Meet the woman who tells Premium Bond holders they've won the jackpot! (2024)

Anyone who holds Premium Bonds knows one of the big thrills is the feeling of anticipation that builds ahead of each monthly prize draw.

Will you win £25, £100 or even £1,000?

To find out, you enter your holder's number in the National Savings & Investments prize checker, review your online account, wait for a prize to land in your bank account or for a letter in the post.

But what happens if you've won the coveted £1 million jackpot?

The two lucky bondholders who take home the top monthly prize find out in a very different way: they receive a visit from a member of NS&I staff known as 'Agent Million'.

So who is Agent Million? And what's their job like? Money Mail was given rare access to speak to one undercover agent to find out...

Who is agent million?

There are just five Agents Million employed by NS&I. Each is hand-picked from members of its existing staff.

NS&I says that they have to be friendly and approachable — but also able to blend into the background.

This is because no one can know about their secret job. That includes their friends, families — and even their work colleagues.

NS&I's fear is that if the identities of the Agents Million were known, they might be spotted going to winners' homes, making it obvious someone was newly wealthy.

The Agent Million speaking to Money Mail has worked at NS&I for more than 20 years and has been in her very special role for six.

When she isn't delivering the good news, she works in the call centre and in the prize department.

There is no set time an employee has to have been at NS&I to get the job, and the Agents Million are drawn from a range of age groups.

'Life experience and knowing how to react in the situations that you find yourself in are absolutely vital,' says our anonymous Agent Million. 'These positions do not come up very often.'

Delivering the best news

Before she sets off, Agent Million is given the details of the new millionaire and studies an online map to get an idea of the area she'll be visiting.

It's important she doesn't stand out from the crowd, so she wears unremarkable clothes and always parks in a nearby street and walks to the door.

That way, curtain-twitching neighbours will have less reason to suspect anything.

Nothing deters Agent Million from delivering her message — even children celebrating Halloween.

She says: 'I was visiting last November's jackpot winner, and I've never seen so many witches and zombies walking the streets. The house was totally dark and they asked if it was a trick or treat — which I couldn't really answer!'

Agent Million carries identification with her at all times. She will knock on the door, say she's from NS&I and ask to speak to the holder of the bond.

She must see proof of identity to ensure that she is talking to the winner before breaking the news.

'One gentleman answered the door on a Sunday afternoon and when I asked to speak to who I needed, he closed the door in my face,' she says. 'When I didn't leave, he said, 'Unless you've come to tell us we've won £1 million you can go away.' I still didn't move, so they invited me in.'

Last year, Agent Million faced being stranded when visiting the first jackpot winner from the Scottish Highlands. 'It was in the middle of nowhere,' she says.

'My phone signal started going and I went off-grid for about four hours. I hadn't booked anywhere to stay, and the next thing I know the winner was on the internet trying to find me a hotel.'

Her key words of advice

After hearing they've won £1 million, most people start jumping around the room and want to call their family.

But the first thing Agent Million advises is not to tell anyone. It's up to individuals, but telling family can cause jealousy and complicate relationships, so winners are advised to mull it over.

Agent Million says: 'On one occasion, a jackpot winner was so excited that I had to step in front of them to stop them from running out of their front door and broadcasting their win to the whole street.'

In the excitement, some people forget how to do even the most basic of tasks.

'I had to make someone a cup of tea as they were standing in their kitchen and they had forgotten where everything was,' she says.

Others react more quietly. 'I once managed to catch a winner at home alone, even though she was married with a big family,' she says.

'She said she wasn't even going to tell her husband initially, as she just wanted to keep it to herself for a few days to just dream about what she could do with it.'

No giant novelty cheque

The new millionaire is given the choice of having the money paid into their bank account or into an NS&I Direct Saver account. The Direct Saver has a limit of £2 million and customers can withdraw sums without a penalty fee.

Three in four people go for the savings account, according to Agent Million, as it's a safe place while they get their head around being a millionaire.

The bondholder is left with a letter confirming their winnings, a list of financial advisers and a direct phone number for the NS&I team.

Winners have an average holding of £23,345, but 12 people with £1,000 and under in bonds have scooped the jackpot since 1994.

According to Agent Million, one thing all jackpot winners typically have in common is that they all want to help somebody else.

She says: 'I once had a gentleman who'd just had some life-changing news. It was such a comfort to him that he was going to be able to look after his family. He kept touching my hand to make sure I was real.'

t.armstrong@dailymail.co.uk

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