My nan had Premium Bonds for years, but she never checked them. When she finally did, she won £150 that had been there for three years. Could’ve had a nice weekend away with that.
You might be the same. Right now, over 2.6 million unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes worth more than £106 million are just sitting there. That’s mad. All because people haven’t used the premium bonds prize checker.
November 2025’s Winners
November’s draw happened on 3rd November. Two people from Shropshire and York each got £1 million. Not bad timing right before Christmas.
This month gave out six million prizes worth over £401 million total. Thousands of smaller wins were also announced – £25, £50, and £100 – that still need claiming.
The thing is, if you don’t check, you’ll never know. NS&I premium bonds don’t text you saying you’ve won unless you’ve registered properly. Most people haven’t.
How to Check
The premium bonds prize checker is simple. A few different ways, depending on what suits you.
The quickest is the NSI prize checker at nsandi. You need your holder’s number, which is that 9- or 10-digit number on your bond record. Type it in and you’ll see this month’s wins, the last six months, and any old prizes sitting there.
There’s an app too. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play. Do the same thing here; put in your holder’s number or NS&I number (11 digits starting with 11, 21, 31 or 41), and it shows everything.
Don’t like phones or computers? Ring 08085 007 007. Free call, someone checks for you. Just register for phone service first.
My mate Dave writes letters. Proper old school. Send your holder’s number to NS&I at Sunderland SR43 2SB and they’ll post you a list. Takes longer but works.
Check Old Premium Bonds
No time limit for claiming prizes. Got bonds from the 1960s? Won prizes decades ago? Still yours to claim.
Check old Premium Bonds using the same methods. The online checker shows everything, not just recent stuff. One bloke found out he’d won £25 in 1957. It took 68 years to claim it but he got his money.
The premium bonds prize checker high-value wins work the same. Whether you won £25 or £100,000, it’s the same system.
This Month’s Big Wins
Premium Bonds winners November 2025 came from everywhere. The first £1 million bond (258GE105589) belongs to someone from Shropshire who bought theirs in October 2015 with £50,000 total holdings. That’s a good result.
November also gave out 75 prizes of £100,000. One winner from Outer London got £100,000 from a bond bought in October 2015. Another from Barnet won the same from a bond purchased in August 2013.
The premium bonds winners list gets updated monthly on NS&I’s website. You can see where big prizes went, though they don’t publish names. Privacy stuff.
Why Prizes Go Unclaimed
NS&I says there are 2,665,351 unclaimed prizes worth £110,129,225. How?
People moved house and forgot to tell NS&I. Cheques go to the old address, get returned, and sit there. Some bought bonds years back and forgot. Others died, and families didn’t know the bonds existed.
Before 2011, you couldn’t get prizes paid into your bank. Everyone got cheques. If you’ve got old bonds from before then and never updated your payment method, your prizes are probably unclaimed.
My nan’s was one of these. Moved twice since buying bonds, never told NS&I. When she checked, three years of prizes were waiting.
Can You Search by Name?
Nah. Premium Bonds checker by name isn’t possible. All done by bond numbers for security.
Have you lost your numbers completely? Use NS&I’s tracing service. Fill in a form with your details, such as name, old addresses, and roughly when you bought bonds. They’ll track them down. Takes longer, but it works.
What Happens When You Win
Registered for online banking with NS&I and set up direct payment? Prizes go straight to your bank. You don’t do anything. Just appears.
Haven’t set that up? NS&I sends a cheque or warrant. But cheques expire after three months. Miss that and you need a replacement.
The smart move is to register for direct payment. Five minutes online and you never miss a prize. Future wins land in your account automatically.
Can I Check Old Premium Bond Numbers Online Free
Yes, completely free. No fees, no subscriptions, nothing.
Check as many times as you want. Some people check monthly. Others once a year. Up to you, but it’s free and takes 30 seconds.
The Reality
Let’s be straight. Chances of winning big aren’t great. Every £1 gives you a 1 in 22,000 chance to win something each month.
But your money’s safe. Government-backed. Cash in your bonds anytime and get your money back. You won’t lose anything except interest you could’ve earned elsewhere.
Over 24 million people in the UK have Premium Bonds. But loads never check if they’ve won. Don’t be one of them.
What to Do Now
Have you got Premium Bonds or think you might have old ones somewhere? Go check them. Do it now. Takes less time than making tea.
Go to nsandi.com/prize-checker, type your holder’s number, and see what comes up. You might be surprised. Even £25 is a free takeaway.
Update your address if you’ve moved. Update payment details so future prizes go to your bank. Takes minutes, saves hassle later.
Got really old bonds from parents or grandparents who died? Check those too. Those prizes still belong to the family. No time limit on claiming.
November 2025’s draw is done. December’s draw happens at the start of next month. Get your details sorted before then so you don’t miss out if you win.
Don’t be like my nan, leaving money for three years. Use the premium bonds prize checker and see if you’re sitting on a winner. You might have an old £100,000 prize gathering dust.
