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Were you one of the winners in National Savings and Investments (NS&I) premium bonds January draw? Once again, two lucky players won £1m each this month.
The first winning bond number drawn was 570QM451332 and is held by someone from Suffolk. The winner has £50,000 in premium bonds and purchased their winning bond in February 2024. This marks the 11th jackpot win for the city.
The second winning bond number drawn was 377PG290829 by a new millionaire living in Berkshire. The winner holds £50,000 in premium bonds and purchased the winning bond in December 2019. They are the fifth person to win the £1m jackpot in Berkshire.
Read more: How many premium bond winners were there in 2025 and what are the odds of winning?
Andrew Westhead, NS&I retail director, said: “We’re delighted to kick off 2026 by creating our first Premium Bonds millionaires of the year in Suffolk and Berkshire.
“The jackpot winners aren’t the only ones celebrating. This month, ERNIE drew more than six million tax-free prizes worth over £406m, bringing a happy new year to savers across the country.
“Premium Bonds holders can check if they’ve won a prize from Saturday, 3 January on our quick and easy NS&I prize checker app.”
Unlike other investments, where investors earn interest or a regular dividend income, bonds are entered into a monthly prize draw where people can win between £25 and £1m. All premium bonds prizes are free of UK income tax and capital gains tax.
The chances of all bonds winning are the same, regardless of when or where they were bought. Even if you did not get a winning ticket this time, be sure to check for any unclaimed prizes.
Prizes do not expire, meaning you can claim as far back as the original 1957 draw. Premium bond holders can reduce the chances of their prizes going unclaimed by managing their premium bonds online or opting to have any prizes paid directly into their bank accounts by BACS, with notification by email.
Read more: Over £100m worth of premium bond prizes lie unclaimed
In Suffolk, there are 27,508 unclaimed prizes worth £1.1m dating back to 1967. The largest unclaimed prizes in Suffolk are worth £10,000 and were won in the January 2023 and October 2023 draws. Suffolk also has prizes worth £5,000 dating back to April 2023 waiting to be claimed.
In Berkshire, the highest unclaimed prize, ready to be united with its owner, is a £50,000 prize from February 2020. Other high value prizes include five £5,000 prizes from between January 2012 and December 2023.
Overall, there are 2,695,399 premium bonds prizes worth £112m waiting to be claimed.
A total of more than 6.1 million tax-free prizes worth £406m will be paid out in the January prize draw. There were 135,644,148,620 bond numbers eligible for the draw.
Since the first draw in June 1957, there have been more than 809 million prizes drawn, worth a total of £39.5bn.
Customers can check the premium bonds prize checker on the NS&I website or download the app to see if they have won.
The NS&I cut the premium bonds prize fund rate to 3.60% last August, down from 3.80%. There is no change to the odds, which remain at 22,000 to 1.
Read more: What are premium bonds and what are the odds of winning?
The prize fund rate for premium bonds has already been cut from 4% to 3.8% from the April 2025 prize draw.
Westhead said: “This adjustment to the premium bonds prize fund rate – the first in four months – reflects the changing landscape for savings.
“Premium bonds maintain their unique appeal by offering complete security backed by HM Treasury, the flexibility to withdraw easily, and the excitement of potentially winning a tax-free prize each month. The August draw is expected to deliver more than 6 million tax-free prizes worth over £396m.
“By making this adjustment now, we’re able to continue to balance the interests of savers, taxpayers and the stability of the broader financial services sector.”
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