Premium Bond
noun /ˈpriːmiəm bɒnd/
/ˈpriːmiəm bɑːnd/
(also Premium Savings Bond
/ˌpriːmiəm ˈseɪvɪŋz bɒnd/
/ˌpriːmiəm ˈseɪvɪŋz bɑːnd/
)- (in Britain) a document with a number on it which can be bought from the government and which offers a chance of winning money as a prize every month. The top prize is £1 million. Unlike National Lottery tickets, the Premium Bonds can be sold back to the government at any time for the original price. They were introduced in 1956 as a way of encouraging people to save money. No interest on the money is paid to individual participants except through the prize draw; the interest paid by the government goes into the prize fund. see also ERNIE