NS&I has released details about July’s Premium Bonds prize draw, which saw more than five bond holders secure the £100,000 prize with bonds purchased in the past year.
With more than 5.9 million prizes up for grabs, savers can opt for Premium Bonds for a chance to win one of their big cash rewards.
NS&I pays out two £1 million jackpots each month. They then divide the balance of the prize fund share allocated to the higher value band equally among the remaining prize values.
The Higher value band consists of prizes worth £100,000 and £50,000.
In July’s prize draw, over five savers won £100,000, with bonds they had purchased in the past year.
A saver from Cardiff And Vale Of Glamorgan purchased the winning bond 578WH514003 in May 2024, just two months ago.
Premium Bonds holders can check to see if they have won a prize via the Premium Bonds prize checker app NS&IA Premium Bond holder from Suffolk bought their winning bond 570GF030258 in February 2024, while winning bond 574NM333834 was purchased in March 2024 by a holder from Staffordshire.
Another two savers bought the winning bonds 567CG263126 and 564ZZ753384 in January 2024. One is from Berkshire, and the other is from East Sussex.
With these high value winning bonds being bought less than six months ago, many people may be wondering ‘what are my odds of winning too?’
NS&I lists the chance of one bond winning a prize in a month (1 in 21,000) on its website.
The NS&I advisor website explains that each £1 Bond number has an equal chance of winning, regardless of when or where it was bought.
NS&I wrote: “Over 97 per cent of eligible Bonds have been bought since the year 2000.So even though Premium Bonds have been on sale for over 60 years, this is why newer Bonds seem to win more frequently.
“When ERNIE randomly generates winners, it doesn’t store any numbers, so there’s no way any Bonds can be left out. In 2015 the £1 million jackpot was won by a customer with only a £400 holding, who bought them in 2008!
“The only thing that can increase your chances of winning is holding more Premium Bonds – but holding them in sequence won’t make any difference.”
Other high value winners came from Leeds and Hertfordshire.
The Leeds winner purchased the winning bond 561XF629608 in December 2023, and the holder from Hertfordshire purchased their winning bond 560GQ033256 in November 2023.
Each month, two savers will become millionaires no matter when they purchased the Bond, and how much they have invested into Premium Bonds.
Premium Bonds are the UK’s biggest savings product, with more than 24 million people saving over £124billion in them.
In March, the prize rate dropped to 4.4 per cent, with normal savings paying over five per cent.
As the base rate remains at 5.25 per cent, Britons are urged to secure the top interest rates for their savings to make the most of out their money.