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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
PremiumBondJovi · 08/08/2025 19:57

It would be a really smart move by NS&I not to drop the prize rates. That would help them to keep current investors and probably gain quite a few more at this point.

By the way, am I the only one not to have noticed until now that the NS&I phone number ends 007 007?! 😂

Happiestathome · 08/08/2025 23:12

I really hope the prize rate doesn’t reduce any more 😩. I’ve already recently lowered my holding. I just can’t justify holding so much in cash when it’s not making much.

ElixirOfLife · 09/08/2025 10:31

£500 win this month on £4k! My biggest in 8 years. Still hanging out for the biggie though.

Blondeshavemorefun · 09/08/2025 10:58

SEPT

AM sun 31 Aug
LIST mon 1 sept
APP tue 2 sept

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 09/08/2025 10:59

Making it 3w and I day for those who want to start baking and cleaning 😂

OP posts:
PremiumBondJovi · 09/08/2025 21:33

If anyone wants to cash in specific bonds rather than NS&I automatically taking them from your oldest bonds, they are now trialling an online form. I wanted to cash in prize bonds rather than older bonds with sentimental value/ones that win the most for me so far. I rang and was told I had to print off a form and send it through the post. When doing that I stumbled across the new online option on the NS&I website. The customer service chap on the phone obviously hadn't been aware of it. I hope it will make receiving the money into the bank a little quicker but 8 working days is quoted.

Online Forms

Online Forms

https://forms.nsandi.com/gateway/online-forms/index#/form/withdraw-premium-bonds-myself

PrioritisePleasure24 · 10/08/2025 08:52

ElixirOfLife · 09/08/2025 10:31

£500 win this month on £4k! My biggest in 8 years. Still hanging out for the biggie though.

This gives me hope! Most i’ve won in one go was £175. I’m on 4.5k so only won a handful of times anyway!

skyeisthelimit · 10/08/2025 10:57

PremiumBondJovi · 09/08/2025 21:33

If anyone wants to cash in specific bonds rather than NS&I automatically taking them from your oldest bonds, they are now trialling an online form. I wanted to cash in prize bonds rather than older bonds with sentimental value/ones that win the most for me so far. I rang and was told I had to print off a form and send it through the post. When doing that I stumbled across the new online option on the NS&I website. The customer service chap on the phone obviously hadn't been aware of it. I hope it will make receiving the money into the bank a little quicker but 8 working days is quoted.

Online Forms

that's a good idea. I had just £2 in bonds that I had since childhood, I added more in recent years, but the first time I cashed some in, I lost that original bond, which I did not realise at the time. It's sentimental like you say, I would have chosen to keep that very first bond if I had been given a choice.

ElixirOfLife · 10/08/2025 12:22

Do they resell the old ones?

PremiumBondJovi · 13/08/2025 11:57

PremiumBondJovi · 09/08/2025 21:33

If anyone wants to cash in specific bonds rather than NS&I automatically taking them from your oldest bonds, they are now trialling an online form. I wanted to cash in prize bonds rather than older bonds with sentimental value/ones that win the most for me so far. I rang and was told I had to print off a form and send it through the post. When doing that I stumbled across the new online option on the NS&I website. The customer service chap on the phone obviously hadn't been aware of it. I hope it will make receiving the money into the bank a little quicker but 8 working days is quoted.

Online Forms

An update on this. The money is in my bank account today, so that took only 2-3 working days. A very good first experience then of the new online form for cashing in specific bonds. I received a text to say the money was on the way and I have seen that my online PB account has been updated correctly.

If only the tracing service for old PBs was as good!!!

ElixirOfLife · 13/08/2025 16:42

ElixirOfLife · 10/08/2025 12:22

Do they resell the old ones?

Bump

Blondeshavemorefun · 16/08/2025 21:08

ElixirOfLife · 13/08/2025 16:42

Bump

Not sure what you mean ?

OP posts:
Happiestathome · 16/08/2025 22:56

Nooooo 😢 list day is back to work. Summer holidays need to slow down. Perhaps agent million will pop by before then to tell me my working days are over 🤞

greengreyblue · 17/08/2025 07:58

After our first zilch month I sincerely hope we win big before I have to go back to school!!!!!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

InMySpareTime · 17/08/2025 09:00

@ElixirOfLife If you’re asking whether the old bond numbers get resold, no they don’t. New bonds always have higher number/letter codes than old ones (certainly in my bond record anyway).
When a bond is redeemed its number disappears and it’s removed from ERNIE.
It’s an odd question, like asking if NI numbers are reused when people die. There’s no need to reuse numbers as there isn’t a theoretical limit on the bond number. When they run out of ones the current length they can just add a digit and have 10 times more.

ElixirOfLife · 17/08/2025 10:16

@InMySpareTime Thanks yes you’re right of course. I just wondered if they do reuse the numbers but I agree they don’t need to.

MintBiscuit65 · 17/08/2025 14:57

The summer definitely needs to slow down @Happiestathome! I paid some money into my PBs the other day, and the notification that they would be added to October's draw shook me! It's all sunny and lovely just now - there's no way that dark and cold October is just around the corner!

wizzler · 21/08/2025 20:42

Received a letter from N&Si today saying that a bond bought prior to 1980 didn’t have my full address and Dob. Asked for previous addresses and names. Looked like it could be a scam but I called up and it’s legit. They couldn’t tell me much on the phone except that it could maybe have been bought for me as a child . Anyone else had this ? I don’t know if it’s a bond listed in my current portfolio or one I knew nothing about.

PremiumBondJovi · 21/08/2025 21:08

ElixirOfLife · 17/08/2025 10:16

@InMySpareTime Thanks yes you’re right of course. I just wondered if they do reuse the numbers but I agree they don’t need to.

I didn't know the answer to your question so it seemed a reasonable one to me. I even wondered if they did, based on phone numbers being used again!

PremiumBondJovi · 21/08/2025 21:19

I tell myself to stop wishing the month away for similar reasons @Happiestathome @MintBiscuit65, especially when PB results day so far has usually turned out to be an anti-climax with plenty of irrational fury and irrational disappointment!

It's already quite autumnal here unfortunately, with leaves turning on the trees, mist and grey skies, squirrels busy putting down stores and a chilly wind blowing through any open window! We haven't lit the fire yet but my warm dressing gown did make a reappearance the other morning!

Ten days to AM Day.

JollyHostess101 · 24/08/2025 08:51

Man are we there yet?

We’ve decided to go ahead with some big building work at home which will make this our forever home (after inheriting from my folks) so our holdings will be dropping to a big fat 0 some point next year….. unless of course AM arrives before then!!

OneNeatBlueOrca · 24/08/2025 09:07

Im hoping for some luck after getting the square root of fuck all in the 6 months since Ive had them. FH and 2 months with £0 so far.

Are we there indeed.

PremiumBondJovi · 24/08/2025 09:43

Nearly there now folks:
7 days to AM day and 7 days left to add more PBs for the October draw
8 days to the HVW list - Mon 1 Sept
9 days to the full results on the app and NS&I Prize checker page - Tues 2 Sept

We are also going to be back to an almost nil balance by early/mid next year unfortunately, so ERNIE really needs to pull a rabbit out of his hat please for us before then. Otherwise in future we'll have about £25 each in, with an almost zero chance of winning anything.

Time to start cleaning, baking, washing the car, re-decorating, re-surfacing the drive or building a whole new house ready for next Sunday.

Argh. September already. Argh. October already. Some blighter even mentioned the December C word the other day.

westisbest1982 · 25/08/2025 10:03

It’s almost that time again! This year’s going by so quickly. Good luck everyone which of course includes @OneNeatBlueOrca . That’s so not on, two months of zero on FH!

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