Premium Bonds

[AleisterCrowley]

I reckon absolute minimum £5k- less than that and the return is very 'noisy' - you either do spectacularly well or get nowt.
My £12.5k seem to return 1% to 2% typically - better than short bonds (ERNS etc) and the remote chance of winning big...

[Degsy67]

However, what if your mother had put the actual £15 in a drawer?

That would have been the *worst* situation for that sum of money in terms of outcomes, as at least you've had the chance to win something in the meantime with the Premium Bonds, even if that didn't actually happen in this particular case....

LOL. Very funny.

In terms of outcome, I could easily argue that the outcome is identical. £15 = £15.

But then I checked on eBay. If my mother had put 3 x mint condition old style £5 notes which were in circulation at the time in the drawer and I sold them on eBay now then I’d receive around £30. So money in the drawer would have been better than the Premium Bonds.



Degsy

[Mike88]

I reckon absolute minimum £5k- less than that and the return is very 'noisy' - you either do spectacularly well or get nowt.
My £12.5k seem to return 1% to 2% typically - better than short bonds (ERNS etc) and the remote chance of winning big...

I would be thrilled with a 1% return on my £18k investment. I have won around £75 in 4 years. I am still holding on for the remote chance of winning big but if I needed cash Premium Bonds would be the first thing to go.

[AleisterCrowley]

Well, these are my returns since 2014 (value at start of 2019 was ~£12,650)
(Calendar year return)
2014 £150 1.28%
2015 £200 1.68%
2016 £100 0.83%
2017 £175 1.43%
2018 £250 2.02%

Perhaps I'm 'slightly luckier than average' ?!

[kempiejon]

I would be thrilled with a 1% return on my £18k investment. I have won around £75 in 4 years. I am still holding on for the remote chance of winning big but if I needed cash Premium Bonds would be the first thing to go.

Mke88 looks like you're having well below average luck there so I can see why you'd short list them as first out.
I do get around 1% but it is lumpy, as my investment increases so my monthly variance decreases. I like NS&I for large cash deposits as they offer unlimited protection in a nightmare, Index linkers and PBs are handily shielded from tax as well.

[XFool]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Blimey! Eight prizes this month, that's never happened before.

[staffordian]

I'm still getting "Sorry there was a problem Please try again later" when I open the Android checker app. Is anyone else or is it just me?

[swill453]

I'm still getting "Sorry there was a problem Please try again later" when I open the Android checker app. Is anyone else or is it just me?

I had that, even after they said they fixed the problem. Clearing the app cache on my tablet fixed it.

Scott.

[Bouleversee]

It's very quick and easy to go onto their website and log in with your ns&i no. (asking your computer to remember it for next time). Have never had any delay or problem with that.

[PinkDalek]

It's very quick and easy to go onto their website and log in with your ns&i no. (asking your computer to remember it for next time). Have never had any delay or problem with that.

You can also use your Holder's number here https://www.nsandi.com/ without logging on (that may be what you were saying).

[Bouleversee]

Yes, that's what I meant, inserting holder's number being equivalent to logging on.

[staffordian]

It's very quick and easy to go onto their website and log in with your ns&i no. (asking your computer to remember it for next time). Have never had any delay or problem with that.

You can also use your Holder's number here https://www.nsandi.com/ without logging on (that may be what you were saying).

Thank you, yes I did that to establish that I'd won the usual amount.

And thanks, Scott, clearing the cache sorted it, so I'll be able to quickly check I'm still poor next month