Brand new data has revealed nearly £80 million worth of Premium Bond prizes remain unclaimed in the UK. The figures were highlighted by Martin Lewis and his team of financial gurus at Money Saving Expert (MSE).
More than two million prizes worth a combined £79.4 million are still up for grabs, according to the latest numbers from National Savings and Investments (NS&I). While in the East Midlands alone, the stats show there are 112,874 unclaimed prizes.
In total the unclaimed prizes are said to include five worth £100,000 and nine worth £50,000. Experts at MSE have gone on to share a list and a map which gives a breakdown of where the prizes are by value and region.
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Chris Newlands, news and investigations editor at Money Saving Expert, said: “For those who suspect they might have let their Premium Bonds fall by the wayside, seeing these figures should be a wake-up call. Some of the eye-popping pots available could be potentially life-changing for people – especially right now.
“I hope our findings give people the impetus they need to check their numbers and see if they’re due what could be a very significant windfall. The time it takes to do so could be extremely well spent.”
Prize value | Number unclaimed | Total value |
£25 | 1,709,460 | £42,736,500 |
£50 | 490,399 | £24,519,950 |
£100 | 62,875 | £6,287,500 |
£250 (*) | 14 | £3,500 |
£500 | 4,770 | £2,385,000 |
£1,000 | 1,549 | £1,549,000 |
£5,000 | 69 | £345,000 |
£10,000 | 37 | £370,000 |
£25,000 | 11 | £275,000 |
£50,000 | 9 | £450,000 |
£100,000 | 5 | £500,000 |
Total | 2,269,198 | £79,421,450 |
(*) £250 prizes were issued from June 1957 to July 1974 and can no longer be won. |
The National Savings and Investmen ts (NS&I) - a state-owned savings bank in the UK, which offers Premium Bonds and a range of other savings and investments - says it contacts every winner. Depending on the option they’ve selected, this could be by either text message, email or a letter in the post.
But the NS&I says that sometimes prizes go unclaimed for a variety of reasons, such as the letter getting lost in the post or contact details not being updated. Below is MSE's list of unclaimed Premium Bond prizes by value.
According to the NS&I, you can cash in all or part of your bonds at any time. If you're registered to manage your savings online or by phone, simply log in or contact the firm. If you are not registered, you can easily withdraw money from yours or your child's Premium Bonds without needing to create an online profile.
A statement on the NS&I website adds: "If you’d like to take money out of Premium Bonds, but make sure that certain Bonds are kept in the draw, you can do this online using a form. You can also download, print and complete a cashing in form. Then post your completed form to us together with the Bond certificates to be cashed in (if you have them)."
See MSE’s news story for full details on how consumers can check and claim. Plus, see MSE’s Premium Bonds guide for how they work and if they’re worth considering.
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