Unclaimed Premium Bonds: have you missed out on a prize?

There are unclaimed Premium Bond prizes worth up to £100,000 each just waiting to be collected as the number of punters missing out keeps rising. Here's how to find out if you've already won and how to trace any unclaimed NS&I prizes.

Unclaimed Premium Bond prizes worth almost £90m

While many NS&I Premium Bond holders religiously check if they've won every month, others have a decidedly more relaxed approach to bond ownership.

As a result, there are more than 2.4 million Premium Bond prizes worth £89.7 million just waiting to be claimed – including numerous £100,000 prizes.

Worryingly, the number of people missing out is increasing all the time: when we last looked at this issue a year ago, there were 2.3 million prizes worth £81 million going unclaimed.

Why are some Premium Bond winnings left unclaimed?

NS&I Premium Bond prizes normally go unclaimed because of some kind of miscommunication.

Often, it’s because:

• You moved and didn’t tell NS&I;
• You forgot you owned them (if they were a gift as a child)
• You changed some of your personal details;
• The letter got lost somewhere.

So the first thing to do is check that NS&I has your correct address or update your account so any prize money is paid straight into your bank account.

Remember that there is no expiration date for claiming your winnings, so it doesn't matter how much time has passed.

The rest of this article will take you through the process, but before we jump in it's worth pointing out that you can find out the big prize-winning numbers by checking our Premium Bond winners article at the start of each month.

Viewing your prize history

You’ve got a few options when it comes to seeing your prize history.

Log in/register

Just head over to NS&I’s secure login page with your NS&I number, surname and password.

Your NS&I number was sent to you when you registered for either the online or phone service, so you’ll find it on any letter you’ve had since you’ve registered.

It’s 11 digits long and starts with an 11, 21, 31 or 41.

Get the prize checker app

It is exactly as it sounds – an app that lets you see if you’ve won any prizes. It’ll show you the total value of your prizes and the matching bond numbers.

The app requires your holder’s number, which groups all of your Premium Bonds together.

If you’re not sure what your number is, it either has 10 or nine digits, or eight digits followed by a letter.

Failing that, you can ring up NS&I on 08085 007 007 (UK) or +44 1772 329880 (outside the UK) to be sent a new bond record.

The app is available to download from the App Store and Google Play.

Check any prizes online

The easiest way to check is online. You can check the latest results, bond numbers from the past six months of unclaimed prizes, as well as discover any older prizes you haven’t claimed yet (if you won anything).

If you have an Amazon Alexa, you can use this to check for any unclaimed prizes.

Write to NS&I

Alternatively, you can write to NS&I asking for your prize history. You should include your name, address, date of birth and either your NS&I or Premium Bonds holder’s number. In return, you’ll be sent a list of the prizes that you’ve won.

Post it on to:

NS&I

Sunderland

SR43 2SB

How to claim Premium Bond prizes

If you find out you’ve won a prize but haven’t received it – and you’re registered for NS&I’s online and phone service – you can call NS&I.

But if you aren’t and don’t want to register, you’ll need to write to NS&I to say that you’ve won a prize but haven’t received it.

If your details have changed since you won the prize, you’ll also need to say what your old and current details are and then sign the letter. 

Updating your details with NS&I

If you’ve registered online or by phone, then you can log in to your online account or call to change your details.

Callers in the UK can ring 08085 007 007 and those outside the UK should contact +44 1772 329880.

Make sure you have your NS&I number and password to hand.

However, those who aren’t registered should write to NS&I to highlight any changes.