The internet has been one of the recession’s big winners, with consumers going online to do everything from earning a second income to finding discount vouchers for shopping.

Online discounts are likely to become even more popular in the run-up to Christmas and the Vat increase from 15% to 17.5% in the new year.

Argos, stalwart of the discount goods market, has already raised prices by 5% to offset a weak pound and the cost of imports from Asia. Marks & Spencer and Next have indicated they will have to do the same.

Neil Saunders of Verdict, the retail research group, said: “This may be the final fling for the consumer for hefty discounts on the high street.”

In the final instalment of credit crunch clinic, we show how to use the internet to manage — and maximise — your finances.

Shopping

Websites such as offeroftheday.co.uk, moneymagpie.com and moneysavingexpert.com bring together the best discounts online and on the high street.

Sites that list discount codes have seen a flurry of activity in recent months as consumers seek to save on everything from clothing to travel. Evelyn Mackinnon, of vouchercodes.co.uk, said the site has 460,000 users, up 20,000 in the past two weeks alone.

Savvy shoppers can increase their savings by combining the money-off codes available from Vouchercodes and others such as rpoints.com with cashback sites such as cashbackkings.co.uk.

For example, if you wanted to buy a Dell Optiplex 360 Mini Tower computer costing £489, including a 19in monitor, you could get 10% off from Rpoints using the code 780LJH39KMFLL3 until August 31. Cashbackkings will also give you 6% cashback when you buy through its site, making a total saving of £78.

Banking

The average interest rate on easy access savings accounts that can only be opened on the internet is 1.18%, compared with 0.56% for those opened at a branch, according to Defaqto, the data firm.

Last Friday, Egg increased the interest rate on its internet savings account from 2.80% to 3.25%, taking it to the top of the best-buy tables. The rate includes a 12-month introductory bonus of 2%.

Sainsbury’s Finance, another internet-only provider, is offering a rate of 2.90% on its savings account until August 22, and promising new customers 1,000 Nectar points if they deposit at least £1,000.

Traditional banks and building societies are also getting competitive. Leeds building society has relaunched its online easy access savings account at 3.05%, which includes a 1% introductory bonus until July 31, 2010.

There are also good offers on internet-only current accounts. Alliance & Leicester’s Premier Direct current account pays 6%, fixed for a year, on balances up to £2,500. At least £500 a month must be deposited. Its Premier current account, which can be operated through a branch, by telephone or online, offers only 0.5% on balances in credit.

For security advice about online banking, go to banksafeonline.org.uk.

Holiday money

Millions of people use the net to find holiday bargains but you can also make savings if you buy your holiday essentials there. Never leave it to the last minute to buy foreign currency. Figures from moneysupermarket.com, the comparison site, show Travelex at Heathrow airport is charging £935.49 for €1,000 and £646.79 for $1,000. That figure can easily be beaten on the high street or, even better, online. Going into a branch of the Post Office before you depart will mean you pay £875.43 for your euros and £607.68 for your dollars.

The current best deals online are from bestexchange.co.uk, which is charging £860.22 for €1,000, and iceplc.com, which has 30 branches at airports and stations at which to collect money, where you will pay £868.06. For $1,000, they will charge £597.91 and £602.41 respectively.

Clearance

Buying clearance goods, particularly big purchases such as furniture and home appliances, can be even more lucrative if you look online.

Kitchenclearout.co.uk sells end-of-line stock such as cookers and freezers at huge discounts. The site is offering a Franke freestanding fridge freezer for £459, a saving of more than half on its original price of £1,000.90.

You can also make savings at trade-secret-club.co.uk, which lists discounts of 50% on cancelled or returned furniture orders from the likes of Marks & Spencer, Laura Ashley, John Lewis and House of Fraser. A one-off membership fee of £10 must be paid to browse, although there is a free preview section.

Second income

There has never been a better time to look online to boost income. Peopleperhour.com matches people seeking extra work with small and medium-sized firms looking for short-term staff.

It has seen a 105% increase in membership since the beginning of the year, from 19,500 to just over 40,000, according to Xenios Thrasyvoulou, the chief executive.

Rates generally range from £15 to £25 an hour or a fixed fee of £150 to £1,000, dependent on the job. The website takes commission from gross income earned.

You can also make money from your old gadgets if you sell them online. Simplydrop.co.uk will buy your old mobile phone, MP3 player or digital camera and sell it on or break it down for parts. You can pocket the cash or ask for it to go to one of the five charities listed on the site.

It will, for example, pay £102 for a working Nokia N95 and £40 for an Apple iPod classic 160GB black.