The program will always attempt to mesh a line of nodes to a line support or a line spring similar to what it does with a wall center line. Likewise, the program will always mesh a single node or element corner to a point spring or point support similar to a column. Thus, if you place a super-soft line spring you can affect the mesh without adversely affecting the stiffness matrix. I don't see a lot of users doing this however.
Using a soft point spring at the location of a point load is one specific recommended use for this approach. For large loads, placing a column above at a point load has the added advantage that the column is always visible (on most plans), automatically influences strip generation and allows for a punching shear check.