Data from NS&I reveals that thousands of people have reaped financial rewards by rediscovering Premium Bond winnings and other cash savings accounts. Yet many more could be unknowingly sitting on a fortune.
As of June 2025, more than 2.5 million unclaimed Premium Bond prizes worth in excess of £103 million were still up for grabs. That includes 11 prizes of £100,000, 19 of £50,000, 38 of £25,000 and 75 of £10,000.
NS&I said that in the financial year 2024-25 that more than £166 million was reunited through 52,693 NS&I accounts for holders who had lost touch with their savings and investments, thanks to NS&I’s tracing service and My Lost Account.
This encompassed more than £120 million in Premium Bonds savings and unclaimed prizes, £11.4 million from old savings certificates, and £1.3 million from old children’s bonus bonds. Additionally, between 2024 and 2025, more than £6.2 million from 192,071 previously unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes was paid out to 51,310 Bond holders.
These payouts were made possible through tracing services, customers updating their details or checking for unclaimed prizes. Since 1957, NS&I has successfully paid out more than 99% of all Premium Bonds prizes to its winners.
However, it emphasised the importance of customers keeping their information updated and opting to receive Premium Bond prizes directly into their bank accounts.
Andrew Westhead, NS&I’s retail director, said: “These figures are a timely reminder to update your details, talk to your loved ones about your savings and make sure your money stays firmly in your hands, both now and in the future.”
Premium Bond prizes are considered ‘unclaimed’ by NS&I after 18 months, although there is no deadline for claiming them. Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, explained: “Eleven people in the UK have £100,000 with their name on it, just sitting, collecting dust, in the vaults at NS&I.
“They’re among an eye-watering £103 million worth of unclaimed Premium Bond prizes, so it’s worth checking whether you’ve already won big. People tend to get separated from their accounts when they move house and forget to update their address with all the companies they hold money with.
“It’s not just Premium Bonds, vast sums of savings, investments and pensions go astray this way too. It’s why in the first few weeks after you have moved in, it’s essential to make a list of everything you hold, and methodically work your way through contacting every company to let them know your new address.
“It can also make sense to consider consolidating accounts so you don’t have so many to keep track of in future. The easiest way to avoid losing track of Premium Bond prizes is to have your winnings automatically paid into your bank account – or automatically used to buy more bonds.”
For more information, head to NS&I’s official website, here.
Steps to stay on top of NS&I savings and prizes
- Ensure contact details up-to-date. This can be done on NS&I’s website.
- To avoid Premium Bond prizes going unclaimed, customers can choose to have winnings paid directly into their bank account, or automatically reinvested into more Premium Bonds, with nine in 10 prizes now paid in these ways.
- Balances can be checked on the NS&I app, and Premium Bond wins can be checked on the prize checker app.
- Old NS&I bonds, certificates, passbooks or account paperwork can often be found tucked away in drawers or among old documents. Customers who find forgotten savings are encouraged to use NS&I’s tracing service to locate any funds due to them.
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