthly. Bond holders can check their winnings using the Premium Bonds prize checker app or the NS&I website the day after the first working day of each month.
Winners receive notifications of their prizes via email or text if they have registered their contact details. However, NS&I cautioned that failure to update contact or bank details could lead to missing out on prizes, with over 2.7 million unclaimed prizes totaling nearly £114.8 million awaiting collection.