PPI or Payment Protection Insurance is a product designed to guarantee loan repayment if the insured is unable to honour their repayment obligation due to sickness or unemployment. The basic idea seems sound, but the product has a history of mis-selling by poorly trained staff, and unreasonably high charges.

The result of this mis-selling means that many people are actually paying for a policy for which they have no need or that the various exclusions mean they'll be unable to make a claim if the need arises.

Before you fall into this trap, take some time to consider what should happen when you buy this entirely optional extra.

The person selling you the policy should fully explain any restrictions or exclusions to the cover. Not all include back injuries or a history of mental problems, for example. If you were self-employed or regularly working on a sub-contract basis then insurance against unemployment would be redundant! They should go through this with you to ensure the right product is being purchased. They should check with you that you don't already have any type of cover in place and above all they should make it absolutely clear that there is no obligation to purchase the policy.

Terms vary and there can be long periods of waiting before you can actually start to claim any benefit. Some of the better policies pay as soon as the event from which the claim arises begins, although it may be 28 days before any money is actually paid out. There is a limit to how long you can claim too. Read all the small print or yourself, even if in theory everything has been explained to you.

To make absolutely certain that you're not being charged for PPI, ask for any loan quotation to be made with and without the inclusion of the product. The chances are you'll be absolutely amazed at the difference. PPI providers pay a very handsome rate of commission to their agents and their gain is most certainly your loss.

If PPI is applicable and needed then it is easily available, at a fraction of some of the prices charged by these lenders, as a stand-alone product. Before going into that, however, consider these points.

•Are you the only breadwinner in the house? Would it be impossible to make the repayments if you were to be ill/become unemployed?
•Is there any provision in your terms of employment for cover in these circumstances

You may decide that you need only part of the payment cover which a PPI policy would offer. It should be a simple matter to arrange for this – for example you may be quite confident that your job is secure – or there may be some protection for this arranged by your employer. In this case a policy which covers sickness only would be possible at a fraction of the cost of the full policy.

Although you can search the internet yourself and come up with some suppliers of PPI, there may be further reductions on the cost if you take the easy way out and use an independent internet adviser. These advisers have access to a wide range of products at the very latest and best prices. Get on line and find out the options.