Millions of Premium Bonds holders across the UK are being urged to check their accounts immediately, as the results of the first prize draw of 2026 have been announced. National Savings and Investments (NS&I) has revealed that its prize fund for January exceeded £406 million, distributed across more than six million tax-free prizes.
How to Check for Your Winnings
Andrew Westhead, NS&I's retail director, has encouraged all savers to take a moment to see if they are among the lucky winners. The free NS&I prize checker app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play, is the quickest way to find out. The app was updated on Saturday, 3 January, following the draw.
Using the app or the online tool on the NS&I website, customers can instantly check for prizes from the latest draw and the previous six draws. You simply need your NS&I number or holder's number to perform the search. NS&I typically updates its prize checker the day after the first working day of each month.
Meet the January 2026 Millionaires
This month's draw produced two new millionaires. The first £1 million jackpot was won by a saver from Suffolk. Their winning Bond, number 570QM451332, was purchased in February 2024 with an initial investment of £10,000. By the time of the January draw, they held the maximum allowable £50,000 in Bonds.
The second £1 million prize went to a saver based in Berkshire. Their lucky Bond, number 377PG290829, was bought back in December 2019, also with a £10,000 purchase. They too held the full £50,000 in Bonds ahead of the draw.
Changing Landscape for Premium Bonds
The call to check for prizes comes amid a shifting savings environment. Over the past year, NS&I has made several reductions to the Premium Bonds prize fund rate, mirroring cuts made by other providers in response to the Bank of England's falling base rate.
The rate was cut from 4.15% to 4% in January 2025, then to 3.8% in April, and finally to its current level of 3.6% in August 2025. This is a significant drop from the recent high of 4.65% seen in September 2023. Consequently, the odds of each individual £1 Bond winning a prize now stand at 22,000 to one.
To improve your chances, savers can consider increasing their holdings, as each Bond represents an entry into the monthly draw. Many opt to have any winnings automatically reinvested into more Bonds, thereby boosting their entries for future draws.
