Three types of insurance you do not need

Insurance is generally something that you purchase in order to protect you and your family from the potential financial loss caused by a catastrophic event or serious illness.

But there are types of insurance that don't really provide that peace of mind for you, that are not required, that cost more than you could ever benefit from, and that are best avoided.

Here are 3 types of insurance that you can "just say NO" to.

Life Insurance Sold By Credit Card Companies

Credit card companies will offer you insurance that pays off your credit card balances when you die. If you already have a life insurance policy, either obtained on your own or through your employer, that will do the same thing. Why pay the credit card companies a much higher premium for the same thing?

Rental Car Insurance

When you rent a car, they always ask you if you want auto insurance which will cover you if you are in an accident in the rental car. If you have your own auto insurance, you will most likely not need this. Check with your agent to be sure, but most policies cover you regardless of what car you are driving. Even if your regular policy only offers this coverage by adding a "rider" to your policy, the cost of the rider will most likely be much cheaper than paying the higher per-day charge that the rental agency will charge you.

There are a couple of exceptions to note. If the car rental is for business use, check to see if your employer's business policy covers you. And if you will be driving outside of the US, your agent can tell you if you will require special coverage.

Unreasonably Low Deductibles

While this is not technically a "type" of insurance, it is an insurance expense that you can do without. A lot of people carry lower deductibles because of the peace of mind it gives them. But how many times do you really need this lower deductible? And nowadays, while you may be required to carry insurance, it is often detrimental if you actually use it!

So if filing a claim will jeopardize your insurance coverage, you may want to only file a claim that you really can't handle. It makes much more sense to raise your deductible and "self-insure" for the smaller claims, using the savings from your lower premiums.

If you decide to increase your deductibles, be sure to put your saved premium dollars into a savings account so that you can pay for those losses that fall below your increased deductible amount.

Specialty-type coverages, like the ones mentioned here, can usually be covered with another good broad-based policy that you already have. And why are these speciality insurance polices more expensive? It costs more for the insurance companies to administer these policies ... so guess who ends up paying for the extra costs?!