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PREMIUM BONDS AUGUST

1000 replies

Blondeshavemorefun · 31/07/2025 14:11

We have pinned a new post just beneath this one with updated links from the OP. MNHQ

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.

Martin Lewis’s opinion on pb - quite an interesting read

https://www.saga.co.uk/money-news/premium-bonds

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 holding win a million (March 25) also a £100 holding 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 at 3.9%

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

If have £1.5k average luck is £25 once 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/

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 August 2025, the prize fund rate - the amount of the total fund paid out in prizes - is 3.6 %

Estimated prizes in August compared to June:
£1m - same
£100k - 4 less
£50k - 8 less
£25k - 15 less
£10k - 38 less
£5k - 78 less
£1k - 780 less
£500 - 2340 less
£100 and £50 - 16,5872 less each
£25 - 371,737 more.

So many of us may win £25 from August but means the higher value prizes are way less 🙀😢

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/nsi-premium-bonds-rate-changes-31317737

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 £1925 (3.9% interest on £50k)

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.

People 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 😄

Prize Checker

Ready to see if you have won a prize? Enter your holder's number to check if you’ve won in this month’s Premium Bonds draw. Good luck!

https://www.nsandi.com/prize-checker

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
westisbest1982 · 02/08/2025 11:29

From recollection on these threads, pretty much everyone on FH ends up with at least an average return after a year.

Negroany · 02/08/2025 12:06

westisbest1982 · 02/08/2025 11:29

From recollection on these threads, pretty much everyone on FH ends up with at least an average return after a year.

Ironically I had my biggest win when I didn't have FH, over £1k, of which one win was £1k so on the winners list (though I had checked the night before and not seen it).

That win took me up to FH as I was reinvesting at that point, and a bit over went to my bank which was nice as until then I'd never actually seen the winnings. Now of course they all come to my bank and are just extra income.

schoolfeeslave · 02/08/2025 12:51

Ironically, the month after I cleared out the bulk of my PBs (from FH down to £2,500) after having 3 fallow months so far in 2025 I won £50!

I will actually be topping back up again now as I have pretty much maxed out my tax free savings for this year and overpaid on my mortgage. It's far more exciting than boring old interest.

JellyBeanSpring25 · 02/08/2025 14:39

Nowt on FH.

pfft.
Going to sulk until we start being hopeful for September now.

princesspoppy19 · 02/08/2025 14:43

£100 on £15k..I've being lucky this year as won £525 so far
Well done all winners and good luck to everyone for September

BlueViola · 02/08/2025 14:46

LG911 · 02/08/2025 10:38

Nothing for me again (this was my second eligible month) on £1.8k holdings. This is to be expected, to be fair.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I love seeing the big wins on small holdings!

I’m the same. I have 2.3k so it’s nice to see that some low holdings can win.

strangeandfamiliar · 02/08/2025 14:49

£50 on FH for me. £550 on FH for DH, which is about time as he'd been having a pretty fallow year before that with lots of 'nil points' months. I'm now on 3.5% and he's on 3.1% over the last 12 draws.

PremiumBondJovi · 02/08/2025 15:18

£450 between us all over 7 prizes, except for DC2 who got £0: £100 x3, £50 x2, £25 x2. Such was my fear at seeing zeros, I looked at the Prize Checker results from behind my hands peering through my fingers! £450 is the most we have won on PBs and on anything, ever.

Not a lifechanging amount, nor the amount we joined PBs hoping and really needing to win, but a decent month nonetheless in our household. Our first year wasn't good at all, nor was last month's £50 between us all, but on average this financial year we're getting reasonable returns. Our time being able to hold onto our PBs is rapidly running out and so all our irrational hopes, prayers, dreams and wishes are on winning what we need in that time.

Congratulations to all this month's winners and commiserations, better luck next time to all those disappointed this month. Remember, most of us on the PB rollercoaster ride have been there and probably will be again...and there's 'only' 29 sleeps until it all starts all over again!

TheWeeDonkeyFella · 02/08/2025 15:24

A decent win @PremiumBondJovi, congratulations. Your new PB dedicated name must have caught the eye of Ernie!

Cowhen · 02/08/2025 15:29

DH: 225 on around 31k (very happy with that)
Me: 0 on around 2,500 (as expected)

Dearover · 02/08/2025 15:34

I see PBs as a fun investment, with absolutely no guarantee of prizes. If al the prizes went to HH each month, there would be no room for the little bondholders. Admit it, we all get a little smile when someone holding £100 wins the million or someone with £10 invested in 1970 gets £1000.

PremiumBondJovi · 02/08/2025 16:04

Thanks @TheWeeDonkeyFella . I'm now hoping that ERNIE is a huge Bon(d) Jovi fan and allocates prizes accordingly with blatant favouritism for the next few months!

Womblingmerrily · 02/08/2025 16:43

£100 on £20Kish

Quite happy with that along with my surprise mid month bonus.

Over the past years I've had 2%, 3% and this year 2% so far so generally fall into the 'unluckier than most' category.

I'm still here, hoping.

littlecrocodiles · 02/08/2025 16:53

£250 on FH, any amount helps at the moment, we're in the middle of buying a house

EdwinaLIzzard · 02/08/2025 18:13

Dearover · 02/08/2025 15:34

I see PBs as a fun investment, with absolutely no guarantee of prizes. If al the prizes went to HH each month, there would be no room for the little bondholders. Admit it, we all get a little smile when someone holding £100 wins the million or someone with £10 invested in 1970 gets £1000.

Absolutely agree with this sentiment, I get great pleasure in the anticipation, and am obviously disappointed when I don’t win anything, but that is half the fun - we never know how Ernie will share the ‘pot’! and I do love see the small holdings win big prizes and to read about how life changing it can be 😊

CornishTiger · 02/08/2025 18:16

£100 for my daughter. Will just be auto reinvested. Shes done well with her small holding unlike her siblings or more!

PREMIUM BONDS AUGUST
Jandanric · 02/08/2025 18:26

£175 on FH for me and £25 on FH for DH. well done to all of the winners and commiserations to those who didn’t win. Roll on September, although don’t want to wish the summer away so quickly !

GingerPaste · 02/08/2025 18:32

£100 for me (on around a £20k holding). 😃

Mirabai · 02/08/2025 18:36

westisbest1982 · 02/08/2025 11:29

From recollection on these threads, pretty much everyone on FH ends up with at least an average return after a year.

I’ve just learnt what FH means. Good to know.

I’ve made £1450 since March when I started. But if I don’t get the equivalent of 4.5% over the year ie £2250, part is going in an isa the rest in regular savings account.

ThereWillBeGold · 02/08/2025 20:17

Nothing for me on around £19,000. Also Nothing for DH, DD and DS although they don't have much.
I've only won £75 this year, much worse than last year.
I took out most of DS out and put it in my Chase account which is around 4.8% interest, so at least it will get something.

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/08/2025 20:42

It’s weird isn’t @recklessgran. my winnings are from reinvested mainly

it’s weird isn’t @RoseBliss how some do well. And others don’t
guess it’s just law of odds and we post on here but think how many million pb holders there are

@PrioritisePleasure24 absolutely that’s what you have to do. Rough with smooth

it’s why I do pb. The what if

I am lucky on small holdings which is why I started to do the pb threads a few years ago

if I had £50k I would prob be like poor old @OneNeatBlueOrca winning nothing

but everyone has the right to move pb and go to guaranteed 4%+ interest ……..

@westisbest1982 yes over the year many do get their 1500/1800 that £50k should bring interest wise

@PremiumBondJovi did you heart beat stop as they go in order so if you had got to 5 and £100 did you think 6&7 may have been £500 or even £1k

@Dearover so very true and all winners would be £50k holdings

OP posts:
mechanicalpencil · 02/08/2025 20:45

ThereWillBeGold · 02/08/2025 20:17

Nothing for me on around £19,000. Also Nothing for DH, DD and DS although they don't have much.
I've only won £75 this year, much worse than last year.
I took out most of DS out and put it in my Chase account which is around 4.8% interest, so at least it will get something.

@ThereWillBeGold very similar to me... £16k and won only once this year which was £50...

nothing this month either...

Hopefully our luck will pick up from autumn onwards!

Trotula · 02/08/2025 20:45

Blondeshavemorefun · 01/08/2025 09:42

I assume they top up to £50k if have reinvest

then send you the remainder to nominate bank

It’s worth considering opening an NSANDI direct saver and use that for your PB wins over £50k. I think they are currently paying 3% and it’s easy to transfer to any other bank account, usually one full working day to clear.

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/08/2025 21:40

Trotula · 02/08/2025 20:45

It’s worth considering opening an NSANDI direct saver and use that for your PB wins over £50k. I think they are currently paying 3% and it’s easy to transfer to any other bank account, usually one full working day to clear.

Oh that’s handy to know. Thanks

wonder if all fh do this
as I am never likely to have fh but if I win £50k + then i shall do that

OP posts:
sansou · 02/08/2025 21:45

£150 on FH. Breaks the zero for the previous 3 months. My first full year yielded 4.1% which is OK.

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