PREMIUM BONDS DECEMBER *edited from Nov by MNHQ*

[Blondeshavemorefun]

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

https://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
AM - Day before first working day - Millionaire knock /call
LIST - First day of working month showing all winners million to £1k winners - which I always put up for those who can't find it
APP - 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 😄

The Prize Fund allocation by N S & I means
20% of the Interest goes to only 66,694 winning Bonds
out of 6,049,850 total winning Bonds (Oct 2025)

Those 66,694 winning Bonds really do Strike It Lucky

Maybe read up on Martin Lewis and his guidance ?

I don't think Blondes was blunt at all, it's just her writing style.

That's the nature of premium bonds, and they're not for you if you're going to be keeping one eye on what you 'would have earned' in savings and lamenting that you didn't gamble and win every single month.

Over 100 draws with 50k, you might have 10-12 months winning £0, 1 with £1000+ (if you're lucky), and the rest various multiples of £25/£50/£100.

Some people might get 3 or 4 of their no-win draws frontloaded and feel like it's a waste of time, whereas another might have a decent win in their first month and that keeps them 'in the game'.

Others, like me, just like the excitement. @TheLivelyRose the good thing is they're quick and easy to take out and put somewhere else whenever you decide to, perhaps that's the point Blondes was making - that you're not locked in and it doesn't take ages to cash them in.

Welcome @TheLivelyRose . Dr PremiumBondJovi here. From experience, I think you misunderstood the tone of our OP's replies. As a relative newcomer to the threads (around 20 months) - and as a fellow sufferer - I feel that I've now got enough experience under my belt to be qualified to diagnose you with an acute case of IDAF (Irrational Disappointment and Fury). Having PBs is often a rollercoaster ride. If you stick around for the ride you will get more used to it. For some of us PBs are just a safe place for some tax free savings and prizes once other tax free options have been exhausted. For the rest of us we are chronic cases - of various levels of seriousness - of Irrational Excitement and Hope for Some Big Prizes and A Lifechanging Visit From AM. My advice would be to give it a full year and reassess then, with the option of transferring some to your ISA allowance, (whatever that may be after the Budget in November), in April. Best of luck - for that is what it is for all of us, just random luck - going forward! 🍀

IDAF😂

Think it was £25 but can't remember ...

Oh you have been awfully unlucky! If I were you, I would keep your bonds for a full 12 months and then reassess. PBs are part investment, part gamble, but you are gambling with your interest, not your capital. They are great to have as part of a wider investment strategy, and its good to have a decent chunk of money that is almost instantly accessible.

I oversee our family PBs, and its really interesting how luck seems to run in cycles. It seems that one account will get a run of good luck for a couple of months, then a month or two of nothing, then the £25/50, then back to good luck for a month or two again. I class good luck at £500+ on full holdings.

I shall keep my fingers crossed for you in the upcoming draw, good luck! 🤞🏻

Something else to bear in mind is that ‘Robbing Rachel’ is rumoured to be halving the cash ISA allowance from April. We’ll know for sure when the budget is announced next month.

I’ve also got a love amount. Mine is £125 and Nov will be my first draw.

I know it’s very unlikely to win anything with that amount but I keep joking with my DP and a friend who has a large chunk invested that I am expecting to win the big one 😄

rather than seeing this as an investment and comparing with savings, I am viewing it more as the lottery you don’t actually lose your money to 🤠

As I posted earlier, your experience has been mine too, LivelyRose - I only every seem to win £0, £25 and very occasionally £100. I will need to cash my £50K in at some point in the near future to pay off a bill so I'm just keeping mine in here in the hope that surely, my ship will come in! It'll be interesting for you to see everyone's winnings on here for the forthcoming draw - we'll be posting our 'results' on here after midnight on 4th November and sadly you will see quite a few disappointed full holders. But hopefully you and I won't be among them this month!🤞🏻

I have always thought of my PB holdings as a safe place to keep money, if I win that is great but I do not lose money each month. Yes, some months I do not win but nor do I lose... for a couple of days at the end of the month I have an irrational hope and plan what I can do to spread some cheer and for me that is enough. Everyone is different and if you want to just receive a regular taxed income, the go ahead, no one will blame you.

I have a low holding also. But I was wasting money on the lottery and I gave myself a lottery ban and moved a similar amount a month as a DD to PBs. So it will build up and I am not too worried about the rate of return. I'll use it as a savings account and withdraw an amount every year I think. Well- not sure. This will only be my third draw coming up!

Just a reminder if you add money today it will go into the December draw 😊 mine has just gone in.

sitting in my pjs currently thinking I need to get dressed before agent million comes knocking 🤣🤣

You can stay in your Jim jams because AM will be visiting two people on Sunday.

Oh ffs I’m working all day Sunday. Can I update my records with my work address? 🤣🤣

You are early @WorthySloth
only trick or treaters today

NOV
AM sun 2 Nov
LIST mon 3 Nov
APP Tue 4 Nov

Joining in. We had good returns £275 for 5 months (actually wondered about the facy price was always the same),nothing one month on 45k. Now we had to withraw 20k so not expecting much.
But fingers crossed because we need a dining table and savings are not designated for that if that makes sense 🙈

Is it carrot lady we want for our picture change?

The pic has changed to girl with a sparkler.

Could someone kindly explain the dates to me please?

The draw happens on the 1st of the month right? but then it says agent million visits the day before - so surely the draw must happen the day before the 1st of each month? and if so why do they pretend the draw happens the day after

Sorry, this has been nagging at me for ages!

Morning all,
Checking in for the monthly Irrational Ecxitement and Hope!
It's been an expensive month so a win would be very welcome.
See you on Monday😀

It's been a year this month since I won. Surely this month is my month 🤣

Wow. That’s a bad run. How much is in your account?

What’s your holding if you don’t mind me asking?

With you in that. I think AM visits on fiestso they need time to travel so draw must happen the day before so last working day? I thought it doesn't match up too so mustbe missing something