Payment Protection Insurance cover is a type of cover that is offered with finance such as credit cards, store cards, and loans. Like other types of insurance cover Payment Protection Insurance, or PPI as it is simply known, is designed to provide financial protection under certain circumstances. When you take out finance you may do so under the assumption that you will be able to keep up with repayments throughout the term of the finance. However, this is not always the case, as life does tend to throw a few surprises our way, and this is where PPI can kick in.

PPI is designed to cover your finance repayments for a specified period in the event that you are unable to work and make your repayments due to sickness, accident, or redundancy. The terms and conditions, including the restrictions and exclusions, with this type of policy can be strict, and therefore you do need to carefully check the small print to ensure that the policy is suited to your needs. Not everyone will benefit from PPI - for example, this type of insurance covers your repayments in the event of redundancy, but this is something that you cannot benefit from if you are self employed.

The cost of PPI can be high, but at the same time this form of cover can offer valuable peace of mind, so it can be difficult to decide what to do. Those that do not want the expense of PPI should remember that this is not a compulsory form of cover and there is no obligation to take any PPI cover out at all. For those that do want this protection but don't want to pay a fortune, it is worth remembering that you are not obligated to take your cover from any particular provider, and therefore you may be able to save money on the cost of cover by shopping around and comparing different PPI plans from a number of providers.

Whether or not you take out PPI with your finance is entirely your choice, although some lenders may make it sound as though this cover is necessary and even make it sound as though taking out PPI will increase your chances of getting finance - this is not the case. PPI, like other types of insurance, provides optional protection to consumers for a price, and you need to weight up the pros and cons before you make a commitment. You should also make sure that you check any policy that you are thinking of taking out carefully to ensure that the cover is suited to your needs and circumstances, otherwise you could end up wasting a large amount of money on insurance that you can never benefit from.

Some insurers however to offer protection schemes specifically designed for self-employed people so they are not paying for benefits which they would not benefit from.