You can now check to see if you’ve bagged any prizes in the National Savings & Investment’s (NS&I) March draw.
This is the first time in six months that the Premium Bond prize fund rate has fallen from a historic high of 4.65% to 4.4%. It means the value of the prize pot has dropped by more than £23million compared to the February draw.
Despite a reduction in the prize pot, the odds of winning remain at 21,000 to 1 for every £1 Bond.
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Two lucky Premium Bond holders who have won the £1million jackpot will have had a visit from Agent Million.
If you didn’t become a millionaire in the March draw, you can still bag a prize between £25 and £100,000- but you need to check for your winnings yourself.
How to check what you’ve won in the March prize draw
The quickest and easiest way to check for your Premium Bond winnings is to check online on the NS&I website using its prize checker tool.
Similarly, you can download the NS&I app on Android or iOS.
For both methods, you will need your NS&I number and Premium Bond number to hand.
You can also call NS&I for free on 08085 007 007. But, you will need to be registered for phone or online banking with NS&I for your account to be recognised.
But, if you have any unclaimed Premium Bonds, there is a better way to check for historic winnings.
How to check for unclaimed Premium Bonds
You might have unclaimed Premium Bonds if your contact details or home address has changed recently.
The latest data from NS&I shows thousands of unclaimed Premium Bonds in the two regions where the £1million jackpot was won this month.
In West Sussex, 34,312 prizes worth £1,131,800 are yet to be claimed, with the oldest prize dating back to the April 1962 draw, worth £25.
The largest unclaimed prize is from the March 2007 draw, worth £5,000.
In Hampshire, the number of unclaimed prizes nearly doubles to 64,797 worth £2,132,025.
The oldest prize is worth £25, which dates back to the August 1963 draw, and similar to West Sussex, £5,000 is the largest value left yet to be claimed from the January 2019 draw.
NS&I told MoneyWeek there are a total of 2,375,726 unclaimed Premium Bonds worth 82,288,675 as of 27 February.
If you have an Alexa, this is the best way to check for unclaimed Premium Bonds as it will inform you of any unclaimed prizes dating back from July 1968.
You will need to download the Alexa app and activate the NS&I Premium Bonds prize checker skill.
March 2024 Premium Bond winners
Here is a full low down on the winnings from NS&I’s March 2024 draw.
| Value of prize | Number of prizes |
|---|---|
| £1,000,000 | 2 |
| £100,000 | 86 |
| £50,000 | 174 |
| £25,000 | 345 |
| £10,000 | 863 |
| £5,000 | 1,728 |
| £1,000 | 18,077 |
| £500 | 54,231 |
| £100 | 2,167,115 |
| £50 | 2,167,115 |
| £25 | 1,459,716 |
| Total value of prizes: £451,947,650 | Total number of prizes: 5,869,452 |
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