Two fortunate Premium Bond holders in Liverpool and Bedfordshire have each won a £1 million prize, as confirmed by National Savings & Investments. The first winning Bond number, 489TB013219, worth £1 million, belongs to a resident of Central Bedfordshire who purchased the Bond in February 2022, holding the maximum allowed amount of £50,000. The second £1 million jackpot Bond number, 040QJ919368, is held by an individual in Liverpool who also owns the maximum £50,000 Bond acquired 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 advanced technology to generate random numbers for the monthly prize draws. The total amount won by Premium Bonds holders has now reached £40 billion since the inaugural draw in 1957, resulting in 815 million prizes.
While there were two £1 million winners, most prizes are of lesser value. However, 78 Bond holders received £100,000 each, and 154 were awarded £50,000 each. Additionally, 2,643,007 prizes were 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 this February. He highlighted that this month alone, over 6.1 million prizes worth more than £408 million were distributed, contributing to the total winnings of Premium Bonds holders since 1957.
Premium Bonds provide savers with an opportunity to save money while having the chance to win tax-free prizes. Individuals can hold up to £50,000 in Premium Bonds, which are backed by the Treasury. Newly purchased Premium Bonds must be held for a full calendar month before being eligible for the prize draw.
The jackpot prize was raised to £1 million starting from the April 1994 draw, and now there are two £1 million prizes awarded monthly. Bond holders can check their prizes using the Premium Bonds prize checker app or by visiting the NS&I website the day after the first working day of each month.
Winners of Premium Bonds prizes will receive notifications via email or text if they have registered their contact details. However, NS&I cautioned that failing to update contact or bank details could lead to missing out on prizes, with over 2.7 million unclaimed prizes worth nearly £114.8 million awaiting claimants.