PREMIUM BONDS JAN 25 .........

[Blondeshavemorefun]

New thread and I've been asked to give some basic info. Feel free to add stuff

PB have been about since 1957

Been 30yrs (April 2024) since a million was then the highest prize

nsandi-corporate.com/news-research/news/30-years-premium-bonds-ps1-million-jackpots#

Each bond is £1. You have to buy in minimum of £25 so means 25 chances to win every purchase - years ago you could buy £1 at a time.

Odds of winning £1 million on Premium Bonds at face value are 1 in 2,489,469,818 if you have £25 in PBs.

However most people have more than £25 so the odds depend on how much you do hold.

If you have £100 the odds in any given month are 1 in 49,563,028

£1,000 in PB the odds are 1 in 4,954,991

£50,000 in PB the odds are 1 in 96,839

To win anything odds are 1 in 22000

So providing you have more than £100 you have better odds than winning the lottery 😄

And obviously far better than the lottery - you don’t lose your stake !!!!!!

Bonds have to be in for a clear month before going into the draw

If you want to cash bonds in then usually takes 3 days to go into your account

Winnings can be reinvested if holdings are under £50k

This means they will go into the next months draw without losing a month

Or sent to named bank account if winnings take over FH /want winnings in bank account

More info here

www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/savings/types-of-savings/premium-bonds

The best time to buy premium bonds is on the last day of the month, as this means they are only held by NSI for one month and one day, without being entered into the prize draw.

PB to me is the fun and thrill each month of what if I win big and a millionaire - to then hoping win thousands to a day or two later being grateful if win £25😂

I have nowhere near the maximum and probably never will unless I win £50k + on pb

But only takes one £1 to win that million !!!

I love seeing the low holdings win high amounts

We've seen over the years £100 win £100k and £50 win £25k and even £1 won £10k

Maximum is £50k per person so some do have all for family- mum dad and 2 kids so £200k etx

Those on the thread are varying from few hundred /few thousand - to 20/30k to full holdings of £50k

Everyone is welcome to join in whether small or full holdings

One would expect if had full holdings of £50k to win something every month and think over the year to earn the same as if in a high interest account to win around £1925 in prizes

If have £5k average luck is £175 winnings a year

Obviously some people have better 'luck' than others and some worse - Ie full holdings and not winning anything a month or two or even longer

PB odds calculator below

moneymarvel.co.uk/calculators/premium-bonds/

Or this one is quite good as shows the interest rate of the winnings - obv anything over 4% is good as if in an account you wouid be taxed so be more like 3%)

In August 2023, NS&I hiked the prize fund to a 24-year high of 4.65 per cent from 4 per cent, a level not seen since 1999 🙀🙀🙀🙀

But it has been steadily falling since, and of January 2025, the prize fund rate - the amount of the total fund paid out in prizes - is 4 per cent (www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/saving/article-14127405/Premium-Bonds-prize-fund-rate-cut-NS-deals-blow-savers.html)

www.candidmoney.com/calculators/national-savings-premium-bond-calculator

From google (august 2023) - The consistent winners are the 1.16 million people who have the maximum £50,000.

They hold almost half of all premium bonds and, at current odds of 1/22000 can expect a monthly stream of tax-free prizes: two a month and three almost every other month, 28 or 29 a year totaling £1,925

From google (Jan 2024) Tho equally With Premium Bonds, for every person who wins £1 million, a lot of people have to win nothing. So the median average will always be lower than the mean average.

This means that, with average luck, most people will win less than the prize rate each year, regardless of how many bonds they hold

To work out your own personal % rate

Take your total prizes, divide it by the number of months and x by 12.

Then divide that figure into your total holding and x 100.

So say £500 prizes in 6 months / 6 x 12 = £1000.

Holdings £30,000 = 1000/30000 x 100 = 3.33% interest rate.

But many on here do have £50k and then consider moving it to an account that pays 4% if their bonds aren't doing very well as would then def get extra money

But remember savings /interest get taxed

PB and their winnings don't

So anything over 3% in winnings is considered good.

So they do dither whether to pull out from pb and put in high interest account if not winning anything so that they will def earn x amount of interest

But then lose the what if won a million or £100k

If you have PB but not sure if you have ever won esp if moved about a lot

you can write to NS&I. Include these details in the letter:

	Current name

	Current address

	Premium Bond holder number 

	All previous addresses where you might have registered bonds

	Your signature 

You can send your letter to:

NS&I,
Sunderland
SR43 2SB.

There are 2 apps afaik

Cream - prize checker and if won previous month will show a pic - which we all get excited over 😂😂😂

Blue - the app its self works but the showing early often doesn't work for me but those who reinvest their winnings say it shows if won the day before app shows 🙀🙀🙀

Seems the higher the winnings the earlier it shows and can be from 6pm the night before the app shows

And to confuse things I have a White app that is a bookmark - which shows info/list 😄😄😄

Now this has been debated on MANY times but seems to be correct

When do we find out if going to get a visit from AM 😂

The two winners of 
the £1million prizes will be contacted by Agent Million (AM) 😂😂 the day before the first working day of the corresponding month.

There may however be 
exceptions to this, such as when the first working day of the month is a 
bank holiday, for example.

So

Day before first working day - Millionaire knock /call

First day of working month - list showing all winners million to £1k winners - which I always put up for those who can't find it

Day after first working day , including weekends - cream app showing all winnings

You can also check to see if have won via this link with your holders number

www.nsandi.com/prize-checker

Hopefully I've covered everything

Good luck one and all 😄

Ooh I've found something. https://premiumbondsprizes.com/

According to this, £22,000 would get you an average 12 prizes a year, so would average out at one a month but some months you'd get 2 or 0 or whatever.

£30,000 is 16.4 prizes as the mean average over the year. So doesn't quite align with what I said but quite an interesting calculator anyway!

Thank you both I'm glad I wasn't going mad!!

My mum has had £800 in Premium Bonds since 1967 and hasn't won a single penny since. I now have the prize checker app and check every month for her as she's elderly. Not a single penny won in 58 years! Beginning to think it's a scam.........😆

I’ve a similar amount not won for 12 months now…..

My dad wins small prizes on this regularly either a few pounds or actual prizes to choose from. So i’ve signed up for a year. Do the quiz every day too 😂 My luck is shite tho….

Hello everyone! I'm avoiding this thread as I couldn't cope with the anticipation last month. I'll join you again on prize day! I'll have 23k in the draw this time.

A week today and two people will have had visits from AM. Let's hope they are deserving and on this thread! Me, Me!

If you won the million or another very big prize, would you post on here to let us all know or would you keep it quiet?

They have £23k of your money and you don't win at least something each month? Wow.

It’s still January! Almost another week of it oh well

I’d post on here and then do a name change afterwards!

We wouldn't tell anyone. Not even family or friends. The two of us would just move to somewhere remote if we won a million.

I would tell everyone, which isn’t advised. But I’m a bigmouth.

That is rare

tho equally the money isn’t lost and can be taken out anytime

ERNIE can generate all the numbers in 20 minutes. Powered by quantum technology.

https://www.nsandi.com/get-to-know-us/about-premium-bonds

I put 10k in last August so first draw was in October. I won £150 in December and topped up to 23k in Dec so this will be the first draw with 23k.

@Costcolover I have £15k holdings and havent had a thing since Sept. Actually considering taking it out and putting it in a savings account at this point.

February is my first draw holding premium bonds so I have been waiting patiently since December to check results. Not expecting a win as only hold £1000 in this draw but this will be £12k for the March draw. I’m going to give it 12 months to see how I get on but am looking forward to the excitement of the monthly draw.

Horribly long and for me January has been shit so far. Even a £25 prize a week tomorrow would be great.

I’d let you know straight away!… Although it’ll never happen as I only have £500 🙈😂

I'd let you all know too- probably be writing the post as AM is closing the door 🤣

Wouldn't tell anyone else though 🤣

They have £33k of my money and a lot of months I win nothing at all. I think I won 4 times last year.

I really won't be leaving money there for long unless I start winning decent amounts. At the minute it basically doubles as a savings account with enough awkwardness built in to keep money there.

I agree. I have maxed out my ISA this year so I thought PBs would be a safe bet as the interest winnings are tax-free. I'll see what happens (and if I need the money) but I'll likely put the money in an ISA from April.

Just put £40k into bonds (only for a few months) as we are extending, but fancied a roll of the dice until we spend it all 😆
Roll on March!

A week today the Millionaire Shortbread will be eaten, we'll have stopped ignoring or poring over the HVW list, the full results will have been in to whoops of delight, unimpressed shrugs and groans of disappointment and the PB rollercoaster ride will be over for another month. Fingers crossed for the next seven days everyone, despite any cramp.