I've always used a pre-paid mobile as I don't want to be a slave to a network operator for the rest of my life. It's great to have the freedom to pay whenever you like but if you're not careful, you're spending can get out of control and it can end up costing more than a contract phone.

If you're constantly running out of credit or find that you've been spending much more on top-ups since switching from a contract-based plan, then you might want to give LCMinutes a try. The program allows you to efficiently monitor your call spending in real time, saving you valuable dollars and ensuring that you're never run out of credit.

Setting up the program is a little complicated as you need to set up details of your operator and fiddle around setting the tariffs/call plan that you're on. Once you've got the hang of this though, the app works very efficiently, keeping control over the number of text messages and calls you make from your phone to ensure that you're within your credit limit.

In addition, the program lets you filter listings by month, keep a history of call and message charges, create customized balance sheets and also adds a neat credit consumption guage on your Today screen. I tried it out, and felt that these tools genuinely did help me to keep my call times down and save me money in the process.

If you're the kind of person who chops through credit on your pre-paid phone then LCMinutes is well worth downloading.