How to check for Premium Bonds prizes

National Savings and Investment’s (NS&I) Premium Bonds are one of the country’s most popular savings products.

Since their inception in 1957, savers have been awarded more than 749 million prizes worth over £35 billion, according to data from NS&I in December 2024.

Every month, NS&I awards millions of prizes in its Premium Bonds draw, ranging from £25 to the two jackpot payouts of £1 million.

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The two jackpot winners are paid a visit by Agent Million, an anonymous NS&I employee who informs winners of their newfound wealth.

High value winners are announced on the first working day of the month, with all savers being able to check if they scooped a prize the day after.

But how do you check for Premium Bonds that may have been forgotten about, and how do you go about retrieving any unclaimed prizes?

How many lost Premium Bonds are there?

NS&I says it has successfully paid out over 99% of all Premium Bonds prizes to winners since 1957, but this still leaves a small number of bonds which are still left unclaimed.

Premium Bonds will always be valid until they are cashed in, so even if you think you may have some from decades ago, it is well worth trying to track them down.

While this may seem like a difficult task, it can be quite straightforward if you have the right documentation with you.

In the 2024/25 financial year, 43,827 lost Premium Bonds accounts were successfully traced, worth £120,353,224, according to the latest data from NS&I. These were reunited with their owners through NS&I’s own tracing service, as well as My Lost Account.

Meanwhile, more than 192,081 previously unclaimed Premium Bonds were paid out to 51,310 winners, totalling more than £6.2 million, in the same time period.

There are still 2,629,312 unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes worth £106,604,800 which are yet to be claimed.

Andrew Westhead, NS&I’s retail director, said: “Every pound we reunite is money that rightly belongs to our customers or their families, whether it’s Premium Bonds savings, unclaimed prizes or forgotten accounts.

“These figures are a timely reminder to update your details, talk to your loved ones about your savings and make sure your money stays firmly in your hands, both now and in the future.”

How to check for Premium Bonds

To track down lost Premium Bonds, visit nsandi.com/forms and look for the ‘Form to track down lost savings’. You can complete this form online or download and print a copy to complete by hand.

If doing the latter, send your completed form to: Tracing service, NS&I, Sunderland SR43 2SB

Once completed, NS&I will be in contact and tell you whether you have any lost Premium Bonds.

Alternatively, you can use mylostaccount.org.uk. This is a free service from UK Finance and the Building Societies Association that helps you track down lost accounts or savings. The service is not only for NS&I products, so it may be worth a visit if you have other lost accounts.

If you’re trying to track down Premium Bonds on behalf of someone else, then make sure you are legally entitled to act on their behalf, for example under a Power of Attorney or as an Executor. NS&I suggests calling them for advice on how to trace someone else’s accounts or investments.

Premium Bonds can still be owned by people who live abroad so it is still worth checking whether you have any unclaimed prizes or lost Premium Bonds even if you have left the UK.

If you need more help or guidance, NS&I has a helpful list of contacts who may be able to steer you in the right direction.

You can rest assured that your Premium Bonds are safe with NS&I as the money is 100% backed by the Treasury.

How to check for Premium Bond prizes

There are a number of ways to check for prizes – both online and by post.

NS&I website or app

The easiest way is through the nsandi.com prize checker or the official prize checker app, available on either Android or iOS. Both of these methods will show you the prizes on offer that month and any winnings you may have had over the past six draws as well as any unclaimed prizes.

You will need your Premium Bonds holder’s number to use the website and your NS&I number or holder’s number to check via the prize checker app - it has either 9 or 10 digits, or 8 digits followed by a letter.

If you don’t have your Premium Bonds number to hand, do not worry. You can use your NS&I number on the app to check for prizes – it is 11 digits long and starts with an 11, 21, 31 or 41.

Use your Amazon Alexa

You can also use your Alexa-enabled device to check if you’ve won, so long as you have a supported device and have successfully set it up. Once given the command, Alexa will be able to tell you whether you have won a prize and how much it's worth, as well as details for any upcoming draws.

To get it set up, you’ll need to activate the NS&I Premium Bonds prize checker skill on your Alexa app and enter your NS&I number. After that, you will be able to use your smart speaker to stay updated on all things Premium Bonds.

How to check for unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes from years ago

As there is no time limit for investors to claim prizes from Premium Bonds, you may find that you have some long-forgotten rewards left from years ago.

Beyond using NS&I’s website, app or Alexa to check for prizes, there are some other ways of finding out whether you have any cash waiting to be claimed.

If you’re registered for online or phone services, you can call NS&I for free on 08085 007 007.

If you aren’t registered, you can write to NS&I and ask if you have any unclaimed prizes. To help them track any potential prizes down for you, your letter must include:

• Premium Bonds holder's number
• Your current name
• Any previous names
• Your current address
• Any previous addresses where Bonds may have been registered
• Your signature

Send your letter to: NS&I, Sunderland SR43 2SB.

Any prizes will then be sent to your home address. They cannot be sent directly to your bank account.

How will my prize be paid?

Your prizes will be paid according to your preference. For example, those who have opted for automatic payments will get their cash prizes paid into their bank account. Alternatively, you might have set your winnings to be reinvested.

NS&I says more than nine in 10 prizes are paid directly into winners’ bank accounts or automatically reinvested into more Premium Bonds.

If you haven’t opted for either, you will receive a cheque – so it’s worth checking your address is updated. You can change your payment method on the NS&I website if you wish.