NS&I customers are being urged to check whether they are among the thousands of savers with Premium Bonds prizes yet to be claimed.
Following the March 2024 prize draw results being announced this week, NS&I issued a reminder about unclaimed prizes.
In West Sussex, where one of this month’s jackpot winners is from, there are 34,312 prizes worth £1,131,800 that have not yet been claimed.
The largest unclaimed prize in the area is worth £5,000 and was from the March 2007 prize draw.
The second jackpot winner is from Hampshire, where there is also a £5,000 unclaimed prize. It was drawn in January 2019.
In Hampshire, there are 64,797 unclaimed prizes, worth £2,132,025.
The oldest unclaimed prize in both areas is £25, won in the April 1962 and August 1963 draws, respectively.
NS&I notifies Premium Bonds winners when they win but sometimes they cannot be reached – such as if the customers relocated or updated their contact information without telling NS&I.
This may lead to unclaimed prizes, especially if the saver has chosen to receive their prizes by cheque.
NS&I said the quickest way for winners to get their prizes is to have elected to have them paid automatically into their bank or reinvested into more Premium Bonds.
More than 90 per cent of prizes are now paid this way, with NS&I saying it’s “faster and more secure” than getting the payment via cheque.
Customers can use NS&I’s online prize checker or prize checker app to check for unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes.
There are more than 5.8 million prizes worth more than £451million up for grabs in March 2024.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
NS&I updates the Premium Bonds prize checker app the day after the first working day of the month
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The first jackpot winner, who is based in West Sussex and has £50,000 in Premium Bonds, bought the winning bond in September 2022.
A second jackpot winner also holds £50,000 and is based in Hampshire. They bought the winning bond in February 2021.
Andrew Westhead, NS&I Retail Director, said: “Congratulations to our £1million jackpot winners from West Sussex and Hampshire, who can now start planning what to do with their tax-free winnings.
“With a total prize pot of £451million this month, we've awarded Premium Bond holders with over 5.8 million prizes ranging from £25 to £1million.
“This month, two winners with a holding of £100 won a prize of £100,000, showing that every bond counts.”