National Savings and Investments (NS&I) has issued a fresh call to action for holders of its popular Premium Bonds as 2026 begins. The savings provider is urging millions of customers to conduct essential financial checks, including verifying their contact information and hunting for any unclaimed cash prizes.
New Year Financial Housekeeping Call
An NS&I spokesperson highlighted the start of the year as an ideal moment for financial admin. The key advice is to ensure NS&I holds your current contact and bank details, a process that can be completed swiftly online. The spokesperson specifically noted the importance of registering for online services if you have not done so already.
Beyond updating details, savers are encouraged to use the NS&I website or official app to check their accounts. The tools allow you to see your balance and review any Premium Bonds prizes won over the past six months. For those not yet registered online, you will need your NS&I or Premium Bonds number alongside your name and address to sign up.
Millions in Unclaimed Premium Bonds Prizes
The push for account checks comes with a significant incentive: a vast sum of money remains unclaimed. According to figures released by NS&I in October 2025, a staggering 2.6 million prizes worth nearly £110 million were yet to be collected by their rightful owners.
To see if you are owed a share, you can use the prize checker on the NS&I website. This service is updated on the day after the first working day of each month. You will need your holder's number, which is a 9 or 10 digit number, or an 8 digit number followed by a letter, found on your Bond record.
NS&I also points out a useful feature for automatic reinvestment. You can configure your account so any prizes won are automatically used to purchase more Bonds. These new Bonds become eligible for the very next monthly draw, unlike manually purchased Bonds, which must be held for a full calendar month before entering.
Premium Bonds Prize Fund Rate Changes
The appeal of checking for prizes is set against a backdrop of a gradually decreasing prize fund rate over the past year. The rate, which determines the total value of prizes distributed each month, has seen several reductions during 2025.
It began the year at 4.00% in January, having fallen from 4.15%. Further cuts followed in April and August, bringing the rate down to 3.80% and then to its current level of 3.60%. Despite this, the odds of each individual £1 Bond winning a prize remain at 22,000 to one, with prizes ranging from £25 up to the life-changing £1 million jackpot.
