Two fortunate Premium Bond holders residing in Liverpool and Bedfordshire have each won a £1 million jackpot, as officially announced. The winning Bond number for the first £1 million prize this month is 489TB013219 and belongs to a person from Central Bedfordshire who acquired the Bond in February 2022, holding the maximum permitted amount of £50,000. The second £1 million jackpot Bond number is 040QJ919368 held by an individual in Liverpool, also with the maximum holding of £50,000, purchased 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, utilizes cutting-edge technology for the monthly prize draw. This month’s draw brings the total winnings for Premium Bonds holders to £40 billion since the inaugural draw in 1957, resulting in 815 million prizes.
Although there were two £1 million winners, most prizes are of lesser amounts. Notably, 78 Bond holders secured £100,000 each, and 154 received £50,000 each. Additionally, there were 2,643,007 prizes valued at £25 each.
Andrew Westhead, NS&I retail director, extended congratulations to the jackpot winners from Central Bedfordshire and Liverpool, stating that they each kick off February £1 million wealthier. He emphasized that apart from the jackpot winners, over 6.1 million prizes worth more than £408 million have been disbursed this month, bringing the total won since the inception of Premium Bonds in 1957 to £40 billion.
Premium Bonds provide a tax-free opportunity for savers to save money with a chance of winning prizes. Holders can maintain up to £50,000 in Premium Bonds, supported by the Treasury. Newly purchased Premium Bonds must be held for a full calendar month after acquisition to qualify for the prize draw.
The jackpot prize was elevated to £1 million from the April 1994 draw, with two £1 million prizes now awarded each month. To check for prizes, Bond holders can use the Premium Bonds prize checker app or visit the NS&I website on the day following the first working day of each month, which in this case will be Tuesday, February 3.
Winners of Premium Bonds prizes will receive notifications of their winnings monthly via email or text if their contact details are registered. However, NS&I cautioned that failing to update contact or bank details upon changes may lead to missing out on prizes. Presently, there are more than 2.7 million unclaimed prizes worth nearly £114.8 million awaiting claim.