Hello knowledgeable FTers:

I'm trying to do a MR to get myself to 1P for next year and am currently booked on a SFO-LHR flight departing Nov 18, returning Nov 21. It's booked in M and cost about $1050. I'm out of the 24-hr refund window already.

I now see a super cheap fare departing Nov 20, returning Nov 21. It's in S and is about $700.

I'm having trouble deciphering the fare rules here and what my options really are - from a scheduling standpoint, I'd prefer the second fare. Obviously, from a price standpoint, I'd also prefer the second fare but I can't figure out if I can get anything back from my "nonrefundable" M fare. Thoughts?

TIA,
jyinyang