Multiple credentials in a distributed system

Systems and methods for associating multiple credentials with a single user account in a distributed authentication system. A user can be authenticated to a service by providing any one of the multiple credentials to the authentication system. Thus, a user can provide credentials that are more easily entered or supplied on a given device. All of the credentials are associated with a single user account. The credentials can be associated symmetrically, where the user account is independent of each credential, or asymmetrically, where the user account is stored with a primary credential and the other credentials are secondary credentials that reference the primary credential.