€25k invested in prize bonds

gebbel · 12-01-2013 11:23am

Winnings from €5000 in one year: €0

Withdrawal to somewhere else on Monday: €5000

oaklands · 12-01-2013 2:10pm

uberalles wrote: »

They should further cheapen the PB image by giving a "free prize bond" like scratch tickets.

Min win should be 100 euro IMO. This 50 euro win is too low

They sort of do this already by allowing you to automatically re-invest your winnings. You get 8 bonds for the minimum €50 prize in the post instead of a cheque.

I suspect the reason they dont have loads of lower value prizes is that it would increase the administrative workload which essentially means there would be even less dosh for prizes and more for AnPost & FexCo.

In my opinion, they should reduce the €1M prizes from 12 to 4 per annum and increase the quantity and/or value of the €50 prizes.

oaklands · 12-01-2013 2:28pm

el diablo wrote: »

How long does it usually take these clowns to respond to an email? I emailed them over a week ago (and three days ago) about a withdrawal that hasn't been credited to my account but still no response.
I sent them a letter a few weeks back to withdraw my remaining prize bonds to my bank account but I still have not been credited.

Is the freephone number on their website the only phone number they have? I'm overseas and can't call that number. :rolleyes:

Thanks for any info.

I sent in the form via email on the 25th November to get a list of any PBs I had lost track of. I got a nice reply the next day confirming receipt and that it had been passed on for processing.
Yesterday I contacted them again asking if it normally takes 8 weeks to procees these things! So even allowing for Christmas its a bit excessive. I have seen several other comments about people having to contact them twice before getting a result.

Regarding the phone numbers you should find the number at the end of this web page. Saynoto1890 cover lots of these types of phone numbers, which I find great.

100gSoma · 17-01-2013 4:12pm

Cute Hoor wrote: »

Almost 26 million per letter of the alphabet, up at the mid S's at the moment, that's 18.5 X 26 million = 480 million. Then you have to add in the ones before they moved to the letters, another 99.999 million(?), bringing it up to around 580 million, knock off 80 million for encashed bonds and you have 500 million. Not very scientific but a reasonable guesstimate.

hmmm... The fund is listed as having crossed 1billion euro for the first time in 2009. 1.1billion (increasing for 3 years) divided by 6.25 is 176million. I think 500 million is too big an estimate. Even taking into account that the bonds were cheaper years ago etc.

100gSoma · 17-01-2013 4:14pm

Agent Smyth wrote: »

According to the prize bonds web site,
"At end December 2011 the value of Prize Bonds outstanding was €1.4 billion and there approximately 231 million individual prize bonds."
so i would think there there is anywhere between 231 and 300 million prize bonds as of now
i think some where here or on their web site i read the prize fund is equal to 3% of the total fund.

Ignore my last post so... Thanks Smyth

el diablo · 18-01-2013 2:42am

oaklands wrote: »

I sent in the form via email on the 25th November to get a list of any PBs I had lost track of. I got a nice reply the next day confirming receipt and that it had been passed on for processing.
Yesterday I contacted them again asking if it normally takes 8 weeks to procees these things! So even allowing for Christmas its a bit excessive. I have seen several other comments about people having to contact them twice before getting a result.

Regarding the phone numbers you should find the number at the end of this web page. Saynoto1890 cover lots of these types of phone numbers, which I find great.

I finally got a response 12 days and 3 emails later. My problems still has no been resolved though. :rolleyes:

gebbel wrote: »

Winnings from €5000 in one year: €0

Withdrawal to somewhere else on Monday: €5000

Similar story here. Three years, almost €9000. Zero winnings. All withdrawn now (still waiting for the last withdrawal to land in my bank account though).

Agent Smyth · 18-01-2013 2:09pm

Winnings from 18/01/13 draw € 0
Last win 11/01/13 €50
total wins this year € 50
Total wins 2012 €375

pbwinner · 18-01-2013 2:16pm

Winnings from today's draw: €0
Total winnings since Feb 2011 on €25k: €800

cold case · 18-01-2013 2:19pm

Winnings today €0

Last winnings €75 in March 2010 on 162 units

hairyprincess · 18-01-2013 3:48pm

Winnings from todays draw: €0

Total winnings since Feb 2010 on €500: €150
Total winnings since Feb 2011 on €50: €0

leonards · 18-01-2013 4:48pm

Winnings today €0 on €200 since Dec 2012

WhiteMan32 · 18-01-2013 8:56pm

Winnings from today's draw: €0
Total winnings since Feb 2012 on €12k: €150

nhg · 20-01-2013 10:16am

nhg wrote: »

I purchased 30K worth yesterday, I will hold them for 10 mths before i cash them in again, the bank offered me 2.5% to lock the money away for 9mths - hopefully I will win something:rolleyes:

I buy €200 worth every month on DD since Jan 2011 (child's college fund) & nothing on them yet, I won €75 earlier in the year on one about 25 years old & my dad won €75 this year on one about 33 years old, my granny used to always buy them for birthdays.

Had my first win on Friday on the 30k - €50 (showed up in my bank a/c this morn with tomorrow's date). Hopefully first of many.

vedwards · 23-01-2013 7:37pm

Someone recently did the maths on the changes to the prize bonds value, winning frequency etc and deemed that if it was worth it before to 'invest' it certainly isn't now and having no win on my 6000 bonds since November 2012 I am going to invest elsewhere.

Up to November I was very pleased and the anticipation of a win with the postman arriving every Tuesday morning made life more tolerable. In August I had 4 wins.

30-NOV-2012 EUR7523-NOV-2012 EUR7507-SEP-2012 EUR7524-AUG-2012 EUR7517-AUG-2012 EUR7517-AUG-2012 EUR7503-AUG-2012 EUR75I had at least two a month before that.

oaklands · 23-01-2013 8:17pm

@VEDWARDS
Based on Dec-12 numbers you should have been winning between 10 and 11 €75 euros per annum on average with 6,000 bonds. It looks by your post that you were achieving a higher return than expected.

Based on Jan-13 numbers you should win between 9 and 10 €50 euros prizes per annum on average with 6,000 bonds. You should also win €100 every 1.66 years.

On a point of information, I don't believe there was any recommendation that it is not worth investing now. The decision on whether it is worth investing is differerent for every investor based on their particular crcumstances and the information available at the time. However, it is true to say that the expected returns from Jan-13 on the new system are significantly reduced from 2012.(The return is now 32% less than it was in Dec-12 for €50/€100 vs €75 prizes. )

notGill · 23-01-2013 8:27pm

I was given a present of €250 prize bonds last February. I won €75 the following month which I reinvested so I have a total of €325 with no wins since.

I think I'll throw another €400 into prize bonds (for the gamble) as it is only earning a minimal interest rate in my deposit account and I definitely won't need it for another 3 months.

If I haven't won anything come June/July, I might clear out the account.

This thread makes for interesting reading!

oaklands · 23-01-2013 8:44pm

@notGill
with 116 bonds or €725.....you should win €50 every 5 years and €100 every 86 years!! (on average)

For the €1M prize expect to win it once every 186 thousand years or so!!!

....on the other hand you could win it this Friday...best of luck

notGill · 23-01-2013 9:18pm

oaklands wrote: »

@notGill
with 116 bonds or €725.....you should win €50 every 5 years and €100 every 86 years!! (on average)

For the €1M prize expect to win it once every 186 thousand years or so!!!

....on the other hand you could win it this Friday...best of luck

After my win of €75, I think I'm not due another win for at least 4 years!

It is a nice feeling to win on such a small sum (especially in comparison with the investments in this thread!).

If I was to win €50 soon after buying the next set of bonds, that would a 19% return over the year (fund minus reinvested winnings), not too shabby! I live in hope.

FoolsGold1 · 24-01-2013 9:40pm

As the new (old) kid on the block, just want to say Good Luck to everyone. Apart from a very few odds and sods from earlier times,
(0 wins), my main bonds bought in '10. '11 and '12 total 40K - mostly all during '12 - netted 31 x 75 = 2,325 up to 31/12/12. I topped that up for the New Year and 4th 0, 11th 0, and 18th 2 x 50 (from 2 y.o. Bonds, not the new ones).
Yes, I know the pros and cons but, as a gutless gambler, am only prepared to flutter on my 'lost interest' and 'inflation' problems, but am prepared to enjoy for a while anyway. "Sorry" won't even deter me, as I'll live in hope! Friday was never payday for me anyway - more like towards end of month so...I'll let you know if I ever see white blackbirds!!

highgiant1985 · 25-01-2013 1:01am

I have savings account and was thinking of moving a small bit of that into prize bonds as a random variable to see if I get lucky but with the expectation of winning nothing from them (which I'm 100% ok with if it happens).

If I purchase prize bonds now online how soon does it take for me to be entered in the draw? (Is it instant or does it take a few days?)

smemon · 25-01-2013 1:58pm

highgiant1985 wrote: »

I have savings account and was thinking of moving a small bit of that into prize bonds as a random variable to see if I get lucky but with the expectation of winning nothing from them (which I'm 100% ok with if it happens).

If I purchase prize bonds now online how soon does it take for me to be entered in the draw? (Is it instant or does it take a few days?)

Not sure but they say it'll take 7-10 working days before you get them by post. I've been waiting 5 working days now.

cold case · 25-01-2013 2:00pm

Is it just me, or is anyone else having trouble accessing the prize bond website today?

6 minutes later . . . logged on . . . No winnings today

pbwinner · 25-01-2013 2:24pm

Winnings from today's draw: €0
Total winnings since Feb 2011 on €25k: €800

FoolsGold1 · 25-01-2013 2:38pm

Nothing doing today either - 25 Jan.

Agent Smyth · 25-01-2013 2:50pm

Winnings from 25/01/13 draw € 0
Last win 11/01/13 €50
Total wins 2013 € 50
Total wins 2012 €375

@ FoolsGold1 31 x €75 wins in 2012 That a nice win ratio, I bet the postman was wondering what was going on with all the letters arriving every Tuesday lol

hairyprincess · 25-01-2013 3:25pm

Winnings from todays draw: €0

Total winnings since Feb 2010 on €500: €150
Total winnings since Feb 2011 on €50: €0

FoolsGold1 · 25-01-2013 4:08pm

Hi! Wednesday reaches me, but ANY day will do!

Boardnashea · 25-01-2013 4:15pm

oaklands wrote: »

Regarding the phone numbers you should find the number at the end of this web page. Saynoto1890 cover lots of these types of phone numbers, which I find great.

Excellent website. Many thanks:)

nhg · 26-01-2013 10:53am

nhg wrote: »

Had my first win on Friday on the 30k - €50 (showed up in my bank a/c this morn with tomorrow's date). Hopefully first of many.

Just checked my bank a/c this morning, another €50 win, two weeks in a row

Win in this weeks draw €50

Win on once off purchase of €30k since 23/11/12 - €100
Win on regular €200 month purchase since Jan 2011 - €0
Win on odd presents of prize bonds received over the years - €75

FoolsGold1 · 26-01-2013 12:31pm

nhg wrote: »

Just checked my bank a/c this morning, another €50 win, two weeks in a row

Win in this weeks draw €50

Win on once off purchase of €30k since 23/11/12 - €100
Win on regular €200 month purchase since Jan 2011 - €0
Win on odd presents of prize bonds received over the years - €75

Super! You're on a roll.

€25k invested in prize bonds

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