The April 2026 Premium Bonds prize draw has been announced, and NS&I has revealed the identities of this month’s two lucky millionaires. If you hold Premium Bonds — and around 22 million people in the UK do — now is the time to check whether your bonds came up this month.
The Two April 2026 £1 Million Winners
This month’s jackpot has been shared between two winners, one from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and one from Surrey.
The first winner holds the winning bond number 511HH360429. The bond itself is valued at £34,650, with the winner’s total Premium Bonds holding standing at the maximum of £50,000. That particular bond was purchased in August 2022 — a wait of just under four years before it hit the jackpot.
The second winner, from Surrey, holds bond number 519FV988513. Interestingly, this winning bond is valued at just £5,000 — a reminder that you don’t need to hold the maximum amount to be in with a shot at the top prize. Their total holding is also £50,000, and this bond was purchased in November 2022.
How to Check If You’ve Won
NS&I runs its prize checker tool continuously, and it’s updated on the day results are released. You can check your bonds online through the NS&I website or via the NS&I app on iOS and Android. If you registered your details with NS&I, prizes are paid automatically — you don’t need to claim them. Unclaimed prizes roll over but NS&I sends notifications to help ensure winners know about their good fortune.
If you haven’t checked your bonds in a while, it’s worth doing so. Smaller prizes — everything from £25 to £100,000 — are drawn monthly, and it’s entirely possible to have won without knowing it, particularly if you haven’t updated your contact details recently.
What Are the Odds of Winning?
The annual prize fund rate for Premium Bonds is currently set at 4.40%, though this doesn’t work like a guaranteed return. Instead, that rate funds the entire prize pool, which is then distributed through a random draw. The prize fund is divided into different prize tiers, with the vast majority of prizes being £25.
The odds of any individual £1 bond winning a prize in any given month currently stand at 21,000 to 1. For those holding the maximum £50,000, the odds of winning any prize per month are considerably more favourable, but the chance of hitting the £1 million jackpot specifically remains very slim — though, as this month’s winners prove, someone always does.
Why Premium Bonds Remain So Popular
In an era of variable savings rates and market uncertainty, Premium Bonds continue to appeal to a wide cross-section of savers. The key attraction isn’t the return — with interest rates on easy-access savings accounts available above 4.5% in some cases, there are more financially efficient places to keep cash. The draw is the combination of security and the dream.
Your money is 100% government-backed and accessible at any time. You won’t lose a penny. And every month, there’s a chance — however small — that you’ll become a millionaire overnight. For many savers, that combination is worth accepting a lower expected return than a standard savings account might offer.
Can You Still Invest in Premium Bonds?
Yes — NS&I accepts new Premium Bond purchases at any time, with a minimum investment of £25 and a maximum holding of £50,000. Bonds become eligible for prize draws one complete month after purchase, so bonds bought now would first be in the June 2026 draw.
NS&I also periodically reviews the prize fund rate, which moves broadly in line with interest rate changes. Given the current rate environment, Premium Bonds remain one of the more competitive options for risk-free savings — particularly for those who already have savings elsewhere and are looking for a bit of added lottery-style excitement.
For those who haven’t checked their bonds recently, today is as good a day as any. You never know what you might find.