So I looked up the prices - return from Didcot is £85 and the return from Oxford was £68. Then I thought - it isn't £17 for a return ticket Didcot to Oxford. So I looked that up, it was only £6.60.
So I did a bit of further research. The train from Oxford to Birmingham stops at Banbury. Oxford to Banbury is £11.30 (return) and Banbury to Birmingham is £19.90 (again return) - total return fare is £37.80. Not £68.
More research on the internet to check if you can do this - and you can. As long as the train you are on stops at the station you can use individual tickets.
There are a few downsides. You need three sets of tickets and you will find the automated ticket machines will only let you buy tickets from the station you are in - not point to point from other stations (at least as far as I can see). Not too much of a problem - you buy online. But you then have three sets of confirmation codes to enter. On top of this if you book a seat (which you can do between Oxford and Birmingham) you can't get the same seat!
It might not be my money I am spending - but there is a principle here.
Final few bits of research - if I buy a ticket from Banbury to Lemington-Spa then I can save another ten pence (so might not bother!). And it's the same going into London from Didcot - purchasing Didcot to Reading and then Reading to London saves a couple of pounds. And that is all on First Great Western.
Website you can use is http://www.splityourticket.co.uk which is useful - but not all routes are there.
I looked up prices on the TrainLine - but then book on CrossCountry trains as there is no booking fee,
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