Train travel London to Exeter. Any tips for getting best fares please?

[Happytodayhappytomorrow]

I'm fairly flexible when I go although asap.
It's a day return to visit a relative.

How can I find a cheaper return fare than £125?

I've tried Trainline, Train Pal, Internet searches for cheap fares.

Any tips gratefully received. TIA

Super off peak and ticket split!

I compare Trainline and redspottedhanky and whatever else MSE recommends for different days and times. If you can commit to one train, then super saver will be a lot cheaper (I did me and two kids one way for £21 once, with a family and friends railcard on a super saver ticket).

Splitticketing.co.uk can do you a day return ticket on Wednesday between Waterloo and Exeter Central for £49. You can probably change days/times so that you're not leaving London on a peak ticket and it'll be cheaper.

Personally I’d avoid Trainline, have found them no cheaper and they do silly things like seat a child and parent separately.

Have you tried travelling via Clapham Junction instead of Padding ton (South West Trains rather than GWR)? They are usually cheaper. Book via SWT not Trainline though.

Get the tube to say Wimbledon or the outskirts and get ticket from there so not ‘London’ as that way always used to be cheaper. Don’t know if it still works??

Go Waterloo to Exeter St Davids and buy the ticket direct from South West trains site. It's a bit slower than going from Paddington but you can get some really good fares if you are flexible about when you travel. We managed to do it earlier in the summer, return, for less than £80 for two of us - first class!

Does it have to be a train? I've started using national express coaches. Super cheap. Just did a bham to London return for £13

Thank you so much for your ideas.
I’m going to look into all of them.

It might be worth buying a network railcard for £30 and you can then save money on fares for a year. The railcard would bring the cost of that journey down to £56.25 return any day next week.

I used Omio to buy tickets from Somerset to London. Booked a month in advance and paid £64 return for two adults and one teen. I thought that was pretty good. The train line was coming out at over £120 for the same tickets.