diff --git a/app/controllers/omniauth_callbacks_controller.rb b/app/controllers/omniauth_callbacks_controller.rb
index df75693e840232739ab20809284035f69fc35fa1..f7e7f04384a4237fb2d46d8d7bd4f6a4d6f5b31f 100644
--- a/app/controllers/omniauth_callbacks_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/omniauth_callbacks_controller.rb
@@ -80,9 +80,9 @@ class OmniauthCallbacksController < Devise::OmniauthCallbacksController
 
       identity_linker ||= auth_module::IdentityLinker.new(current_user, oauth)
 
-      identity_linker.create_or_update
+      identity_linker.link
 
-      if identity_linker.created?
+      if identity_linker.changed?
         redirect_identity_linked
       elsif identity_linker.error_message.present?
         redirect_identity_link_failed(identity_linker.error_message)
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker.rb b/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker.rb
index 704a7e1b3c2ebcf8a5cdeeb94971888b023fbb3e..de92d7a214d613bf1f17bf32e9f7d76ef3da2967 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker.rb
@@ -2,25 +2,6 @@ module Gitlab
   module Auth
     module OAuth
       class IdentityLinker < OmniauthIdentityLinkerBase
-        def create_or_update
-          if identity.new_record?
-            @created = identity.save
-          end
-        end
-
-        def error_message
-          identity.validate
-
-          identity.errors.full_messages.join(', ')
-        end
-
-        private
-
-        def identity
-          @identity ||= current_user.identities
-                        .with_extern_uid(oauth['provider'], oauth['uid'])
-                        .first_or_initialize(extern_uid: oauth['uid'])
-        end
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/auth/omniauth_identity_linker_base.rb b/lib/gitlab/auth/omniauth_identity_linker_base.rb
index 4ed28d6a8be89efc4caa1c9831d0a3db505464c5..ae365fcdfaa50b564a12d08438fd6ef6368e24ee 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/auth/omniauth_identity_linker_base.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/auth/omniauth_identity_linker_base.rb
@@ -6,19 +6,41 @@ module Gitlab
       def initialize(current_user, oauth)
         @current_user = current_user
         @oauth = oauth
-        @created = false
+        @changed = false
       end
 
-      def created?
-        @created
+      def link
+        save if identity.new_record?
+      end
+
+      def changed?
+        @changed
       end
 
       def error_message
-        ''
+        identity.validate
+
+        identity.errors.full_messages.join(', ')
+      end
+
+      private
+
+      def save
+        @changed = identity.save
+      end
+
+      def identity
+        @identity ||= current_user.identities
+                                  .with_extern_uid(provider, uid)
+                                  .first_or_initialize(extern_uid: uid)
+      end
+
+      def provider
+        oauth['provider']
       end
 
-      def create_or_update
-        raise NotImplementedError
+      def uid
+        oauth['uid']
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker.rb b/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker.rb
index d5f97f01df3cbcf5735ff10686e0470642081933..7e4b191d512a9f367194189b1a97531afc2bb9bf 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker.rb
@@ -2,25 +2,6 @@ module Gitlab
   module Auth
     module Saml
       class IdentityLinker < OmniauthIdentityLinkerBase
-        def create_or_update
-          if find_saml_identity.nil?
-            create_saml_identity
-
-            @created = true
-          else
-            @created = false
-          end
-        end
-
-        protected
-
-        def find_saml_identity
-          current_user.identities.with_extern_uid(:saml, oauth['uid']).take
-        end
-
-        def create_saml_identity
-          current_user.identities.create(extern_uid: oauth['uid'], provider: :saml)
-        end
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker_spec.rb
index 8d1b0a3cd4b69b5015783c397fcd848dd6b07990..528f1b4ec5753f34c580eb649cbc47394beaa10b 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/o_auth/identity_linker_spec.rb
@@ -12,23 +12,23 @@ describe Gitlab::Auth::OAuth::IdentityLinker do
     let!(:identity) { user.identities.create!(provider: provider, extern_uid: uid) }
 
     it "doesn't create new identity" do
-      expect { subject.create_or_update }.not_to change { Identity.count }
+      expect { subject.link }.not_to change { Identity.count }
     end
 
-    it "#created? returns false" do
-      subject.create_or_update
+    it "sets #changed? to false" do
+      subject.link
 
-      expect(subject).not_to be_created
+      expect(subject).not_to be_changed
     end
   end
 
   context 'identity already linked to different user' do
     let!(:identity) {  create(:identity, provider: provider, extern_uid: uid) }
 
-    it "#created? returns false" do
-      subject.create_or_update
+    it "#changed? returns false" do
+      subject.link
 
-      expect(subject).not_to be_created
+      expect(subject).not_to be_changed
     end
 
     it 'exposes error message' do
@@ -38,25 +38,25 @@ describe Gitlab::Auth::OAuth::IdentityLinker do
 
   context 'identity needs to be created' do
     it 'creates linked identity' do
-      expect { subject.create_or_update }.to change { user.identities.count }
+      expect { subject.link }.to change { user.identities.count }
     end
 
     it 'sets identity provider' do
-      subject.create_or_update
+      subject.link
 
       expect(user.identities.last.provider).to eq provider
     end
 
     it 'sets identity extern_uid' do
-      subject.create_or_update
+      subject.link
 
       expect(user.identities.last.extern_uid).to eq uid
     end
 
-    it 'sets #created? to true' do
-      subject.create_or_update
+    it 'sets #changed? to true' do
+      subject.link
 
-      expect(subject).to be_created
+      expect(subject).to be_changed
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker_spec.rb
index 11e8469e9f45e7a32782f2f19a207fdcb1d38351..f3305d574ccfb9de4357cdbe2265fd225827b2c2 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/auth/saml/identity_linker_spec.rb
@@ -12,37 +12,37 @@ describe Gitlab::Auth::Saml::IdentityLinker do
     let!(:identity) { user.identities.create!(provider: provider, extern_uid: uid) }
 
     it "doesn't create new identity" do
-      expect { subject.create_or_update }.not_to change { Identity.count }
+      expect { subject.link }.not_to change { Identity.count }
     end
 
-    it 'sets #created? to false' do
-      subject.create_or_update
+    it "sets #changed? to false" do
+      subject.link
 
-      expect(subject).not_to be_created
+      expect(subject).not_to be_changed
     end
   end
 
   context 'identity needs to be created' do
     it 'creates linked identity' do
-      expect { subject.create_or_update }.to change { user.identities.count }
+      expect { subject.link }.to change { user.identities.count }
     end
 
     it 'sets identity provider' do
-      subject.create_or_update
+      subject.link
 
       expect(user.identities.last.provider).to eq provider
     end
 
     it 'sets identity extern_uid' do
-      subject.create_or_update
+      subject.link
 
       expect(user.identities.last.extern_uid).to eq uid
     end
 
-    it 'sets #created? to true' do
-      subject.create_or_update
+    it 'sets #changed? to true' do
+      subject.link
 
-      expect(subject).to be_created
+      expect(subject).to be_changed
     end
   end
 end