Were you a winner in the February 2026 premium bonds draw?

Were you one of the winners in National Savings and Investments (NS&I) premium bonds February draw? Once again, two lucky players won £1m each this month.

The first winning bond number, 489TB013219, was drawn and is held by someone from Central Bedfordshire. The winner has £50,000 in premium bonds and purchased their winning bond in February 2022. This marks the city’s second jackpot win.

The second winning bond number, 040QJ919368, was drawn for a new millionaire living in Liverpool. The winner holds £50,000 in premium bonds and purchased the winning bond in October 2004. They are the fourth person to win the £1m jackpot in Liverpool.

Read more: How many premium bond winners were there in 2025 and what are the odds of winning?

Andrew Westhead, NS&I retail director, said: “Congratulations to our two jackpot winners from Central Bedfordshire and Liverpool, who each start February £1m richer. ERNIE has spread the love ahead of Valentine’s Day and we hope this brings both winners and their loved ones plenty to celebrate.

“It’s not just about the jackpot winners though; this month we’ve paid out over 6.1 million prizes worth more than £408m, bringing the total won by Premium Bonds holders since the first draw in 1957 to £40bn.”

Unlike other investments, where investors earn interest or a regular dividend income, bonds are entered into a monthly prize draw where people can win between £25 and £1m. All premium bonds prizes are free of UK income tax and capital gains tax.

The chances of all bonds winning are the same, regardless of when or where they were bought. Even if you did not get a winning ticket this time, be sure to check for any unclaimed prizes.

Prizes do not expire, meaning you can claim as far back as the original 1957 draw. Premium bond holders can reduce the chances of their prizes going unclaimed by managing their premium bonds online or opting to have any prizes paid directly into their bank accounts by BACS, with notification by email.

Read more: Over £100m worth of premium bond prizes lie unclaimed

In Central Bedfordshire, there are 10,400 unclaimed prizes worth £433,225 dating back to February 1968. The largest unclaimed prize is worth £10,000 and was won in the January 2024 draw by a bond holder with a holding of £100.

In Liverpool, the highest unclaimed prize, ready to be united with its owner, is a £5,000 ticket from May 2023. Other high-value prizes include 13 unclaimed £1,000 prizes from November 1987.

Overall, there are 2,713,707 premium bonds prizes worth £114m waiting to be claimed.

A total of more than 6.18 million tax-free prizes worth £408m will be paid out in the February prize draw. There were 136,027,454,915 bond numbers eligible for the draw.

Since the first draw in June 1957, there have been more than 815 million prizes drawn, worth a total of £40bn.

Customers can check the premium bonds prize checker on the NS&I website or download the app to see if they have won.

The NS&I cut the premium bonds prize fund rate to 3.60% last August, down from 3.80%. There is no change to the odds, which remain at 22,000 to 1.

Read more: What are premium bonds and what are the odds of winning?

The prize fund rate for premium bonds has already been cut from 4% to 3.8% from the April 2025 prize draw.

Westhead said: “This adjustment to the premium bonds prize fund rate – the first in four months – reflects the changing landscape for savings.”

“Premium bonds maintain their unique appeal by offering complete security backed by HM Treasury, the flexibility to withdraw easily, and the excitement of potentially winning a tax-free prize each month. The August draw is expected to deliver more than 6 million tax-free prizes worth over £396m.”

“By making this adjustment now, we’re able to continue to balance the interests of savers, taxpayers and the stability of the broader financial services sector.”

NS&I is also set to cut interest rates on two of its easy-access savings accounts, in a blow for savers.

From 12 February, NS&I’s Direct Saver and Income Bonds accounts will both pay 3.05% interest, down from 3.3% and 3.26% previously.

It is the first time NS&I has changed the interest rates on these savings accounts since 5 March 2025.

The Direct Saver and Income Bonds are easy-access accounts with a variable rate which means it can go up or down. The Income Bonds offer a monthly interest payment while the Direct Saver pays interest yearly.

NS&I said the rate cut was in response to “changes in the wider savings market”.

Read more:

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.