£126 million in Premium Bonds prizes sitting unclaimed

Surprised woman reading unexpected positive message on laptop at home — *Millions of pounds' worth of Premium Bonds prizes are sitting waiting to be claimed by their owners*

(Image credit: Xavier Lorenzo via Getty Images)

Millions of Premium Bonds prizes, including several payouts worth up to £100,000, are going unclaimed.

Most people receive their Premium Bonds prizes automatically but around 1% haven’t, according to NS&I.

The Treasury-backed bank says it attempts to contact winners of any prizes, but if you’ve moved home or changed your email address or bank details and not told NS&I, you might not get the message.

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Luckily, there is no time limit on claiming a Premium Bonds prize, so you could still be reunited with your money even if you won years ago.

How many unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes are there?

As of September 2026, there are 2,851,753 Premium Bonds prizes worth a total of £126,787,100 waiting to be claimed.

The majority (2,838,353) of these unclaimed prizes are worth £25, £50 and £100.

However, there are also 13 £100,000 unclaimed prizes, as well as 28 £50,000 prizes.

Here is a breakdown of the current list of unclaimed prizes by count and value:

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes by prize value
	Count of prizes	Value
£25	1,806,502	£45,162,550
£50	729,131	£36,456,550
£100	302,720	£30,272,000
£250	14	£3,500
£500	9,779	£4,889,500
£1,000	3,143	£3,143,000
£5,000	236	£1,180,000
£10,000	113	£1,130,000
£25,000	74	£1,850,000
£50,000	28	£1,400,000
£100,000	13	£1,300,000
Total	2,851,753	£126,787,100

Source: NS&I

Where in the UK has the most unclaimed prizes?

The highest number of unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes is in London, with a total of 485,060.

There are 429,073 Premium Bonds prizes waiting to be claimed in the South East of England and 254,958 yet to be paid out in the East of England.

Northern Ireland is the region with the least amount of unclaimed prizes, with a total of 34,298.

Meanwhile, 67,402 prizes are waiting to be claimed in the North East of England and 112,552 in Wales.

Here is a breakdown of how many prizes are waiting to be claimed in each of the UK’s regions, and their total value.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes by region
	Count of prizes	Value
Unknown or Overseas	389,472	£18,824,600
East Midlands	135,890	£5,742,525
East of England	254,958	£11,156,225
London	485,060	£21,235,875
North East	67,402	£3,042,025
North West	240,630	£10,544,575
Northern Ireland	34,298	£1,441,225
Scotland	157,290	£6,985,625
South East	429,073	£18,907,275
South West	230,025	£10,205,625
Wales	112,553	£4,874,525
West Midlands	174,710	£7,727,575
Yorkshire and The Humber	140,392	£6,099,425
Grand Total	2,851,753	£126,787,100

Source: 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.

NS&I states the quickest way is to download our prize checker app or use the Premium Bonds prize checker at nsandi.com prize checker.

You can also use the Tracing Service to help you check for any lost accounts with NS&I.

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Daniel is a financial journalist at MoneyWeek, writing about personal finance, economics, property, politics, and investing.

He covers savings, political news and enjoys translating economic data into simple English, and explaining what it means for your wallet.

Daniel joined MoneyWeek in January 2025 and previously worked at The Economist in their Audience team. He read history at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and edited Cambridge's student newspaper, Varsity.

In his free time, he likes reading, walking around Hampstead Heath, and cooking overambitious meals.

With contributions from

Sam Walker Writer