Britons are being reminded to check their Premium Bonds holdings as soon as possible due to “more than £100million in prizes is currently unclaimed” by savers, according to analysts.
This latest savings warning comes ahead of National Savings and Investments’ (NS&I) announcement of the first Premium Bonds winners for the New Year on January 3, 2026.
Unlike traditional savings accounts, Premium Bonds do not have a set interest rate attached to them with NS&I customers instead enrolled in monthly cash prize draw.
Premium Bond holders are able to win lump sums of £10,000, £50,000 and £100,000; but famously two lucky individuals take home £1million every month under the lottery.
Around £100million in Premium Bonds is ‘currently unclaimed’
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GETTY / NS&I
Nicola Morgan, a personal finance expert at Confused.com, broke down why bond holders need to take action in order to ensure they are receiving any winnings from NS&I.
She explained: “Premium Bonds are a popular way to save, but it can be easy to forget about them once they’re set up. So, it’s not surprising that over £100million in prizes is currently unclaimed.
“With millions of people holding bonds, there’s a good chance some have money waiting for them and don’t realise it. Every month, two Premium Bond holders wake up to find they won £1million each.
“If you’ve ever bought Premium Bonds, it’s worth taking a moment to check in on them. All you need is your NS&I holder’s number or account number, and you can use their prize checker app or website to see if you have any winnings. If you’re not sure of your details, you can speak to the NS&I who can help you recover them.”
Outside of Premium Bonds, the savings expert outlined other ways people can bolster their finances in 2026 with ISAs and budget management being New Year’s resolutions
Ms Morgan added: “Cash sitting in loyalty points. Many of us have unused rewards in supermarket, bank, or travel apps. These can often be exchanged for gift cards, discounts, or cash.
“Cutting back on unused subscriptions. Check your direct debits and app store payments. Cancelling services you no longer use could instantly free up extra cash each month.
“Making the most of your cash ISA: savings in a cash ISA are tax-free, and with some accounts now offering over four per cent interest, it’s one of the simplest ways to grow your money.”
Premium Bonds holders can check to see if they have won a prize via the Premium Bonds prize checker app | NSI
According to NS&I, Premium Bonders holders received 71,722,056 prizes last year, which were worth £4,950,616,350. The financial institution noted that more than 470,000 people opened new bond accounts in 2025.
Currently, the average account balance for new customers in 2025 is £10,674. Of the 470,660 new Premium Bonds accounts opened this year, 77,177 accounts were opened for under 16s.
Young Premium Bond savers won 1,329,681 prizes worth £91,674,575 over the past 12 months with 22 children winning prizes ranging from £100,000 to the £1 million jackpot.
Overall, the total amount of eligible Premium Bonds held increased by more than £5.8billion during the year, rising from £128,727,262,710 in January to £134,625,121,463 in December.
Britons are looking for the best savings deals | GETTY
Prize winners are picked by ERNIE (Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment), which is the mechanism created by NS&I to pick each month’s winners by random.
On the success of the savings product during 2025 financial year, NS&I retail director Andrew Westhead shared: 2025 has been another outstanding year for Premium Bonds.
“As we marked the 68th anniversary of ERNIE drawing the first winners in June, it’s been great to see that Premium Bonds continue to bring excitement and opportunity to savers far and wide.
“From our long-standing Bond holders to our thousands of new customers, we’re proud that NS&I is trusted by millions of savers, and we’re looking forward to paying out millions more tax-free prizes in 2026.”