Premium Bonds winning numbers April 2020: Are you a millionaire?
THE PREMIUM BONDS draw takes place at the beginning of every month, and April is no exception - so what were the winning numbers for April 2020? Are you a millionaire?
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NS&I’s Premium Bonds had a prize fund of more than £100 million this month, with more than 3.5 million prizes given away. Two lucky people have woken up in April as millionaires - and many more with an extra cash boost.
A prize of £1million will certainly lift spirits as the UK continues to face lockdown measures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
When a Premium Bonds holder wins the jackpot prize of £1million, they are visited by NS&I's "Agent Million".
The NS&I website explains: "Our Agent Million will visit you in person. Remember to ask for their ID before you celebrate – they’ll always have it ready to show you."
However, this may be different in April as social distancing rules are in place - but winners will still get their prizes.
Read More: Premium Bonds: Savers can 'still access' money despite coronavirus
What were the Premium Bonds winning numbers for April 2020?
The first millionaire was a man from Hertfordshire. He has £40,000 invested in Premium Bonds.
He won with bond number 239CV516628 which was purchased in January 2015.
The second millionaire was a woman from Essex, who has invested £50,000.
She won her prize with bond number 293GZ540034 which was purchased in January 2017.
In total six people won £100,000 each, and they had bond numbers as follows
On person from Somerset won with number 378DQ592277
Another from Cambridgeshire won with bond number 129EJ363929
A third from Central Scotland won with bond number 287FD454940
The fourth is from Lancashire and won with bond number 269AN854401
Fifth is from Essex and won with bond number 152SZ958756
And the sixth is from Humberside and won with bond number 156PZ162944
There are also prizes of £50,000, £25,000 all the way down to £5,000.
To check if you've won, head to NS&I's website here and put your holders number in the prize checker.
How are Premium Bonds winners picked?
ERNIE, the Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment is what picks winners each month.
Now in its fifth incarnation, is powered by quantum technology, which uses light.
This new technology allows ERNIE to produce enough random numbers for a monthly prize draw in just 12 minutes – 42.5 times faster than its thermal predecessor at the end of its number-generating career.
According to NS&I: "Using light, ERNIE 5 generates random numbers that are matched against eligible Bond numbers to determine the lucky winners.
"And because it’s random, every Bond number, whether it has 8, 9, 10 or 11 digits, has a separate and equal chance of winning a prize."
A Bletchley Park codebreaker invented the first ERNIE in 1956.
Following this, Harold Macmillan announced the launch of Premium Bonds on Budget Day, April 17, 1956, offering everyone an alternative way to save.
Since then, there have been five generations of ERNIE and with continuous advances in technology, each has become faster and more powerful.