Just a small caution about buying the refundable ticket and entering the gate area, and then checking in at your gate. They may ask you how you got inside the gate area without checking in? Also if you check in and get an SSS boarding pass, and then go the route of buying a redundable ticket without SSS, and your SSS boarding pass does not have the right stamps or initials or holes punched in it, this may raise suspicion.

Shortly after 9/11 I was trying to use an old ticket and I used an open ticket which was different to get in the security area. They really became suspicious about how I was able to enter the security area without a same day ticket, and I was able to quickly tell them I showed another itinerary, but they were about to have the supervisor go talk to the security ticket checkers to see how I got on the concourse.

Perhaps some of this paranoia has dies down, and I suppose you could say you got on the concourse also by flying in on another inbound flight to DeN, but if they catch you lying or doing something that appears suspicious to them it may get you in to a situation where you have to answer a lot of questions. I have gotten the SSS a few times, and I would not say it is so bad that I would go to major trouble to avoid it. It could be a problem if running very late for a flight perhaps. I only get it maybe 3 times a year.