1
general::
Value more highly than usual, as in Her employer put a premium on honesty and hard work. First recorded in 1907, this term is almost always used figuratively.
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): put a premium on something
to make something harder or more expensive to obtain or do. • The recent action of the bank directors put a premium on new home loans. • The scarcity of steel put a premium on the cost of new cars.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs