If your monthly mobile bill is giving you heart palpitations then it might be worthwhile considering ways to cut back on the cost of servicing your mobile phone habit.

Just to get you on the right track, FatCat has come up with 5 top ways to cut your phone bill.

1. Follow the herd, and take the lead of your friends and family

If you spend most of your time chatting to special friends and family then ask them what carrier they use – and see if you can score a deal on the same carrier where you can chat for as long as you like to friends on the same network at a reduced cost. A good deal with the right carrier could drop the cost of your phone bill in no time.

2. Think about using a prepaid plan

Most monthly plans start in the vicinity of around $20 a month. It might pay to take out a prepaid card instead – especially if you don’t use your mobile phone all that much.

Paying a set monthly fee doesn’t give you any flexibility to control your mobile phone spending, since you have to pay the minimum spend regardless of whether one or fifty calls have been made over the month. Prepaid cards, on the other hand, only charge you for the phone calls that you make. Once your credits have been used, you simply top them up again by crediting the account.

You may find that the process of topping up your prepaid card every so often reminds you that every time you text or call sometime, it’s hitting your bottom line. It might give you the discipline you need to call and text only when absolutely necessary, preventing you from using the mobile phone randomly and racking up a hefty bill in the process.

The only catch with prepaid plans is that the credits expire after a period of time, sometimes one month, sometimes a year – depending upon the carrier. If you really don’t use your mobile that much, take out a plan with a longer expiry date.

3. Match your habits to the right plan

Most of us get into life habits. We call our parents on Sunday evenings, our friends on Friday afternoons to sort out the weekend’s activities and make general calls at lunchtime during the short break away from work. If you detect a pattern in your call behaviour, note it down and then seek out a plan that offers cheaper calls during these particular times.