diff --git a/src/app/core/auth/auth.interceptor.ts b/src/app/core/auth/auth.interceptor.ts
index 215d646dfd..015ed1a02d 100644
--- a/src/app/core/auth/auth.interceptor.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/auth/auth.interceptor.ts
@@ -85,6 +85,15 @@ export class AuthInterceptor implements HttpInterceptor {
     return http.url && http.url.endsWith('/authn/logout');
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Check if response is from a status request
+   *
+   * @param http
+   */
+  private isStatusResponse(http: HttpRequest<any> | HttpResponseBase): boolean {
+    return http.url && http.url.endsWith('/authn/status');
+  }
+
   /**
    * Extract location url from the WWW-Authenticate header
    *
@@ -202,8 +211,10 @@ export class AuthInterceptor implements HttpInterceptor {
 
     const authService = this.inj.get(AuthService);
 
-    const token = authService.getToken();
-    let newReq;
+    const token: AuthTokenInfo = authService.getToken();
+    let newReq: HttpRequest<any>;
+    let updateReq: any = {};
+    let authorization: string;
 
     if (authService.isTokenExpired()) {
       authService.setRedirectUrl(this.router.url);
@@ -224,11 +235,13 @@ export class AuthInterceptor implements HttpInterceptor {
           }
         });
       // Get the auth header from the service.
-      const Authorization = authService.buildAuthHeader(token);
+      authorization = authService.buildAuthHeader(token);
       // Clone the request to add the new header.
-      newReq = req.clone({headers: req.headers.set('authorization', Authorization)});
+      newReq = req.clone({ headers: req.headers.set('authorization', authorization) });
     } else {
-      const updateReq = this.isAuthRequest(req) ? { withCredentials: true } : {};
+      if (this.isAuthRequest(req)) {
+        updateReq = { withCredentials: true };
+      }
       newReq = req.clone(updateReq);
     }
 
@@ -237,19 +250,29 @@ export class AuthInterceptor implements HttpInterceptor {
       // tap((response) => console.log('next.handle: ', response)),
       map((response) => {
         // Intercept a Login/Logout response
-        if (response instanceof HttpResponse && this.isSuccess(response) && (this.isLoginResponse(response) || this.isLogoutResponse(response))) {
+        if (response instanceof HttpResponse && this.isSuccess(response) && this.isAuthRequest(response)) {
           // It's a success Login/Logout response
           let authRes: HttpResponse<any>;
           if (this.isLoginResponse(response)) {
             // login successfully
             const newToken = response.headers.get('authorization');
-            authRes = response.clone({body: this.makeAuthStatusObject(true, newToken)});
+            authRes = response.clone({
+              body: this.makeAuthStatusObject(true, newToken)
+            });
 
             // clean eventually refresh Requests list
             this.refreshTokenRequestUrls = [];
+          } else if (this.isStatusResponse(response)) {
+            authRes = response.clone({
+              body: Object.assign(response.body, {
+                authMethods: this.parseAuthMethodsFromHeaders(response.headers)
+              })
+            })
           } else {
             // logout successfully
-            authRes = response.clone({body: this.makeAuthStatusObject(false)});
+            authRes = response.clone({
+              body: this.makeAuthStatusObject(false)
+            });
           }
           return authRes;
         } else {
diff --git a/src/app/core/auth/auth.service.ts b/src/app/core/auth/auth.service.ts
index 7026039692..0978cc3084 100644
--- a/src/app/core/auth/auth.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/auth/auth.service.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,13 @@ import { AuthStatus } from './models/auth-status.model';
 import { AuthTokenInfo, TOKENITEM } from './models/auth-token-info.model';
 import { isEmpty, isNotEmpty, isNotNull, isNotUndefined } from '../../shared/empty.util';
 import { CookieService } from '../services/cookie.service';
-import { getAuthenticationToken, getRedirectUrl, isAuthenticated, isTokenRefreshing } from './selectors';
+import {
+  getAuthenticationMethods,
+  getAuthenticationToken,
+  getRedirectUrl,
+  isAuthenticated,
+  isTokenRefreshing
+} from './selectors';
 import { AppState, routerStateSelector } from '../../app.reducer';
 import {
   CheckAuthenticationTokenAction,
@@ -28,6 +34,7 @@ import { Base64EncodeUrl } from '../../shared/utils/encode-decode.util';
 import { RemoteDataBuildService } from '../cache/builders/remote-data-build.service';
 import { RouteService } from '../services/route.service';
 import { AuthMethod } from './models/auth.method';
+import { NormalizedAuthStatus } from './models/normalized-auth-status.model';
 
 export const LOGIN_ROUTE = '/login';
 export const LOGOUT_ROUTE = '/logout';
@@ -121,7 +128,14 @@ export class AuthService {
    * Checks if token is present into the request cookie
    */
   public checkAuthenticationCookie(): Observable<AuthStatus> {
-    return this.authRequestService.postToEndpoint('login');
+    // Determine if the user has an existing auth session on the server
+    const options: HttpOptions = Object.create({});
+    let headers = new HttpHeaders();
+    headers = headers.append('Accept', 'application/json');
+    options.headers = headers;
+    return this.authRequestService.getRequest('status', options).pipe(
+      map((status: NormalizedAuthStatus) => Object.assign(new AuthStatus(), status))
+    );
   }
 
   /**
@@ -158,7 +172,13 @@ export class AuthService {
    * Checks if token is present into browser storage and is valid. (NB Check is done only on SSR)
    */
   public checkAuthenticationToken() {
-    this.store.dispatch(new CheckAuthenticationTokenAction());
+    this.store.pipe(
+      select(getAuthenticationMethods),
+      filter((authMethods: AuthMethod[]) => isEmpty(authMethods)),
+      take(1)
+    ).subscribe(() => {
+      this.store.dispatch(new CheckAuthenticationTokenAction());
+    });
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/app/core/auth/models/normalized-auth-status.model.ts b/src/app/core/auth/models/normalized-auth-status.model.ts
index d8d0c0b952..6af98bb22f 100644
--- a/src/app/core/auth/models/normalized-auth-status.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/auth/models/normalized-auth-status.model.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { mapsTo, relationship } from '../../cache/builders/build-decorators';
 import { NormalizedObject } from '../../cache/models/normalized-object.model';
 import { IDToUUIDSerializer } from '../../cache/id-to-uuid-serializer';
 import { EPerson } from '../../eperson/models/eperson.model';
+import { AuthMethod } from './auth.method';
 
 @mapsTo(AuthStatus)
 @inheritSerialization(NormalizedObject)
@@ -39,4 +40,9 @@ export class NormalizedAuthStatus extends NormalizedObject<AuthStatus> {
   @autoserialize
   eperson: string;
 
+  /**
+   * All authentication methods enabled at the backend
+   */
+  @autoserialize
+  authMethods: AuthMethod[];
 }
diff --git a/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts b/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts
index ca864f99de..5b3a6cde19 100644
--- a/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts
@@ -225,6 +225,8 @@ export class AuthPostRequest extends PostRequest {
 }
 
 export class AuthGetRequest extends GetRequest {
+  forceBypassCache = true;
+
   constructor(uuid: string, href: string, public options?: HttpOptions) {
     super(uuid, href, null, options);
   }