Best choice is you last one.
The insurance company does not care if you don't spend the money on the car. It's your money, you can do what you want with it.
However, they do have a duty to the leinholder to give them the money BECAUSE THEY OWN THE CAR. Untill you pay it off, you don't own the car.
So, the insurance company policy has language in there that protects the owner of the car, and in this case, it's the leinholder.
It also protects you from liability claims up to the limit of the policy, so when you screw up and break something, or injure someone, the insurance company will either pay or defend you from the other party making a claim against your neglegence.
Get ready, the process of paying off the title, and having your policy changed might take a few days or weeks to process. (If the state is involved, figure weeks or months.)