March 2018 Premium Bonds winning numbers – have you won £1 million cash prize?
Two lucky savers took the top £1 million prize — with a total of over £85 million paid out for March
SPITEFUL winter gusts may be buffeting the UK – but two lucky premium bond holders have enjoyed a windfall of their own by scooping the top £1million prize in this month's draw.
Their winning numbers, drawn in Wiltshire and Bedfordshire, were just two of a total of just over 3 million drawn — with over £85 million paid out in prizes.
The male winner from Wiltshire is the second from the county to scoop the top prize this year.
He has owned a few bonds since childhood, and invested to the maximum holding limit of £50,000 last year – his winning bond was number 310EQ043977.
Incredibly the Bedfordshire winner won the jackpot in his first month as a Premium Bonds member, after buying his winning bond 320GM702120 in January – he has a total of £7,500 invested.
Jill Waters, Retail Director at organisers NS&I, said: "This month sees a second win in the county of Wiltshire in three months and shows how an investment, which initially started with just a few Bonds in childhood, has increased over time - reaching the maximum - and has landed the jackpot prize.
Jill Waters explains: "Premium Bond prizes often become unclaimed as a result of people moving house and not telling NS&I, or not keeping their details held with us up to date.
"Agent Million would not be able to deliver the good news if you were lucky enough to win the £1 million jackpot.
"Last month one of our jackpot winners not only received £1 million but also received outstanding prizes won prior to notifying us of their change of address."
It proves that at every value someone with typical luck will earn less than the quoted prize rate.
NS&I lists the chance of one bond winning a prize in a month (one in 30,000) on its website.
What size return will I get?
On average, premium bonds pay out an investment return equivalent to about 1.4 per cent.
In theory this means you would win just over a penny a year for each pound of bonds owned.
But because of the randomness of the process, you may win less – or you may win a great deal more.
Where does the prize money come from?
The prize money is not funded by the sale of new bonds.
Instead, the money represents the amount that would be paid in interest if premium bonds were regular government bonds.
The prize fund interest rate, prize values and odds of winning are all subject to change.