Your tips for keeping phone bills down

This story idea came from audience members, like you, who got in touch with us. Email us your questions. We are listening: ask@cbc.ca.

Canadians have a history of paying more for their cellphone plans and getting less compared to the rest of the world. As long as there's a lack of competition in the Canadian market, that likely won't change anytime soon.

So what tactics have Canadians been using to keep their bills manageable, while the price of everything increases around them?

Many of you shared your tips and tricks with us, and we put them to the experts.

Here's what they had to say.

A lot of you suggested using mobile apps like Whatsapp, Signal, FaceTime and Facebook Messenger to make voice calls as a way to cut costs. 

Technology journalist and analyst Carmi Levy agrees, saying he's been using apps to make voice calls for years. 

"When you switch your traffic from a traditional phone network to Wi-Fi, you no longer are handing money over to the telecommunications company," he said. 

There are also Canadian companies like TextNow and Fongo, which both offer free calling across Canada using Wi-Fi or mobile data. For a small fee, users can also make long-distance calls. 

"It can save you a heck lot of money, especially if you are communicating with people who are across the border or international," Levy noted. 

"It is an absolute game-changer in terms of the way we communicate, and it returns the power of communication away from the provider back to the consumer, where it belongs." 

What's the catch? You can only call or message people using these apps if they have downloaded the same service. 

It's also worth noting that if you are downloading and using any third-party apps, you will have to agree to their terms and conditions and will be subject to their privacy policies.

Track how many gigabytes of data you typically use in a month.