Millions of Premium Bonds prizes are still unclaimed. Could some be yours?
Millions of pounds are sitting idle in unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes. Could you have unknowingly won a prize in the Premium Bonds draw? Here's how to find out.
Almost 2.8 million Premium Bonds prizes, worth over £119 million, are waiting to be claimed by their rightful winners.
The prizes waiting to be claimed range from the smallest £25 prize, to as much as £100,000, the second-largest Premium Bonds prize available.
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How many unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes are there?
As of May 2026, there are 2,776,230 unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes worth a combined total of £119,942,450, according to NS&I.
Around 1.8 million of these unclaimed prizes are worth £25 each, the smallest Premium Bonds prize available, but a significant number of higher-value prizes are also unclaimed.
There are 3,345 Premium Bonds prizes of £1,000 or more that have not been claimed, including 2,932 worth £1,000, 100 worth £10,000, and 10 worth £100,000.
NS&I shared a list of unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes up to 1 May 2026, organised by their value, which can be found below.
Prize value | Count Of Prizes | Value |
|---|---|---|
£25 | 1800012 | £45,000,300 |
£50 | 694781 | £34,739,050 |
£100 | 269016 | £26,901,600 |
£250 | 14 | £3,500 |
£500 | 9062 | £4,531,000 |
£1,000 | 2932 | £2,932,000 |
£5,000 | 217 | £1,085,000 |
£10,000 | 100 | £1,000,000 |
£25,000 | 62 | £1,550,000 |
£50,000 | 24 | £1,200,000 |
£100,000 | 10 | £1,000,000 |
Total | 2,776,230 | £119,942,450 |
Source: NS&I, 1 May 2026. Data is only available from 1957 onwards, when Premium Bonds were first introduced.
Which part of the UK is home to the most unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes?
Some parts of the UK have more prizes left unclaimed than others.
London is the UK area with the most unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes. In the capital, there are 475,253 individual prizes worth a collective £20,373,175.
Coming in at a close second is the South East, where there are 416,815 individual unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes, worth £17,764,850 in total.
These two regions are far ahead of the rest of the country in terms of the amount in unclaimed Premium Bonds. The East of England has the third-highest number of unclaimed prizes – 247,880 prizes worth £10,568,825.
A hoard of unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes also exists where the winners are either from overseas or unknown areas – there are 381,803 unclaimed prizes in this category, worth a collective £17,994,075.
Location | Count of prizes | Value |
|---|---|---|
London | 475,253 | £20,373,175 |
South East | 416,815 | £17,764,850 |
Unknown/Overseas | 381,803 | £17,994,075 |
East of England | 247,880 | £10,568,825 |
North West | 232,667 | £9,947,725 |
South West | 222,467 | £9,540,450 |
West Midlands | 170,228 | £7,260,825 |
Scotland | 153,203 | £6,564,400 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 136,762 | £5,788,125 |
East Midlands | 131,903 | £5,423,975 |
Wales | 108,994 | £4,584,375 |
North East | 65,249 | £2,778,800 |
Northern Ireland | 33,006 | £1,352,850 |
Grand Total | 2,776,230 | £119,942,450 |
Source: NS&I, 1 May 2026
A spokesperson for NS&I told MoneyWeek: “Premium Bonds prize winners receive notifications of their winnings if they have registered their contact details.
“However, sometimes customers relocate or forget to update their details with NS&I. This can lead to unclaimed prizes, especially for those who opt to receive their prizes via cheque rather than bank transfer.”
The spokesperson explained unclaimed prizes gradually accumulate every month and usually belong to Bond holders who "have not registered their details or have moved without telling us and their cheques are being returned".
They added: “We want to reunite people with their prizes, so this is a timely reminder that even for small holdings that may have been held for many years, it is worth registering your details with NS&I.”
How to check for unclaimed Premium Bonds
1. NS&I’s prize checker website and app
The quickest, easiest option for tracking down potential Premium Bonds winnings is to use the prize checker on the NS&I website or download the official prize checker app (available for Android and iOS). If checking via the website, you will need your Premium Bonds holder number. If using the app, you will need your NS&I number, which is 11 digits.
Using either of these methods will show you your winnings from the last six draws and highlight any unclaimed prizes if you have them.
2. Call NS&I
If you prefer to pick up the phone, you can call NS&I for free on 08085 007 007. But, they will only have you on record if you are registered for phone or online banking.
3. Write to NS&I
You can also write to NS&I to check for any unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes. If you choose this method, you should include the following details in your letter:
- Current name
- Current address
- Premium Bonds holder number
- All previous addresses where you might have registered bonds
- Your signature
You can send your letter to: NS&I, Sunderland SR43 2SB. Any prizes you claim will be sent to your home address.
When asked what the best way to find unclaimed Premium Bonds is, a spokesperson for NS&I told MoneyWeek: “The quickest way is to download our prize checker app or use the Premium Bonds prize checker at nsandi.com prize checker.”
They added: “If you think you have some Premium Bonds but you're not totally sure, our Tracing Service can help you check for any lost accounts with NS&I.”
